Thien Pham

A brief life story as told through significant moments marked by food.

I really appreciated the author mentioning in the beginning what significance/symbolism some food items hold for him as it makes people really appreciate that food is not just a cultural experience, but a lived experience. Strawberries, which are typically thought of as a food symbolizing wealth and decadence end up symbolizing poverty and struggle, as it was something that was readily available from working on a farm for a few dollars a day. Potato chips which are thought of as cheap, non-luxury foods take on a meaning of wealth when you're on the tightest of budgets and it becomes a non-essential because food stamps aren't enough to afford them.

There's a deep meaning behind the rejection of foods and language from one's cultural heritage, as second generation individuals of diaspora are often torn with the misguided idea that they have to choose between one cultural identity versus another. In addition, there's the rediscovery of cultural heritage, the celebration of it, and combining/blending it with the newer cultural identity to create a newer, more whole identity.

This story rings very deep as food holds much cultural significance to so many. Framing significant life moments around food makes sense and is incredibly relatable even if you're not an immigrant. Additionally, anyone who has ever lived in poverty could relate to this story.… (mehr)

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher of First Second Books, and the author Thien Pham for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I don't think having food as chapters or scenes to transition from one time to another was necessary. There could be deeper connections to be made and different ways to make transitions. I appreciated Pham's art style as I found it cute. I also appreciated the amount of details of everyday life spent in the refugee camps. The aspect of refugee camps tends to be seen as transitionary and often less spoken about as opposed to assimilating to America. I wish more works spent more time in the refugee process.… (mehr)