Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation

It is really hard for one person to figure out the way of life in another country. Since I was born in a traditional Hindu family, it is hard for me to learn about the lifestyle in the US. From the day I landed in America until now, I have been experiencing culture shock. There were many things that I had to change, and changing one of the most important things that you like is really difficult. Eating habits along with the difference in food was very hard for me. It is no wonder that everyone loves their tradition, but this doesn’t mean that one should forget about it. Was I supposed to change the food, my eating habits and adapt to the change? This was a big question mark on my mind.
Food is important part in my culture. In the Hindu religion, people have been following the rituals of worshipping the cow for centuries. This was followed from the ancient ages. Since I am a Hindu, I also worship the cow, and therefore eating beef is totally prohibited in our culture. Since I arrived here, I have been reading all the instructions before buying the food to make sure it doesn’t contain any beef products. There are many cases when I have bought something and had to throw it away because it contained beef. For example, one day I was hungry, so I thought about buying food at Mc Donald’s and asked for the chicken burger. When I was trying to eat the burger, I happened to call my brother. He told me that they grill the chicken and the beef in the same grill without cleaning it. I felt awkward and I threw away the burger. My brother scolded me not because I was eating the chicken burger, but because I threw it away. He told me that you have to adapt with the culture that you are living in. In US, I have been eating beef unintentionally, which is hard for me to believe.
The habit of eating is another important part of my culture. In my hometown people eat with their hands and not with a fork, spoon or knife. How would you mix rice, lentil soup, vegetables and pickle with fork, knife, and spoon? If you are able to mix those items while eating, would it taste the same? As for me the taste will be totally different, and I haven’t had the guts to ask people here to conduct the experiment. I have heard that Americans don’t like the habit of eating food with their hands. For the sake of not being embarrassed in front of those people, I have started eating with fork, spoon and knife. It is different from my culture, which I follow, but I still love my tradition.

Finally, eating dinner together once in day with my family is the most important part of my custom. Once a day all our family members sat together to eat dinner. In the beginning, my mom would be serving all of us and then my sister and I would serve the food. These meals were precious movements for all of us because all of the family members would be together. This is not possible for me in America because my parents are not here. Some people in America don’t give priority to the family, which is different from my culture.
Most people are proud of their society and they would never want to change it. To change the best part of your culture is even more difficult. I think I still keep some part of it, because I haven’t changed the food. Have I done the right thing by changing my eating habits, and adapting the American way? I hope people around me are the audience; I leave the question for them to answer. It is hard for people to survive in a new environment without adjustment and people should change according to the demands of the new lifestyle. There are certain parts of the tradition, which people have to change otherwise; it will be hard for them to move on with their life. It is good to learn about the new culture, but people should also try to preserve their own culture for their identity.