Unlike A Drop Of Water Analysis

B.R. Ambedkar once said, ”Unlike a drop of water which loses its identity when it joins the ocean, man does not lose his being in the society in which he lives. Man's life is independent. He is born not for the development of the society alone, but for the development of his self,” (Demakis, 415). This quote is contrasting a drop of water to a man, saying that despite the fact that water loses its form when it joins the ocean, man itself is individual and joins but does not conform to society. Essentially, man has an identity unique to himself, but because he is joining a larger body, he is maintaining his beliefs and practices. When establishing a food culture, it becomes imperative because each “drop of water” or person is important into …show more content…
In the case of Chinese immigrants during the 1850s, they were viewed as dirty and were accused of stealing jobs even though they performed the dangerous manual labor such as building the Transcontinental Railroad. Others would try to become entrepreneurs in opening their own restaurants and trying to set afoot their food culture in America, the land of opportunity. Because there was such a negative view of the Chinese, it was difficult for people to accept the Chinese’ way of life, and thereof they were viewed as unable to assimilate into society. However, it was society that was not allowing the Chinese to assimilate. There was a song that came about during the building of the Transcontinental Railroad called, “Song about John Chinaman.” The title itself “John Chinaman” was a degrading term to describe the Chinese during the time period. However, it was more offensive that the song itself continued to belittle the Chinese despite their tough attempt to be accepted within society. People were even disgusted with the Chinese food, and in the song, it says, “I thought of rats and puppies, John, You’d eaten your last fill; But on such slimy pot-pies John, I’m told you dinner still,” (Wallach and Swindall, 72). Chinese food culture was described in an offensive manner, which gave the Chinese a stereotype of eating animals. This made no one would want to eat their food. It would take time for the Chinese to find their place in America, and perception of them changed once the United States became allies with China. They were no longer viewed as dirty job stealers and people began developing a more positive perception of them as they became more open-minded to different cultures. People began to try their foods and were pleased with what they ate, and the Chinese were able to overcome the adversity they had experienced. Once Americans started accepting Chinese people and their overall identity, they became