I decided to take a step way out of my comfort zone this week. I have spent a lot of time in my studies looking at what one might call the “popular” minority groups. I have studied African-American and Hispanic culture pretty frequently. I feel like I have learned a great deal about what makes those groups tick and have a general empathy for the experiences they go through. One minority group I have not explored, however, is one that I feel often gets forgotten: Asian Americans. Because of that, I wanted to use this week to get my bearings on the experiences this group goes through, so I spent this week watching the first three episodes of Fresh Off the Boat.

This comedy show is a series set in 1995, where the Wong Family moves from Chinatown in Washington, D.C. to Orlando, FL. Louis, the father, opened his own restaurant there so he moved his family for that dream. Jessica, the mother, struggles to fit in with the other women in her community. Eddie, Evan, and Emery are their sons, though the show focuses on Eddie (the oldest and the narrator of the show.) They also move with their grandmother, who doesn’t speak English, only Chinese.

I think the show in general can be viewed as a bit problematic, seeing as the Chinese characters tend to perpetuate some common stereotypes of the Asian population. However, I think the writers had more of a satire in mind when writing this. I think that this show makes fun of these stereotypes by heightening them a bit, making them so funny that the viewer sees it as ridiculous. You also do get a glimpse into the family’s values and the subtle discrimination they deal with on a daily basis, opening my eyes to a plight I never really see.

The pilot episode is all about the family moving to Orlando and settling into their new home. There are multiple instances in this episode where the family is seen as other or outcast. First, let’s start with the moment they arrive at their house. A group of white women in the neighborhood, riding around on roller blades, approach them and welcome them to the neighborhood. When they ask Jessica her name, they are surprised it isn’t something “more exotic.” Moving on, when Eddie arrives at school, he goes to sit with a group of white boys at lunch. When he pulls out his packed lunch of a noodle dish that his mother made for him, the boys make fun of him, telling him his food stinks and to get rid of it. Eddie then goes on to beg his mom for “white people food” (AKA Lunchables…ahhh the 90’s!) instead of her cooking. Finally, back in school, a black student calls Eddie a Chink, prompting Eddie to beat the student up. When in the principal’s office, his parents defend him and yell at the principal for not punishing the other boy who called him the derogatory name. These are all instances of everyday occurrences that I never experience. This group of people, typically referred to as a model minority, do not live a model life at all. They are still seen as foreign or other in the eyes of the white people in their community.

The second episode deals with Eddie’s performance in school, and his mother’s expectations of him. At the beginning of the episode, there is a school meeting going on where the principal talks to the parents about a drug dealer handing out drugs to students in the area, and he is at large. When asking if there are any questions, Jessica raises her hand and only asks when report cards are coming out. This perpetuates the stereotype that all Asian families care about academics above everything. Eddie then earns straight A’s, which is still not enough for his mother, who tells the principal the school is too easy. Again, it’s almost over the top absurd in her reaction, making you laugh at the thought of how strict she truly is. But it doesn’t have the feel of making fun of the family. It is more of a display of the complicated feelings Jessica goes through here, wanting her sons to be successful and not knowing how hard to push. For me, it was some insight into what motivates this group and what their values are.

In the third episode of the show, Louis and Jessica struggle to fit in at a block party in the neighborhood with the other people on the block, and Eddie is trying to fit in at school. Eddie isn’t wearing the same Jordans that all of the other students are wearing, so he decides to get a woman on his arm to show off to the other boys, making them forget about his lack of shoes. The same woman he has a crush on is the woman that Jessica becomes friends with. However, Louis convinces Jessica that all the other women in the neighborhood hate Honey (the friend) so she shouldn’t be friends with her. He fears it will cause their restaurant’s business to suffer. Jessica agrees, and at the party, she doesn’t treat Honey well. Honey’s feelings are hurt, and Jessica realizes the error of her ways. She apologizes, and in the process, gains more interest for the restaurant. By the end of the episode, they all retain their real identities and have a better sense of themselves.

Each one of these episodes touches on a specific type of struggle an Asian American family might go through in a predominantly white neighborhood. Like I mentioned before, they perpetuate stereotypes in the process, but more so in a satirical way that makes the viewer see how absurd they really are. All in all, I liked this show, because it gave me a glimpse into what life could be like for this population, something I never really had seen before. I think the show does a great job of mixing comedy with social commentary on their experience, teaching you something without you even knowing it.