Garlic

Noreen Or HUMALIT – C32 June 5, 2013 1. The author’s past was triggered in the process of describing the food. It reflected the ethical and cultural practices of the Japanese-Americans during the World War 2. The description about the author stated that he was the only Japanese in his school. I think this triggered the author’s past because he was being discriminated. During the World War 2, the Japanese were forced to evacuate by the Americans (“World War II”, 2011). They were also not allowed to work, purchase any land, marry someone who is not the same race as them, become citizens of America, and not all kinds of jobs were accessible for them. Their rights were very limited (“Pre-War Discrimination”, n.d.). 2. The way the author described the food gave me an image of what he was actually describing. His choice of words will make you see, feel, taste, smell, and hear the food. I think the author is aiming for the understanding of the readers. He explains very vividly the culture he has. He would also like the Americans understand the Japanese culture because they were discriminated during the World War 2. 3. The title “Who Among You Knows the Essence of Garlic” and the way he presented his perceptions show that the author is witty, knowledgeable, and extraordinarily sensitive. For the title, I felt that it was very eye catching, for it is not common for someone to ask about garlic. The moment I knew what the title was, it got me thinking if food was going to be the topic of the poem because garlic is known as an ingredient in a lot of dishes. For the way he presented his perceptions, I thought it was extraordinarily sensitive of him to not directly write who the “foreigner” in the first line was. If he said who the “foreigner” was, there might someone of the same race who will get hurt. In order to avoid this, he used a general term. 4. In our family, we love a dish called Bibimbap. This Korean dish is really easy to