Mar 27 2007
ABC…Not So Easy as 1-2-3
I’m a banana.
I had no idea I was a banana until a Korean friend called me one. I only mention the fact of his Koreanness because only some kinda Asian would feel comfortable calling me a banana.
Why? You’ll see.
I have to admit, I am so much of a banana that it took me a few moments to figure out what he meant.
I thought, why banana?
What IS a banana? Well, it’s this fruit. Hmm.
It’s a fruit that’s yellow on the outside and white on the inside and wait a minute… that’s like how African Americans will call another African American an Oreo.
Speaking about African Americans, I was raised with the term “Blacks.” I try to do the politically correct thing and say “African Americans” but I never thought of black as being derogatory. I asked a black friend of mine his thoughts on the matter and he rolled his eyes and said, “I’m black…I’m fine with being black. This African American stuff, huh.”
So I’m a banana. As I mentioned in my post about how to Americanize any foreign dish, I just look Chinese.
I’ve also been called “ABC.” Some Chinese-from-China person will begin speaking to me in Chinese and when I reply in my unaccented English that I don’t speak Chinese they’ll reply with, “Aaaah! ABC!” meaning:
“Oh, you’re an American Born Chinese and this not only means you can’t speak Chinese but you probably don’t like eating delicacies like chicken feet!”
I may not be able to speak Mandarin or Cantonese and I definitely do not like to eat feet but I am not exactly White On the Inside. I do have a many of the stereotypical Chinese traits. I am pretty much the Chinese geek stereotype with my glasses, pen box, organized folders and good grades. I am uncomfortable with debt. I drive a Honda Accord. I took piano lessons.
I am not so typical in that I’m not naturally good at math. I sucked at gymnastics. When I was younger, I didn’t want to be Chinese-Chinese because being Chinese felt hard. I wanted to be Chinese American.
If I wanted to maintain my so-called Chinese Identity I would have to go to Chinese school to learn Chinese and Chinese school was all the way across town. My friends were all near me. Like most kids, I feared being different and if I went to Chinese school I would be different there as well as in my regular school - not one, not the other, fitting nowhere.
So I went to my district’s public school and had Campbell’s soup and some kind of stir-fry and rice for dinner. My parents spoke English at home since my mom was an ABC and my dad was trying to improve his English because he had “come over” as a student. Let’s just say that my parents were an imperfect blend of East Meets Only Looks Like East And Is Really From Outer Space.
Despite this, my father insists that I am 100 percent for sure Chinese.
I’ll give him that. I’m Chinese. I’m definitely yellow on the outside.
As for what’s inside? I’m like everyone else, all too human.
Are you a banana with a story to share? A synonym for banana is Twinkie but that really rubs me the wrong way.
Are you an Oreo? Is this a derogatory term? What are other terms for “white on the inside”?
I thought Oreo meant a three-way between…. you get the picture.
Twinkie? Uh… that one deals with underage gay boys.
I have never heard the banana term before.
I don’t like the [ethnic]-American terms as they say to me, “I’m not an American, I’m somebody who just happens to live here.”
HMTKSteve: I’ve heard a teenage girl referred to as a “twink” and the connotation was something along the lines of “young female twit”.
I hadn’t heard about Twinkie to mean underage gay boys.
I know what you mean about the [ethnic]-American terms - I think of myself as American first. I’m proud to be American. I wish that everyone could have pride in their country and not want or have to leave it.
Growing up in a Diverse community such as Southern California, you pretty much hear every racial slur, joke and/or name in the book! I’ve been called ABC by my own family even though we’re Taiwanese! I don’t speak manadarin at all, but I’m trying to learn. Being a 2nd Generation Taiwanese American, I was hated on by the 1st generation Chinese at my High School because I didn’t speak and not toally accepted by the white people party because I wasn’t on the same plane as them culturally. It’s a tough road, but I personally think that I am defined by my surroundings and I’m blessed to be in a situation to learn from many cultures around me!
Hey, Gary: It doesn’t sound like you had it easy! You’re trying to learn Mandarin? Good for you. My family speaks Cantonese and I thought I might give learning Mandarin a shot when I was in college but I didn’t have the time to devote to it.
So you had the not-one-or-the-other experience at school. I live in a community with a lot of Asians and when I was a kid, there were many other 2nd generation Chinese like myself. I didn’t have problems with any of the 1st gens. I’m also in a diverse community so I haven’t experienced much racial prejudice.
I’ve gotten the occasional “chink” thrown at me by young men driving by but that’s rare and it hasn’t happened in years.
I’m just a cracker. A plain ol’ honky.
Kristi: hahaha! Does that mean white on the inside AND the outside?
MsQ, some people also used the term “Banana” here in Canada and called Chinese born Canadian “CBC”. Too many meanings for these ABC, CBC acronyms
Andy: yep, everyone has to put a label on everyone else! So in Canada it’s CBC. Sheesh!
you know . . i’m not gonna front . . . i came from a high school that was over 50% asian and a university that was almost 40% Asian . . . so i never felt like the minority when I was growing up . . . i can say for sure that it was hard for me to adjust to my minority status once i got into the real world though . . .
Gary: It IS weird when you become the minority! When I went to Costa Rica the children would stare at me!
What was so difficult about adjusting? Did you encounter prejudice?
