Cross-culture—era
cont’d
Even when speaking the same language
there are so many areas that can create emotional stress from disrespect to
humor. On my first trip to a delicatessen I asked for smoked meat and was asked
what kind. I had no idea what he was talking about and tried to explain the
packages that you could boil in water and put in a sandwich. He looked at me as
if I was from another planet. Several months later I tried once again at
another place with different wording and received the same reaction. A tourist
from New York City overheard our conversation and told me to ask for pastrami.
It was an East Coast-West Coast difference, not country borders.
Now grocers’ stock different food from
all around the world and most situations do not even exist. But back then it startled me to realize
some of my basic familiar foods were no longer available. My cultural changes
were minor and often humorous, however, for displaced refugees the emotional
cost is staggering. I highly recommend the movie Green Dragon as an example of how life can be impacted.
Exercise
Optional
1. If you
decide to watch Green Dragon look for
the many ways that the arts bring hope and healing to both cultures involved.
Note that the beginning of the movie is in sub-titles until the language
barrier is overcome.
Exercise:
Pair your character with a stranger in a
cooking class where they are both trying to learn to make a specialty dish
foreign to both of them.
Share: What is the funniest incident?
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