Despite the somewhat dismal previous post about the state of 2019, the new year promises to bring plenty of positives as well. Personally, it is the start of a new kind of journey, one dedicated to scholarly pursuit and fulfillment of a dream. Several dreams, actually. And it is super exciting.
I am here in the US, among the Americans. It definitely feels that way. My stateside experiences have become colored through various lenses and many have written about the reverse culture shock of trying to return home. But, as happens for many immigrants, the more time away and the more time spent in another culture creates permanent shifts. I am American, of course, but it feels like American plus...or maybe American minus. They feel different. I feel different, like an outsider looking in.
The relationship with food is the thing most standing out to me this time. Other things like race and religion, of course. You can't go to America without talking race and religion. The thing about the food issue is that no one is talking about it, and no one seems aware of it.
Americans eat a lot. All the time. I am here starting classes- the days are filled with 2 hour classes, usually followed by a few hours break and then another class. There are required dinners and optional presentations in-between. There is an hour for lunch on your own.
No matter what class I am in- before lunch, after lunch, after the required dinner, someone is eating. Sometimes it is the same someones, munching their way through every class. Last night I was at a student presentation- his final capstone project on popular music influence and the legacy of MLK. It was an engaging presentation and a huge project. People were rattling bags and snacking and even eating an entire salad. I was stunned. I am continually stunned.
I wondered why she couldn't wait an hour to eat her salad? Or what had she done with the hour before this presentation that prevented her from eating? I am stunned at the disrespect to the presenter, the inability to wait for an appropriate time and also, and perhaps most importantly, the inability to be truly present- either with the salad or the presenter.
Eating your food while attending a discussion class (because, let's face it, all of these higher ed classes are going to be discussion classes and with themes like ethical leadership and cultural differences, it's going to be full of hot conversations) seems the epitome of conflict. Are you going to be eating or talking?
While, to me, it appears disrespectful to the professors or the presenters to be eating, often I notice the snackers are not really paying attention to their food anyway; it is a mindless eating. Which makes me wonder all the more why they are doing it, at this moment? Surely the salad would be so much more enjoyable and fulfilling if you were to sit and eat it and enjoy it. Be present with it. Make it a meal, understand the sacredness of food. The gift of food.
It's what is missing. The idea that food - as a nourishing entity, is not only essential but sacred. And deserves our attention, our gratefulness, our presence.
The same can be said for the conversation, the presentation, the class. We are here to engage with others- in person- for a short time before we continue our virtual studies together. This is a fleeting moment to connect with our classmates, to put nuances in manner of habit and speaking together to try and understand perspectives and backgrounds that we are each bringing to the experience. It is a short moment to observe and connect. Why is your attention diverted? Why is this time, my time, not sacred to you?
I am appalled by this, the Americans' inability to be present, to be in the moment, to recognize the sacred. I am stunned. Mostly because I had naively assumed this was a problem only amongst my middle school students. Perhaps I haven't been getting out enough. Surely I haven't been in many social circles. Maybe it is not an American affliction- perhaps it is a human condition. In either case, in any case, it is detrimental to our social connections and our social need. All other benefits aside, this is one aspect I am not enjoying among the Americans.
