It’s time to fill in your application for the college entrance examination recently, so today I want to talk about a "famous scene" in the American TV series "Fresh Off the Boat": Fatty (first from the right) unexpectedly got a very high score in the college entrance examination, but he actually gave up Invited for an interview by Harvard University , I firmly want to learn cooking.
The protagonist Eddie and his family are immigrants from Taiwan, China to the United States. The TV series tells the story of three generations of their family after they moved to Orlando from Washington.
"Fresh Off the Boat" is also the only American TV series with a Chinese family as the protagonist. It is adapted from the memoirs of Chinese-American chef Huang Yiming (also known as Xiao Pang in the show). It ran for 5 years from 2015 to 2020, with a total of 5 seasons. .
The background of the story was in the 1990s. Louis, Fatty's father, ran an American steakhouse and the business was not bad. Fatty's father was able to integrate well into the local society and lead the whole family to dream of the "American Dream". The fat mother Jessica is a typical Chinese "tiger mother" who is often confused because of skin color or cultural conflicts.
Xiaopang is the eldest brother in the family. He likes hip-hop music and basketball. He is rebellious and has a unique personality. The two younger brothers are both typical good Chinese children. Their grades also satisfy the tiger mother very much. There is also one in the family who can only speak Chinese. Living with grandma.
The plot is relaxed and warm, and the hostess is very cute. Although the whole drama seems to be about how Chinese families integrate into mainstream American society, in the hostess, we can still see the stubbornness of fat mothers towards Chinese culture in the American free-range environment. persist in.
Xiaopang gave up Harvard and fell in love with cooking school. 's "famous scene" happened in the last episode of the fifth season (the finale) . Xiaopang received an interview invitation from Harvard University. However...
1
Harvard or Cooking school?
Little Fatty’s college entrance examination score unexpectedly scored 1,500 points, and Fatty’s mother was so excited that she screamed! I believe every parent can feel this excitement.
But Xiaopang didn’t want to go to Harvard. Xiaopang, who had been interested in food since he was a child, wanted to go to a chef school. He found his dad and told him his idea. The fat father who runs a restaurant understands Xiao Pang very well, but what makes the father and son difficult is how to convince the fat mother.
Xiaopang decided to try it by making a dinner. The fat mother was as happy as an old mother: her son not only scored 1,500 points in the test, but also cooked a table of food for himself!
Just when Xiaopang wanted to tell his mother that he preferred to go to a chef school, the fat mother first found a letter from Harvard University in a pile of letters. The fat mother was overjoyed and read out to her family the preparations for the interview. ...
Fat dad can only comfort Xiao Fat. Fat mom has worried about his studies for so many years before he can get such an opportunity. The admission interview at Harvard may be what fat mom has dreamed of for a long time. As a family member, he should let Fat mom, enjoy this moment.
The next day, the interviewer came to Xiaopang’s home, and the family warmly welcomed the Harvard alumni who came for the “interview”.
The interviewer had a very pleasant conversation with Xiaopang and was very interested in Xiaopang’s hobbies. Xiaopang performed B-BOX, but the fat mother on the side would interrupt from time to time and tell some about Xiaopang’s hobbies.
When the interviewer said: "Why don't we do the interview directly?", the fat mother happily joined the "interview".
The fat mother excitedly told about the hard work she had put into the little fat girl over the years. After listening to the interview, the interviewer said: "This is a very useful conversation" and then prepared to leave. Before
left, Fat Mom asked about the interview, but the interviewer said that Fatty might not be suitable for Harvard.
The fat mom thought it was the B-BOX performed by the chubby kid that ruined the interview, but the interviewer said the reason was because of the fat mom:
"You're a bit of a helicopter mom." (You may be a helicopter mom.) .)
The interviewer mentioned that Harvard University research found that if parents interfere too much in their children's lives, they will be more likely to fail once their children become independent.
After the interviewer left, the fat mother blamed herself because she was the reason why the fat kid could not go to Harvard. But at this time, Xiaopang told his mother that it didn't matter. didn't want to go to college, but wanted to go to chef school.
Fat Mom was not angry when she heard all this, she was just sad. I believe that most Chinese parents can understand the "sadness" and "disappointment" of fat mothers. After all, this is the highest educational institution that many families dream of in the traditional sense.
The fat mother is very depressed. Even if she participates in lively community activities, she can't cheer up.
Xiaopang found Fat Mom and expressed his gratitude for so many years of training. Fat mom asked: "I'm not terrible?" (Am I not bad?)
Xiaopang replied: "You are too strict with me."
