Persuasive Essay: Eddie Huang's Fresh Off the Boat

From Fresh off the Boat by Eddie Huang:

In that little Italian diner tucked onto an anonymous street in western Pennsylvania, I learned that there are universal food truths. Every culture had dishes that prized the simple and traditional over showy flavors and elaborate presentations. The things that may not seem worthy on first look, but over time become an indispensable part of your life. If you grow up in an immigrant culture, there are going to be foods you can eat that other people just don't get. Not the universal crowd pleasers—the fried chicken and soup dumplings—but everyday stuff. We Southerners, for instance, love grits, boiled peanuts, and fried okra, but nobody else understands. For Chinese people, it's things like rice porridge thousand-year-old eggs, or tomato and eggs. Simple things that don’t impress at first look, but instead offer nuance: textures and sublime flavors that reveal their charm over the years. The things people left off menus, only to find the audience during family meal.

In a concise persuasive essay, support, qualify, or dispute the above statement about what American culture does to immigrant cuisines. Use Fresh Off the Boat to support your thesis.

Due: Wed 10.29—in-class