Getting Used to Pizza

When I first moved to the U.S as a child, I could not eat pizza. Now, it’s one of my favorite foods.

Asian Americans may seem to readily adopt Western ways of living, but our deeply ingrained cultural values may still be fundamental to who we are. Case in point: I still wait for the elders at the table to take the first bite. That value will always be ingrained in me; I think I’ll always be attuned to that dynamic. 🍕

You can speak English fluently and have the external behavioral traits of having been acculturated into the dominant culture, but still retain the values of the country of origin of your parents. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to understand our unique experience and for our employers to recognize it too.

You can learn more about the difference between behavioral and values acculturation in my book, Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling. I’ll be exploring this topic further in my forthcoming book, Leadership Toolkit for Asians. We’ll be learning to create shared meaning with people who need to better understand our lived experience.  More to come soon!

How have your cultural values remained with you?

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