Continuing on our culture crash discussion, last night we explored the difficulties and experiences of Asians living abroad in the US. After discussing the traditional jobs for Taiwanese living the states, like waiter in a Chinese restaurant and IT engineer, we talked about less tradition jobs Asians are doing in the US- like the current Chief of Police in San Francisco- a job held by Heather Fong who is a Chinese American woman fluent in Cantonese. She’s the first ever female Asian-American police chief in US history.
We also talked about lifestyle and the leisure activates that Asians living abroad take part in. Several of the members of the group have lived abroad in the US, England, and Australia and the consensus was that the most obvious difference was related to food. Eating abroad in western countries caused the most trouble for everyone due to type of foods available, and amount given. Weight gain was the most common problem for both men and women and, of course, the missing of certain types of food. Breakfast presented a big problem for people living abroad.
It seems that this is a common problem for people in general living abroad. I also have this trouble; breakfast is just one of those meals that the body has difficulty adjusting to no matter how long you live in a foreign country. I have to have my western breakfast- pancakes, eggs, French toast, cold cereal with milk- NOT congee, or ‘o-ah-mi-sua’, or radish cakes.
We looked at the Asian hobby of the ‘compact tuner.’ Originating in Japan, the tuner phenomenon then moved to California and captured the eye of Hollywood. But the image of those illegal street races and the careless drivers involved in countless accidents gives people a negative image of tuner enthusiasts. Our discussion then turned to the separation foreigners feel in the US and the results of that separation. The need to identify with a support group is one of those results of that separation. This possibly could lead to anti-social behaviors like joining gangs or even worse acts like the Virginia Tech shooter in the US.
Also related to the effects of an American lifestyle on Asians is the rise in breast cancer among the Asian American population. This rise is connected to a change in diet to a western diet and a lack of an active lifestyle. Wow, what a surprise! Who would have guessed that eating processed, fatty, high-cholesterol foods in huge amounts could lead to a rise in health problems! Soy products have been proven to help women reduce the risk of certain cancers and particularly breast cancer.
The last part of our discussion focused on weight and body size/shape and the difficulty of Asians buying sizes and styles to fit their bodies. Weight was discussed earlier in the evening with the problem of weight gain addressed. We looked into the current trend of women to try to get as thin as possible both here in Taiwan and also in the US. Throwing up, taking medicines, and stopping eating were the most common methods used by those obsessed with their weight. Lots of stories about women trying to lose weight here in Taiwan were shared as well.
We also talked about lifestyle and the leisure activates that Asians living abroad take part in. Several of the members of the group have lived abroad in the US, England, and Australia and the consensus was that the most obvious difference was related to food. Eating abroad in western countries caused the most trouble for everyone due to type of foods available, and amount given. Weight gain was the most common problem for both men and women and, of course, the missing of certain types of food. Breakfast presented a big problem for people living abroad.
It seems that this is a common problem for people in general living abroad. I also have this trouble; breakfast is just one of those meals that the body has difficulty adjusting to no matter how long you live in a foreign country. I have to have my western breakfast- pancakes, eggs, French toast, cold cereal with milk- NOT congee, or ‘o-ah-mi-sua’, or radish cakes.
We looked at the Asian hobby of the ‘compact tuner.’ Originating in Japan, the tuner phenomenon then moved to California and captured the eye of Hollywood. But the image of those illegal street races and the careless drivers involved in countless accidents gives people a negative image of tuner enthusiasts. Our discussion then turned to the separation foreigners feel in the US and the results of that separation. The need to identify with a support group is one of those results of that separation. This possibly could lead to anti-social behaviors like joining gangs or even worse acts like the Virginia Tech shooter in the US.
Also related to the effects of an American lifestyle on Asians is the rise in breast cancer among the Asian American population. This rise is connected to a change in diet to a western diet and a lack of an active lifestyle. Wow, what a surprise! Who would have guessed that eating processed, fatty, high-cholesterol foods in huge amounts could lead to a rise in health problems! Soy products have been proven to help women reduce the risk of certain cancers and particularly breast cancer.
The last part of our discussion focused on weight and body size/shape and the difficulty of Asians buying sizes and styles to fit their bodies. Weight was discussed earlier in the evening with the problem of weight gain addressed. We looked into the current trend of women to try to get as thin as possible both here in Taiwan and also in the US. Throwing up, taking medicines, and stopping eating were the most common methods used by those obsessed with their weight. Lots of stories about women trying to lose weight here in Taiwan were shared as well. by Charles
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