Cultural Melting Pot America

Living in America, the cultural melting pot, you become exposed to various cultures and ethnic groups. America has races and ethnic groups ranging from Hispanics to Italians to Haitians to Asians. Each of these ethnic groups all have their distinct differences, but they all contribute to the cultural melting pot idea that America attempts to uphold. With all of the diverse ethnic groups in America, encounters with different ethnic groups are inevitable. While I have not been heavily exposed to the Asian culture, I have had my various encounters with the culture itself. My encounters include having two Asian friends in growing up, eating at various Chinese and Japanese restaurants, and visiting multiple Asian owned businesses.
Having a Vietnamese …show more content…
Often times, I visit salons that thread eyebrows, do nails, sell jewelry, and give massages. When I was in middle school, the big, chunky jewelry was in style and there was a store that sold that kind of jewelry for one dollar. Along with the chunky jewelry, there was different jewelry that was sold as well. The owners were older Asians and they would often have Asian themed accessories and toys on display as well. Often times, my siblings and I would play with the Chinese finger traps and end up having to buy them because we could not figure out how to release our fingers without breaking them. Many times the salons that thread eyebrows and do nails were run by different ethnic groups within the Asian culture, ranging from Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese. I found this to be interesting because I actually thought that all the people that worked in the salon were related or at least the same ethnic group or race. Similar stereotypical thought was assumed of the Asian owners of the massage parlors. I knew that they were not all related because their facial features were actually more distinguishable. Being informed about the truth behind each circumstance taught me to not give in to these