Bananas...

That's the term to describe an Asian person who has grown up in the "West" - yellow on the outside, white on the inside. Eww! What a horrible term...but even my fellow Asian Kiwis have started calling themselves that. I don't think I would call myself that...

Anyway, I just finished watching "Banana in a Nutshell" a very light but serious look into the way traditional Asian parents see their children and want them to behave.

It's about a girl who wants to marry her boyfriend of 8 years. Sounds simple enough - except the fact that he's a European New Zealander. Bum bum queue dramatic music here.

It's one of those things that doesn't gel with me - I believe love transcends culture and ethnicity, and of course skin colour! But it does play with the fact that despite growing up in New Zealand... I still hold a lot of Asian values and one of them is filial piety. Roughly speaking, it's respect for your parents.

So, would I marry someone who was not Chinese if my parents didn't want me to? Yes, but not without a lot of deliberation and angst I would imagine! It's not because I don't believe in cross-culturalism, it's because I still have yet to educate my parents on it... maybe if he learnt Chinese? What would you do?

Anyway, this is a New Zealand film, but if you ever get the chance to watch it, it's highly recommended.

p.s. why are all the ex/AIESECers around me getting engaged???