Food Book Club Time

Stealing Buddhas Dinner is a memoir written by a Vietnamese-American Bich Minh Nguyen. Nguyen recalls her childhood memories through nostalgic memories of food. As a young immigrant child, Bich struggles to find her new American identity while still maintaining her original cultural identity of her Buddhist Vietnamese roots.

Nguyen uses food to contrast the difference between the two unique cultures. While she is forced to eat rice and vegetables, Bich watches in envy as other local Michigan girls eat Pizza and other traditional American "delicacies". Going against her families traditional wishes, Bich feels she must assimilate into the American culture by eating what she thinks an American would eat. However this American food represents something deeper for Bich, it represents her integration into American society and her own created American identity. While Bich pursues her idea of the American diet and lifestyle, her family drama unfolds and the reader learns about the hardships of immigrating to a brand new place, being accepted and finding an identity. While I felt certain memories and stories where rather dry and boring in Nguyen's writing style, this book's true value comes with insight into cultural assimilation and the nostalgic stories of food products we've all grown up with and enjoy in America.