My Year of Meats

What is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the American identity? Coca Cola beverages? The sport of baseball? Dare I mention apple pie? Allow me to dig a little deeper. The American identity is built on the premise of opportunity and individualistic expression. A multitude of customs and practices have blended into a diversified culture that allows the American tradition to differ from the cultures of other countries.

In Ruth L. Ozeki’s book, My Year of Meats, she showcases the differences that exist between both American and Japanese cultures and, in the process, reveals the true nature behind the American identity. Ozeki’s character Jane Takagi-Little, the director of My American Wife, attempts to link Japanese housewives to America through the concept of food preparation. The food item she and her producers emphasized greatly was beef. Jane’s vision was to produce a show that documented the personal lives of average American families in order to demonstrate the diverse and unique customs associated with America (9). However, Jane’s producers didn’t agree with her vision. They believed that it was imperative to showcase families that Japanese citizens could readily recognize and identify as being American. These families were expected to consist of white members belonging to the middle or upper classes of society. In addition to this, the families had to be attractive and free of blemishes (12). Families such as these were considered to define the prototypical American family, and only these families would be appealing to the Japanese audience.

This concept immediately caught my attention. It became quite clear that Japanese citizens envisioned American families as being structured, harmonious, and overall perfect. America families come in a plethora of shapes and sizes, and not all families look alike and live perfect lives. Therefore, any family depicted as such couldn’t possibly be authentic. This sense of perfection is also emphasized in Anne Allison’s article “Japanese Mothers and Obentos: The Lunch Box as Ideological State Apparatus”. In this article, Allison discusses the immense responsibility given to Japanese mothers during the preparation of the obento lunches for their children. The obento meals were expected to be perfectly constructed in both appearance and proportions (84). This is how the mothers showed their love. The Japanese mothers dedicated time to this task, and failure to effectively construct the obento meant failure as a mother. In a sense, the Japanese identity is becoming dependent on its connection to American practices. Is this priority for perfection caused by the desire of Japanese mothers to become more like idealized American mothers?

                It’s a mind game and an affair of illusions. Japanese housewives are willing to live their lives according to the American standard. The producers of My American Wife took advantage of this concept. By fabricating ideal American families cooking meals consisting of beef, Japanese citizens could become immersed in the façade and be tricked into believing they were participants of the American culture. However, it’s important to note that this was more of a marketing strategy to make Japanese households purchase more American beef. The end result remains the same; Japanese citizens receiving false ideas about the American culture.

Jane, however, didn’t agree with this premise. She believed that it was important to provide an accurate depiction of America to her viewing audience. One such documentary was that done on the Martinez family. Alberto Martinez was a debilitated farmworker who emigrated from Mexico with his wife Catalina.  Both Alberto and his wife worked tediously in order to support the family and were eventually able to purchase their own barn and acres of land (58). The Martinez family exemplifies the concept that has become known as the American dream. They moved away from their homes in Mexico in order to better their lives and provide their son Bobby with an opportunity to live a good life. In the process, they were able to widen the viewer’s understanding of what it truly means to be American. Jane also chose to film them preparing burritos instead of ordinary beef dishes. This helped to establish a sense of individualism and introduce a sense of rich diversity that characterizes America.

By depicting the American identity, Ozeki was able to highlight glaring differences exist among the cultures. Americans aren’t as strict as the Japanese with their meals. In fact, Ozeki mentions that Japanese housewives prefer to receive their foods from vending machines instead of interacting with people behind counters (87). Also, Americans place a heavier emphasis on guns ownership and protection. It is because of this custom, Ozeki asserts, that the American culture is viewed by the Japanese as one being rooted in violence (89). The Japanese culture places a huge emphasis on wives bearing children. This concept was illustrated throughout the novel as Joichi continuously hounded his wife Akiko about her inability to become pregnant.

Even though these cultural practices differ, it’s important for people to interact with other cultures in order to learn and further understand the customs associated with them.