Geeta Kothari

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In “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” Geeta Kothari kicks off her writing with a memory embodying her mother and her as they pop open a fresh can of very potent fishy smelling tuna, which her mother buys to satisfy Kothari’s yearning for what she calls “American food” (922). Since Kothari’s family is part of the Indian culture, she is restricted from eating certain kinds of foods. For Kothari, this is a constant struggle throughout her childhood. She wants the freedom to eat what her classmates and cousins do. Deeper into her story she comments on how she marries a man who eats those same American foods she used to crave when younger, and is feeling concerned that her husband might choose another wife who eats similar foods. Finally, to accompany her concerns she has trouble recreating dishes from her own culture in her adulthood. …show more content…

As I see it, Kothari is having trouble finding her identity due to her cultural experiences. She first struggles with being distinctly different than other kids. Kothari disliked that her mother made her eat foods that were undesirable to her, instead of the American food she wanted. As this quote directly from the writting supports my last statement “I want to eat what the kids at school eat: bologna, hot dogs, salami – foods my parents find repugnant” (922). As Kothari emerges into adulthood she soon realizes she can’t duplicate the dishes her mother made despite being taught a thousand times, but yet she can’t seem to stand American food either. It seems as if she is stuck between two cultures, and therefore is confused on her identity and where she fits in

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