What’s Cooking

“What’s cooking” is a film that illustrates how four families from different cultures celebrate thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is a holiday where families come together and give thanks for one another and other things they are grateful for. In the film you can see the traditional ways that thanksgiving is celebrated by each family , which is by the traditional dish of the turkey. Each family had made a turkey, no matter how it was made, each family still had one on their table.  In the film you can see how strongly each older family member cared for the traditional way of thanksgiving while the younger children weren’t really to fascinated with it. When grace was greeted by her daughter in law and was informed that Michael was not going to be able to make it for thanksgiving because he was caught up with school, she was so disappointed. The reason for grace disappointment is because she wanted to keep the family traditional ways of everyone being together, while Michael just rebelled.  

In the film there are four families of different cultures, African American, Mexican, Vietnamese people, and a jewish family. Jenny  represents multiculturalism because although she is Asian, she also shares the American culture. One way you can see Jenny’s multiculturalism is when she asks her mom “ why do you have to make thanksgiving food taste just like the Asian food we always eat” and her mom replies “not everything is going to taste like McDonald’s”. You can tell that Jenny adapted to the American taste of food and her mother is concerned by Jenny choices. Jenny multiculturalism ways made her more delighted than what she should have been when the family has to have kfc for thanksgiving. Jenny mom, Ms.Nguyen is in fear that her children are losing there family culture and are becoming to Americanized.

In the seeligs family you see a lot of ethic identity within the family. When Rachel gets off  the plane and greets her family she introduces her girlfriend as just a roommate/ close friend for her family own sake. Rachel comes from a family where she feels like her choice of sexuality won’t be accepted. It’s hard for her family to understand her liking for girls and you can see that when her aunt asks “ when are you going to find a nice man and settle down?”. This being one of the many reasons why Rachel finds it hard to identify as her true self in the beginning. Food once again helps bring the seeling family together when her mom serves breakfast to Rachel and her girlfriend. The mom attitude shifts towards a more acceptance attitude. In the film there are many scenarios that illustrate holiday traditions, multiculturalism and ethnic identity.