Love Thyself or Hate Thyself

Every monday at 8 pm I tune into the infamous reality TV show "Love & Hip Hop". Like almost every viewer, I was drawn to the show because of its drama and humor, but little did I know I was contributing to the defamation and hatred of my race...

Love & Hip Hop Cast

"Love & Hip Hop" exploits the dysfunctional relationships and lives of six black women. The six women are all involved with hip hop entertainers, who only bring them pain wether its leaving them to be single mothers or failing to be faithful. The drama of this show intrigues many Americans who like myself often make fun or ridicule them all. However my eyes were opened to my own disfunction after reading Brainwashed by Tom Burrell. Tom Burrell's novel encouraged me to question why I found "Love & Hip Hop" so intriguing? Why was I entertained by the chaotic lives of suffering black women? Why was I blindly accepting the stereotype that "Blacks Can't Form Strong Families" (argued in Brainwashed Chapter 2). And lastly how can I disengage from this self loathing behavior and learn to up lift my race.

As more and more mondays went by I found it harder to watch "Love & Hip Hop" because of what I learned on the black inferiority complex and how my race especially black women, were brainwashed to believe that they couldn't achieve marital and family bliss. I was disgusted that I naively agreed to this condition and I wanted to change the stereotype that blacks "...accept and share these perceptions without question or qualm" (Burrell 33). So what I could I do to change? I started informing my friends that "Love & Hip Hop" was bad for our state of mind and in order to not accept the black inferiority complex we must not watch the show. I realized that by watching the show I not only accepted black dysfunction as normal I was contributing to the strong self-hatred present in the black community. So instead of tuning into "Love & Hip Hop" I watched "Black Girls Rock" and intensely read Brainwashed to become more aware of the burden my people faced and how to overcome it. Watching shows like "Love & and Hip Hop" not only encourages Americans to continue to accept black inferiority, but also allows African Americans to expect our race to be dysfunctional. I don't want to accept or expect these negatives stereotypes of my race so since I have realized the problem, I will now encourage my race to not associate themselves with this kinda of entertainment.

Sushi? The New American Cuisine?

As I sat eating my spicy tuna roll in "Maui Fish and Pasta",  I looked around to observe that almost everyone around me was also ordering sushi. The craze for these little rice squares was obvious. This  brought me to an even deeper realization... Back home in New Orleans sushi restaurants were popping up left and right! This strong craving for sushi wasn't just in Hawaii, it was all over. So I thought to myself, why do Americans love sushi so much? Is the sushi we eat "real" sushi? Or is it Americanized just like every foreign cuisine brought to America? In America we've changed almost every foreign food to meet our liking. So I wonder are we doing the same for sushi? I asked my mom and some friends why they loved sushi so much; and they proceeded to tell me that they loved the clean and delicate flavor. Sushi has also appealed to Americans because of its fashionable look and "good for the soul"("Why We love Sushi").

As I ordered my second roll I began to examine how different the sushi in Hawaii tasted compared to the sushi back home at my favorite restaurant, Sake Cafe. Don't get me wrong, the sushi in New Orleans is great, but the way the tuna melted in my mouth in Maui was something I haven't experienced in Louisiana. The sushi in Maui was so fresh, so clean, and so desirable. Was this sushi in Maui more authentic than the sushi at Sake? Could it be? Filled with disbelief I asked the waitress why the sushi here (in Maui) was so good. She informed me, that Hawaii has a large population of Japanese residents so most Sushi Chefs duplicate the Japanese style of preparing sushi (from the quality of the fish to the texture of the rice). She also stated that in Hawaii the fish available is the same seafood available in Japan.

Spicy Tuna Roll (Taken by me at Maui Fish and Pasta) 

After listening to waitress, I realized that favorite rolls among my mom and friends were the crawfish roll, soft-shell crab roll, and shrimp roll which are staple foods of Louisiana. So its not that the sushi in New Orleans is less authentic it's that the chefs have adjusted to the taste of that region.

      Crawfish Roll http://sidedish.wpengine.com

In Hawaii chefs can maintain traditional tastes because of its proximity to Japan. So as for Chef Kaz Okochi, who according to the Washington Post article "Sushi Standards and The American Way"..."worries about the state of genuine Japanese sushi, the kind that requires years of training, an almost obsessive attention to detail and a passion for fresh, clean flavors" ("Sushi Standards and the American way"), he need not worry, sushi is not lost, it in fact has evolved to adapt to its new home which; therefore enables it to live forever.


Carman, Tim. "Sushi Standards and The American Way." Washington Post. N.p., 24 Jan. 2012. Web.
        24 July 2013.