Growing up in an Asian household had its perks. From having a large family to eating the best food in the world at home, it's a place to cherish with fondness. That being said, there are some common themes that appear across most Asian families.
1. Being compared to a cousin
There's always that one cousin in the family who's been playing both the violin and piano since age 4 and has a whole shelf of medals. They probably also volunteered with the local animal shelter for all of high school and aced their SAT, became president of 20 different organizations and currently attends Harvard Medical School. Why can't you be more like them?
2. Family dinner parties with aunties and uncles you weren't actually related to
There are family-family parties, then there are family-friend parties. You can never tell which was which, because you probably knew these aunties and uncles since you were a baby. These adults have seen your awkward middle school days, and now they're asking you for advice on how you got into college so their kid can start preparing by the time they start middle school.
3. Sliced fruit
It didn't matter what type of fruit it was - after dinner or during work time, your parents will always bring out a plate of sliced fruit for everyone to enjoy. From peeled apple slices to triangular watermelon pieces, these were an integral part of every day.
4. A fear of asking if you can go out
The process of convincing the parents to let you hang out with friends was a multiple day affair. Starting from laying out good news after good news the few days before, you slowly improve your parents' moods and ask only when they're in a great mood. If they aren't, don't even bother trying. You might even somehow end up being accused of not caring about the family and never being around.
5. Endless comments on your dating life and your weight
Doesn't matter if you're a size 2 or if you've been gaining muscle at the gym. Your family and relatives will always discuss your physical features with or without you in the room. They will also most likely have asked you countless times about getting a significant other and settling down even though you were probably still barely in college.
6. Extra work outside of school
Whether this took the form of math workbooks or weekly Saturday Chinese school, it was never enough that you did well in school. From Kumon to learning about Li You and Wang Peng, every Asian child seems to have spent their Saturday morning at a learning institution.
7. Learning an instrument/skill
The most common one were piano and violin, but there were also plenty of flutes, clarinets, guzhengs, and the chinese yo-yo. Especially around middle school time, everyone would be learning at least one of these things. Bonus point if you were asked to perform it at a family gathering.
8. Your parents decided whether you were cold or not
It didn't matter if it was sunny and beach weather outside. If your parents decided you were going to be cold, you are wearing that extra jacket and hat. If it's nice sweater weather, you'll probably end up leaving the house in a Uniqlo down jacket with a scarf and parka on.
9. A lack of shoes inside the house
Shoes were an absolute no-no inside the house - unless they were house slippers, then those were heavily embraced. You have never experienced true pain until someone steps into your house with their outside shoes on. Without realizing that the rest of the shoes that existed in the house were stacked by the entrance.
10. Questionable "scientific" theories
Will eating watermelon when you're sick really make your body "colder"? Will not drying your hair after you shower reeeeally cause migraines for the rest of your life? You don't really know, but you were probably taught from a young age to follow rules like these because a picture circulating on WeChat that said so.
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