Literacy in a global society

I was never a foodie sage, but I enjoy meeting up friends for meals.

Much like most people, I went from restaurant to restaurant oblivious to my surroundings. Not until I moved away from home did I begin to question my relationship to food and the larger system.

Tasty mee hoon goreng, fragrant nasi lemak served with banana leaves and sizzling hot satay have indeed bade me farewell since I came to United States. I guess that explains why I need to flip through the menu several times whenever I enter into a restaurant in Bloomington.

On several instances, I just did not know what to order. Would you believe me if I say I’m illiterate when it comes to cuisines? I wonder whether my experiences resonate with yours.

Even if they don’t, I’d like you to ponder whether you are able to relate what you see in restaurants to your personal self or others. What would you make out of those delicate portraits or symbols that went unnoticed most of the time?

I always presumed only culturally-bounded people would have the answer to that. But my experience interviewing Mike, an American who owns a Thai restaurant, changed my perception. This white-skinned man was not only conscientiously narrating stories of a culture that wasn’t natively his, but also revering the reticent elephant by the door of his restaurant. It is a symbol of prosperity to the Thais.

To be honest with you, I only know Thailand for its spicy tom yum. However, my personal engagement with Mike tells me literacy doesn’t only pertain to academic-related matters.

It encompasses ways of behaving that are rooted in life experiences.

Putting it into perspective, I would urge you to embrace changes even if it is as simple as food tasting. Most importantly, engage in convivial conversations to gain insights in your dealings. After all, that’s part of literacy. You wouldn’t want to be ‘chastised’ in a globalized society, or for not being able to assimilate in particular ways.

Suriati Abas
sabas@indiana.edu