"On Being a Mexican American" is told from the viewpoint of a man looking back on his childhood. He was raised in America, but being a Mexican immigrant, he always was told to remember his Mexican culture and roots. The author, Mendoza, reflects on how by living in America, he has forgotten parts of his Mexican culture and customs and taken to new Americanized ones.
We recently discussed this essay and this idea in class. Do we all leave behind the culture that we once had? My teacher referred to this idea as a melting pot, where all sorts of ingredients are thrown in but end up mixing and melting together. Is America a cultural and social melting pot?
Other people said America is seen to be more of a salad bowl, where everyone is their own person and unchanged in any way. Personally, I see America as a kind of chopped salad, like the kind you would find at Portillo's where you can see what the ingredients but they are mixed together as well. Americans try to be their own person and hold on to their cultural roots, while at the same time finding commonalities with others and taking to new ways of life as well. I consider myself an American citizen with Polish ancestry and heritage. How do you see yourself? Have you been stirred into the melting pot or do you lay free in the salad?
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