Essay prompt

John Smith

PROMPT: Why didn’t the Lius inform Po-Po that they were going to NYC that day?

ENGL 1A

Feb 27th 2020

Not Inviting Grandma

In “The Chinatown Idea,” the Liu family found themselves in an awkward situation after they bumped into Po-Po, who was not informed of the family’s trip to NYC and Chinatown, where she lived. In truth, disregarding Mom’s excuse, Po-Po was not invited to join the family fun due to the cultural differences between her and the Lius. One reason is that the family viewed Chinatown as a curious, foreign place, so Po-Po, who lived locally, just didn’t need to participate in their little tourisy adventure. That night, the family strolled through the crowded Chinatown streets with Mom holding Andrea’s hand and Eric staying close by (81) because everything was bustling and energetic—and maybe even a bit dirty and dangerous—unlike the family’s “safe enclave” with a lawn and a smooth driveway (83). Their “colorless outer suburbs” (81) were a stark contrast to where Po-Po lived. Perhaps inviting Po-Po to hang out with them would diminish the fun and excitements of the “excursion” (80) since what they were doing in Chinatown was more or less just Po-Po’s boring “daily routine” (82). They just wanted to take in the “undiluted Chineseness” through sightseeing, visiting Chinese stores, and shopping for groceries at their own pace and in their own way as “outsiders” (81-82). Second, the family was not the same as the residents of Chinatown, which included Po-Po. As Liu describes, the Chinese in Chinatown were of “another brand of Chinese, rougher-hewn” (82). These Chinese were similar to the Liu family, but “distorted just so” (82), perhaps in a negative way. Unfortunately, Po-Po was one of these “Chinatown Chinese” (82), and the difference between them was more than “just a hundred miles” (82). That is, the difference was more intrinsic than just the counties they lived in. The family was really not culturally compatible with Po-Po; therefore, she was not considered to have a part in their daytrip plan. All in all, the Lius wanted to experience Chinatown as Chinese-Americans, which Po-Po was not one of.