For Jen Lu
this morning
I was wondering
How much of our
Expressions of love
Revolve around food
Two sitting pillows
And a desk between us
For you
I will show you new things
We argue with our chopsticks
Both wanting the other
To quickly get the first bite
I say, no, try first
I’ll feed you a piece
Or I’ll eat the rest of it
Over a bowl of fried rice
I suggested
We eat it with our forks
It tasted much better
I licked soy sauce
Off the prongs
Last night we ordered
Chocolate tiramisu cake
After Chinese food
I moved jokingly
For you to lick the wrapper
Its crumbs waiting for us
We watched both sides
And sneak our last licks
You order for me
In broken Vietnamese
To surprise me with a dish
And pretend not to notice me
Fumbling with my
Fork over noodles
I refused to use chopsticks
Even though it would be easier
I like to entertain you
As noodles plummet to the floor
You ask me to tell you a story
I asked to hear one of yours
We tried hard to speak and listen
Over the loudness of chatter
and parents calling to ask
if we were alright or not
Of course we are
We are connecting and eating
We are happy
I steal a flower
From a bouquet in the hall
And bring it back to you
You open all its petals
You’re in my arms now
When we are at home
This is why I love you
- What piece did you choose to imitate?
Jennifer Barone’s “Le due sedie” in Saporoso
- Why did you choose this piece?
The Italian title drew my attention at first, but after translating it into English, the title fascinated me even more. I wondered why the poet would pick such an odd title of “The two chairs” in a collection of poems about pasta, but after reading it, I began to realize the true meaning of the poem.
When reading the poem, I related to the poet’s relationship with her boyfriend to my own relationship with my girlfriend. When the two shared a meal of noodles, I thought of times when I had shared a meal with my girlfriend too. It was a way for them to bond as a couple, and the further I read into the poem, the more I saw a part of myself with my own girlfriend too.
- What did you learn about the culture of the original author through imitating his or her style?
The poet references the two chairs as a reference of her and her boyfriend’s usual “displays of affection” that commonly occur while sharing a meal together. Her reflection highlights the small moments during the meal that reinforces her love for her boyfriend. In her culture, love is shown through gestures and seemingly unimportant moments. For instance, despite the poet not being able to use chopsticks proficiently, she continues to use them to eat her noodles not only to entertain her boyfriend, but also to show that she cares about his Vietnamese culture to try his eating customs. Her culture also appreciates the time spent when sharing a meal with a person. Even though the poet and her boyfriend did not have the most standard meal (“argue with our forks,” “lick the plate,” and “noodles dribble down my chin”), she is still incredibly grateful of the meal and him when she declares that “we are happy” and “this is why I love you.”
- What did you learn about your own culture while writing?
When reading this poem, it resonated with me more than usual because I had also shared similar thoughts with the poet. I had realized that my own culture emphasizes sharing meals together as a bonding experience. Whenever I am at home, I would always share a meal with my parents and sister as a way to reconnect with them. I would love the little moments such as my dad cracking a clever joke or my sister struggling to eat her dribbling noodles like the poet. Whenever I am away from home, I would also share a meal with my girlfriend during our free time as a way to reconnect with her. Similar to the poet, our little interactions with food warm my heart. She constantly amuses me with her desperate struggling with chopsticks, feeding me a tasty bite from her food, and smiling brightly with a quick and cute nod to indicate that the food is indeed delicious. These small moments during my meals, despite being seemingly insignificant, make me love my family and girlfriend even more. In my culture, when we share our food with someone we love, we can be fully comfortable and vulnerable with the other person. It reminds us of how special we are as individuals, and ultimately, how much we love each other when together.
- Is there cultural DNA embedded in the piece you read and in your piece? How does this DNA manifest in the texts?
There are multitudes of cultural DNA in the original poem indicated by the food from different cultures she eats. The poet is aware of going against Western customs by suggesting that she and her boyfriend eat the pasta with her bare hands. She also eats Japanese food and Vietnamese food that her boyfriend orders for them. Her struggle with chopsticks shows her appreciation of her boyfriend’s Vietnamese culture.
In my piece, I also show the cultural DNA of me and my girlfriend. We sit on pillows on a low desk to eat as sometimes done in our culture. We “argue with chopsticks” rather than “with forks” as in the original to reflect our preference for chopsticks when eating. For our meal, we also eat Chinese food and Italian tiramisu. Most importantly, our “parents calling to ask” shows our continuing connection to our family as they check on the well-being of me and my girlfriend. Just as having meals with my family connects me with them, having meals with my girlfriend connects me with her even more, makes us happy, and reminds me of why I love her.