"OH, HOW THE TIMES HAVE CHANGED... OR NOT"
The recipes are supplemented with drawings that unfortunately reinforce stereotypes and provide humor that lowers the seriousness of the foods talked about and the people associated with them. The “Asian” cartoons that are depicted allude to the physical characteristic that many people use to separate Asians from other races: small, slanted eyes. All the foods and animals, including pigs, cows, chickens, mushrooms, and onions, are drawn with dashes for eyes, furthering the stereotype that all Asians have this feature and that this feature makes them all look similar. Sometimes the animals are drawn with coolie hats, a typical representation of a Chinese farmer who works in rice paddies,[7] insinuating most Chinese people are lower-class farmers or laborers with blue-collar jobs. The animals are also drawn in humorous ways, such as pigs wrapped in dumpling skins, chickens fighting with tomatoes, and ducks with their heads stuck inside peppers. While these drawings may appear humorous and harmless, they are in actuality very offensive; they depict the foods used in Chinese dishes as barbaric, stupid, and laughable, and as perception of food is inextricably connected to perception of the racial group that creates it, the cartoons imply people of Chinese descent are also barbaric and stupid, and should be laughed at.
The Benedictine sisters also provide tips at the end of each recipe; the tips are similarly given with the intent of captivating readers, but in reality, they just portray Chinese food and people negatively. Typical tips are “to reduce odor of cooking cabbage, place several slices of bread on top of the meat balls,”[8] and “to remove the bitter flavor of shelled walnuts…”[9] These tips point out the traits of ethnic foods that often make others regard ethnic dishes with distaste; Americans tend to find the more “unusual” recipes unappealing because of the difference in appearance, odor, or flavor from “normal, American” foods. The Benedictine sisters imply that if ethnic qualities, like strong odors and flavors, are removed, people will like ethnic dishes more. Adding typically Western foods, such as bread, to the dish, easily Americanizes it and makes it more universally appealing. While The Art of Chinese Cooking made a decent effort in changing public opinions of the Chinese and their culture by drawing attention to the stereotypes made about them, it only reinforced popular misconceptions. After examining a Chinese cookbook that was published in 2001, Chinese Cooking for Dummies by Martin Yan, it seems negative opinions of the Chinese still exist in the present, though the stereotypes themselves have changed slightly, revealing the limited effect of older cookbooks on improving sentiment toward Asians. During the 2000s, many people believed prejudice against Asian Americans had disappeared and the perception of this racial group as the “model minority” was very common;[10] this misconception masks the fact that Asian Americans still face negative stereotyping, which continues to affect their social status and access to equal opportunities and public services. Many people continue to see all Asians in this country, regardless of their citizenship status, as foreigners or “permanent aliens.[11]” Negative attitudes, such as the belief that they are hard to communicate with, aloof, and disinterested in or disapproving of the larger American community, stem from negative views we still hold about China, feelings we have extrapolated onto the people of Chinese descent.[12] Yan addresses and challenges many of these anti-Asian sentiments by educating mainstream American society, the intended audience, on the diversity of Chinese food culture, the history that influenced it, why it should be preserved, and how it can be enjoyed universally. The goal of his cookbook was much larger and better accomplished than the Benedictine sisters’, who resorted to easier options that agreed with Americans’ opinions just to gain their acceptance. Yan aims to gain acceptance as well, but his method is less transparent, more holistic, and more effective in relating to his audience. |