40 SHOULDKNOW. Asian-Americans
THINGS
Culture
2. Fob
1. How to Use Chopsticks
The Correct Way to Use Chopsticks If you’re born Asian, you probably remember the difficulties you had using chopsticks growing up. Maybe your parents would give you a pair of those smooth metal chopsticks and make you pick up beads, a daunting task for a 3-year-old. Even at the ripe age of 21, I still find that difficult. However, gradually you learned to use it, albeit perhaps in the incorrect way. Many AsianAmericans find themselves using chopsticks the wrong way, but through proficiency over time, never bothered to change it. On the back of those restaurant wooden chopsticks, it clearly indicates that the sticks should not cross and instead be used by holding your thumb in place and pushing down with your index finger. However, an alternate and also widely used method is by holding the chopsticks in place with your middle finger and using the thumb and index finger to move the second stick in a scissor-like fashion, crossing the sticks. Regardless of how you use them, be sure to never resort to spearing your food with it like a fork, unless on rare occasions when they’re used to separate large pieces of food. Picture Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Chopsticks_usage. png
22
ASIAN OUTLOOK
Fob, an acronym for “fresh off the boat,” is a derogatory term that is used stereotypically in order to label immigrants from Asia and others that are non-native born (i.e. international students) in the United States. Asian-Americans typically use “fob” to describe and discriminate other Asians that do not or cannot assimilate into American culture. Accordingly, there would be a list of differences that Asian-Americans use to differentiate themselves from fobs, such as fashion (American Eagle vs. BAPE), hairstyle (shortmasculine vs. long-feminine), and language or how well one speaks English without a foreign accent—or if they even speak English at all (broken English or “Chinglish”). Over the years, this has led to such terms as “fobby” or statements such as “Please excuse my friend. She’s not from here. She’s a fob.”
3. Asian Glow
Whenever there’s alcohol and Asians present, you usually notice a red tinge start to flush up on someone’s face after a few drinks, maybe even a few sips. What is that? We all know it as Asian glow or Asian flush, but what causes it? Summarizing all the scientific mumbo jumbo, the person is missing an enzyme called ALDH2, which is normally responsible for breaking down a by-product of metabolising alcohol. This reddish flush can vary from the face to the neck region or even end up covering the entire body. The common myth that only Asians get Asian flush is completely wrong; any person of any race can get it, and not all Asians get Asian flush. It makes a person look intoxicated, even when they’re not, and generally makes it difficult for him to convince others that he’s fine. However, not all hope is lost, for it appears that using Pepcid AC or other low doses of heartburn medicine taken about 30 to 60 minutes before drinking can lower the appearance of Asian flush. If you’re Asian and don’t get the flush, consider yourself lucky, for experts around the world have concluded that more than 50 percent of Asians worldwide get the crimson glow.
4. Hella VS. Mad
For many years, slang has differed regionally within the U.S. , especially between the west coast and the east coast. One way the coasts differ is in the use of the terms “hella” and “mad.” These two terms mean almost the same thing, but have different origins. According to UrbanDictionary.com, the term “hella” originated from San Francisco. West coasters use the term “hella” in place of words such as “really” or “very” to convey the sense that something is unbelievable or over the top. For example, someone could say “that exam was hella easy” or “that guy in the trench coat is hella sketch.” In some cases, the term “hecka” is used to substitute “hella.” The East coast equivalent to the West coast term “hella” would be the term, “mad.” The term tends to be used within the New York City area. For example: “Damn, you mad late today. Get your head outta yo’ ass” or “That guy is mad crazy. Stay away from him.”