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    East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres
    East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres
    East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres
    Ebook196 pages8 hours

    East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres

    By Andrew Lam

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    “Includes some of Lam’s most memorable writings, about cuisine, self-esteem, sex and kung fu, all seen from a two-hemisphere perspective.” —SFGate

    East Eats West shines new light on the bridges and crossroads where two global regions meld into one worldwide “immigrant nation.” In this new nation, with its amalgamation of divergent ideas, tastes, and styles, today’s bold fusion becomes tomorrow’s classic. But while the space between East and West continues to shrink in this age of globalization, some cultural gaps remain.

    In this collection of twenty-one personal essays, Andrew Lam, the award-winning author of Perfume Dreams, continues to explore the Vietnamese diaspora, this time concentrating not only on how the East and West have changed but how they are changing each other. Lively and engaging, East Eats West searches for meaning in nebulous territory charted by very few. Part memoir, part meditation, and part cultural anthropology, East Eats West is about thriving in the West with one foot still in the East.

    “In these lovely, wise, probing essays, Andrew Lam not only illuminates the crucial twenty-first-century issues of immigration and cultural identity but the greater, enduring issues of what it means to be human . . . a compelling book.” —Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize–winning author

    “Andrew Lam is an expert time-traveler, collapsing childhood and adulthood; years of war and peace; and the evolution of language in his own life, time, and mind. To read Andrew’s work is a joy and a profound journey.” —Farai Chideya, author of The Episodic Career

    “One of the best American essayists of his generation.” —Wayne Karlin, author of A Wolf by the Ears
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateMay 3, 2019
    ISBN9781597144964
    East Eats West: Writing in Two Hemispheres

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    • 3/5
      Lam's collection of essays are a thoughtful attempt to negotiate what it means to be an immigrant, particularly a Vietnamese immigrant, living in the culturally diverse city of San Francisco, and in a larger sense, in America itself.

      The subjects of the chapters are disparate, ranging from food - which crops up several times, to cultural trends both in the East and the West, and the mixture and blending of cultures. Unfortunately, this can make it seem disjointed at parts and lacking a central underlying theme. There was one there, but the line was lost a few times that made me wonder why certain chapters were included, particularly near the end.

      His writing, too, can seem flowery at parts and ranges into poetical, but with the brusque style endemic to journalists. His strength, both conceptually and in his writing, is when he focused on either a more academic look at his subject, or when he relates very concrete, personal recollections. His chapter regarding the Vietnam War memorial erected in San Francisco and his recollections of fleeing the country when he was young are the most moving and memorable chapters. The Vietnam War has perhaps lost its cultural impact with my generation, and most certainly with the upcoming generation, but Lam's memories and stories were poignant in an understated way.

      The book also may invite criticism from other areas. A common complaint levied against multiculturalism is the emphasis on food. Rightfully, I think, critics believe that appreciating food is not indicative of acceptance, or even tolerance, as a whole, and Lam's preoccupation with the subject would seem to suggest that he believes that accepting food is indicative of a larger move toward embracing other cultures. This is more evident when he speaks of San Francisco. At other times, like a wonderful chapter on finding pho in the most unlikely places, simply suggest the comfort of finding a familiar comfort food and what a diaspora looks like.

      His chapter on refugees and the optimism of Obama's election also may smack of naivete, particularly in the current political clime. Still, maybe it's good to read that optimism and remember what we are working toward.
    • 5/5
      fun and sometimes profound arguments as to the influences of Asia/asians on the west - and the perosnal essays are deeply honest and moving. a strong reading that's unique in American literature.

    Book preview

    East Eats West - Andrew Lam

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