I’ve rarely encountered prejudice myself. Being the minority has snuck up on me sometimes like when I’m working in, oh, Wichita and I realize that the only places I’ve encountered Asians have been in the Chinese restaurants. Not that I would eat Chinese food in Wichita. I visited there over 10 years ago and the Chinese food was Not So Good: diagonally sliced celery with some white sauce over something like Chun King fried noodles. Freaky Shit!
When I returned there about 5 years ago the food was still freaky - something like prawns with ketchup and sprigs of dill. Dill and Chinese food? What’s up with that?
Hi Ms. Q,
I had only heard the term ‘banana’ recently when my partner (A Chinese International student here in Australia) told me about it. I’ve spoken to Chinese people here and strangely enough they say that the most racism that they’ve felt is from their own community (not from ‘white’ Aussies). An ‘ABC’ can also mean ‘Australian Born Chinese’.
Strangely enough I went to Costa Rica last year too. I only saw one Asian person while there-she owned a restaurant called ‘Wok ‘n’ roll’.
My partner speaks Mandarin and has improved a lot at English-she’s much better than most of the other visiting students. I asked her if anyone has ever called her a ‘banana’…She said that she’s just a pineapple: Hard and bumpy on the outside (She’s got a bad temper), soft and tasty on the inside (She’s very caring and compassionate).
Hi, Jesse - thanks for sharing your experiences in Australia and it’s interesting how you’ve found, like Mr. Gary Lee, that racism or perhaps more accurately, prejudice, is contained within the Asian community and not outside of it.
From what I’ve read in newspapers and heard from others is that the Assimilated are held in contempt by the Arrivers. That is, the [insert country]-born are thought to have betrayed their ‘homeland’ and are treated poorly by first generation (the people who first arrived).
On the socio-economic level, I’ve read how students who want to do well in order to improve their chances of success are called names like “Oreo” - black on the outside, white on the inside.
Too many people feel the need to drag someone down in order to make themselves feel better.
You partner sounds funny! I love her description of being a pineapple.
The opposite holds true in the Mexican imigrant community. Those who came to the USA legally look down upong the illegal immigrants even more so than native born Americans!
They look at it in the light of, “I busted my ass doing it the legal way, why should you get a free ride for sneaking in?”
I am most certainly not a banana, and not an oreo either. I’m not a cracker, though I am white inside and out, and live in the south, but believe me…I’m not a cracker as they are commonly understood to be here in dixie.
I would have to say I’m a marshmallow. White on the outside, white on the inside, a little soft in the middle, and I’m at my best under fire and slightly roasted.
DigitalRich
DigitalRich: I love your answer! Your comment has given me an idea for a post. Thanks!
HMTKSteve: With respect to the views of the Mexican immigrants who came into the US legally, I can understand their disdain of their illegal counterparts. When you’ve worked hard and made sacrifices to achieve your goals, it’s difficult to be sympathetic to those who have taken a shortcut to receive the same benefits as you have. For those of us who were born in the US, we have not struggled to come here, we have not sacrificed, we have done nothing. It’s easy for natural-born citizens to feel beneficent.
I personally know several ‘bananas’ and they seem to be pretty welcome in Asian countries because of their unique identity: someone who looks totally like me but doesn’t speak like me.
And I’ve never heard ‘twinkie’ being applied to gay boys but only asian-american women of a specific look: Blonde streaked hair, tanned , eyelined, sexually open, clubbing-friendly.
FOB is another synonym that needs to be torn about.. maybe fodder for another post?
Maki: Aaaagggh! I had forgotten all about FOB! I’m glad I did, too! You’re right - it’s great Fodder for another post. Thanks for the idea.
Oh-HO with respect to Twinkie! A friend (Asian guy) said that he liked Twinkie but I don’t think he’s heard of your particular definition. Now THAT sounds more like how I think of a twinkie.
Quote: “I am pretty much the Chinese geek stereotype with my glasses, pen box, organized folders and good grades. I am uncomfortable with debt. I drive a Honda Accord. I took piano lessons.”
Looking at this description, I too might be Chinese, except, you know, I’m not.
John B: maybe you’re yellow on the inside?
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I found your post on being an ABC!
I am most definitely an ABC. I don’t speak Chinese (which I sometimes regret, especially with my grandparents), but I do like chicken feet. You must understand, though, that I like just about any food. I’d like to think that I similarly like all types of people.
I, too, think of myself as an American who happens to have ancestry originating in China. That is it. And that is just fine with me.
Derek: You like chicken feet? Huh. I’m told they are tasty. I heard you have to cook ‘em forever just so you can chew ‘em.
Yeah I have no idea how they’re cooked. I’m not sure if I could handle looking at them raw, but I do know that I’ll eat them if they’re already cooked. It’s basically like eating chicken skin with sauce, in my opinion. I guess it’s only a problem if you really stop and think about how what you’re eating has been stepping all over the nastiness that is a farm. Or that it looks hideous. Get over that, and you’re golden.
I just have a strange question and I couldn’t email you personally about this because I couldn’t find a contact address, but can you let me know where you got this awesome peeled banana image? I am interested in using it so and am wondering if its from a stock photography site, etc. Thanks!
Heidi: I can’t recall where I got this image - sorry! Feel free to copy it from here.