westernxer Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 Watched it for the first time last night, and I was laughing my ass off toward the latter stages. Reminds me of my mother's family, even though my mother is Samoan. Same mannerisms, same cultural values, same everything, except that we're not Greek. No wonder I had such a hard time understanding the palagi kids in grade school My childhood was such a paradox... it's all Greek to me at this point. Maybe it's the same for others, I don't know.
blind_otter Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 Well yeah I grew up with culture clash. Vietnam isn't like other asian countries. They eat duck eggs with duck embryos in there. And this stuff called "bitter melon soup" which is....BITTER. Also, because she grew up with a curfew, a state-enforced curfew because the war was going on her whole life, my mother insists that women should not be out after dark. At all. If I have to pick something up at her house after dark she tells me to stay home and get it in the morning. Weird.
alphamale Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 And this stuff called "bitter melon soup" which is....BITTER. . yeah...my ma used to make bitter melon curry sometimes. it looks like a cucumber with leprosy. it has warts, bumps, etc.... and it has these really hard seeds inside. gross!
laRubiaBonita Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 i really did not think it was THAT great of a movie.......... seemed a bit too stereo-typical for my tatse...very predictable.
quankanne Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 grew up in a Mexican Catholic home, but I could see a lot of similarities, which I found hiliarious. • Daddy is head of the house, but Mama is "the neck." • The nosy aunt. • The crazy home remedies for aches, pains and cuts. • Bringing home a boy/girlfriend not from the same cultural stock. • Introducing said boy/girlfriend to your culture. • Women and higher education frowned upon. • The 'need' to marry girls off quickly so they can create more little ethnic babies. • Talking in your mother tongue so that the gringo can't understand you. • Teaching innocent gringos cuss words in your mother tongue. • The strong, supportive family unit. I think my favorite line has to be when Tula is with Ian after his baptism and she tells him something like, "ugh, you're so oily!" And he says, "I'm Greek now …" Cracks me up every time, as does Andrea Martin's description of the "bibopsy" of the tumor on the back of her neck, then she offers Ian's parents food :laugh: :laugh: I think I know what I'll be watching tonight!
blind_otter Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 yeah...my ma used to make bitter melon curry sometimes. it looks like a cucumber with leprosy. it has warts, bumps, etc.... and it has these really hard seeds inside. gross! The thing is when I visited my grandmother, she would make loads of all kind of nutritious and also gross tasting food. Which she would almost force feed me. What is it about asian grandmothers? They want all their grandkids to be fat.
alphamale Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 What is it about asian grandmothers? They want all their grandkids to be fat. Since in the past many Asian cultures did not have enough food it was usually the poor people who were skinny. If you were fat it was a status symbol because it meant you had money which equalled more food. By fat i don't mean obese, just somewhat overwheight. Does that answer it B_0?
BareGoddess Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 The thing is when I visited my grandmother, she would make loads of all kind of nutritious and also gross tasting food. Which she would almost force feed me. What is it about asian grandmothers? They want all their grandkids to be fat. Jewish grandmothers are the same way!
blind_otter Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 Does that answer it B_0? Yeah. They just want chubby cheeks. But then my sister got all pudge after she had her second kid and then my grandmother went on and on about how fat my sister was. You can never win. Unless you go to pharmacy school then they shut the hell up.
vampress1 Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 This was the first movie my husband and I went to when we were dating. He was cracking up throughout the whole movie as I kind of sunk lower in my seat... you see my familiy is greek. Of course this movie is extreme, but I can definitely see some similarities. After the movie, my now husband said "can you imagine?"... That's when I gave him the low-down on what he could expect when he met the extended family. My favorite part is when Ians parents meet the family and the father, Gus introduces everyone as Nicky, Nicole, Nico.... Now, that's my family!! I guess they could get a little more creative with the names.
hotgurl Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 The thing is when I visited my grandmother, she would make loads of all kind of nutritious and also gross tasting food. Which she would almost force feed me. What is it about asian grandmothers? They want all their grandkids to be fat. Same with cathoilcs Grandmothers it's like food=love. My BF is skinny and whenever she visits she tries to fatten him up. I liked monson wedding better.
Author westernxer Posted July 14, 2006 Author Posted July 14, 2006 i really did not think it was THAT great of a movie.......... seemed a bit too stereo-typical for my tatse...very predictable. That's what I felt in the beginning, but then things really started to hit home. Anyone who's ever gone to a Samoan wedding or funeral will never forget it... tons of food, and those people can sure eat. The women are crazy too, at least that's how they are in my family. I felt for the groom's parents when they first met the family. The girl I marry (if I ever get married) will be someone who can handle the first family encounter with some flexibility. If she can't, then I know she's not the one for me.
quankanne Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 Unless you go to pharmacy school then they shut the hell up. so THAT'S the trick! :laugh: I forgot about the "Nick" names scene. Mexicans do that a lot. I've got a brother Johnny, a nephew John, a cousin Juanito on my dad's side, a cousin Juan and his son Juanito on my mom's side ... it's crazy. On husband's side, Bob/Robert is the family name.
norajane Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 The Irish too...three brothers named John, Ian, and Sean.
hotgurl Posted July 14, 2006 Posted July 14, 2006 The Irish too...three brothers named John, Ian, and Sean. So agree we have three Elizabeths, two Dans and two Owens.
whichwayisup Posted July 16, 2006 Posted July 16, 2006 Good movie. I thought it was funny... Along the same lines, but abit different, lol, go rent Date Movie. That movie cracked me up too!
quankanne Posted July 16, 2006 Posted July 16, 2006 we just picked that one up tonight – as soon as hubby's done watching Frankenstein, I'm cueing it up! i'm guessing it's along the lines of "Not Another Teen Movie" and the Scary Movie trilogy ...
burning 4 revenge Posted July 16, 2006 Posted July 16, 2006 Cuban families are the same. I think it's everyone in the world except nordics and white american protestants. This country hasn't done a great job of fostering the family unit. I think it's part of the american economy-emphasizing relocation for economic success, etc. Many of my white friends don't understand why I won't live more than an hour away from my mami
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