But Xiaopang is still very grateful to her fat mother for being "strict", because it taught her to fight for her dreams. Xiaopang still made it clear: "I still want to go to chef school."
Fat mother said: "I just want to give you the best..."
Indeed, sending his child to Harvard University may be a traditional sense. Most parents consider the “best thing” they can give their children.
I believe that the Chinese parents who watched the movie can really understand the loss of the fat mother. They have paid so much for their children and are about to get close to the goal, but they find that everything is not what their children want.
Fat dad also found Fat Mom, hoping that she could support Xiao Pang’s dream. After all, they left Taiwan when Xiao Pang was that old...
In the end, Fat Dad and Fat Mom approved Xiao Pang’s idea of going to a chef school. Fat Mom said: "No one can stop my children from chasing their dreams, including myself."
2
Chinese Tiger Mom
Fat Mom is a very typical Chinese Tiger Mom. She will insist on Chinese elements at home and supervise her children. Speak Chinese, enroll them in Chinese cram school... I have to say that the energy of American mothers' chicken babies is no less than that of Haidian and Shunyi mothers.
Moreover, the fat mother is not only strict with her family, she is also very tough even when facing the principal. Once, Xiaopang's school held a World Culture Day, and each child was assigned a country to introduce. Xiaopang, who likes hip-hop culture, was assigned " Jamaica ". Xiaopang was very satisfied. He felt that Jamaica was much cooler than China. But the fat mother came to school angrily and strongly demanded that "China" be assigned to Xiaopang.
The fat mother has always maintained her pride in the motherland in front of her children:
"You can see the Great Wall from space!"
" Gunpowder and the compass all come from China"
"China! China! China!"
In the fat mother Under the influence, several children gradually built up their cultural confidence in the motherland.
In addition to Chinese culture, fat mothers also pay close attention to the achievements of several children. No matter how happy local children in the United States are to be educated, fat mothers only care about grades.
Even though the fat boy came home with straight A's, the fat mother still questioned - it must be because the school's curriculum is too easy!
So, she also found the principal for this.
If you don’t have enough to eat in school, you have to make up for it outside the school. The fat mother began to look for off-campus cram schools run by Chinese Americans.
The fat mother is usually very aggressive and strict in educating her children. Her motto is: "Be the best in everything you do!"
For example, when her youngest son Evan scored 99 points on the spelling test , Fat Mom will ask him:
"Is there anyone else who scored 100 points?"
Only when Evan answers: "No", Fat Mom will give her affirmation: "That way you are the best."
I don't know why. , although this kind of chicken blood energy is often criticized, the self-discipline and tenacity shown by the fat mother really don't feel uncomfortable, but feel particularly cute.
3
Real-life discrimination, bullying and others
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, this drama is adapted from the autobiography of Chinese-American chef Huang Yiming. However, after the TV series was broadcast, many plots made Huang Yiming quite dissatisfied.
(original cover)
For example, his original work tells many experiences of being discriminated against and bullied in school since childhood. Although in the TV series, some students also ridiculed Xiaopang for his Chinese identity, Xiaopang was soon overpowered. He made friends with his classmates who bullied him and was accepted by his classmates.
Huang Yiming believes that the situation of Chinese Americans in reality is not as good as in the TV series. The TV series depicts racial discrimination as flatter and gentler. This is the reality after adding filters and beautification.
In addition, Huang Yiming did not give up college and went to chef school. As an undergraduate, he majored in English and film at Rollins College, and then completed a doctorate in law. After graduating in 2008, he became a practicing lawyer. But with his love for food, he founded the restaurant "Baohaus" in New York that sells Taiwanese snacks such as gubao.
In addition to "Fresh Off the Boat", Huang Yiming also wrote and directed the sports inspirational film "Boogie", which tells the story of high school student Boogie and his basketball dream in a Chinese immigrant family. The shadow of "Little Fatty" can also be vaguely seen in this story.
is written at the end:
As mentioned earlier, Xiaopang insisted on going to the cooking school, and finally the fat mother agreed...
But then, the fat mother turned around and took out the form she drew. She analyzed the cooking school and made a request. : "But you must go to the best one."
It's really funny to see this, and analyze the "chef school" with a table. It's really fat mom, so cute!
Little Fatty subconsciously complained: "It's planning again..."
But this time, Fat Mom turned the whiteboard over -
"Write it yourself. But I reserve the right to correct any mistakes you make, no matter you like it." If I don’t like it, I won’t go anywhere…”
A gentle but firm fat mother, Respect!
