It is a common misconception among non-Asian people that dumplings in East Asia are all the same; they’re just dumplings, and dumplings taste good. However, the differences are important. Jiaozi is a historical dish from Taiwan and China, eaten by Chinese people as far back as the Tang Dynasty. Its Japanese counterpart, however, is a more recent creation. It is said that while Japanese soldiers occupied countries like Taiwan and China, they enjoyed the local jiaozi so much that when they returned to Japan, they made their own version: gyoza. As a result of this seemingly small cultural exchange, my life began in May of 1895, when the Japanese occupation of Taiwan began, years before I was physically born.
My grandparents lived in Taiwan during colonization, and thus, they quickly became fluent in Japanese as a survival tactic. Born over 20 years after Japan’s imperial rule of Taiwan ended, my parents did not learn Japanese, but through their will, I became and remain fluent. My parents’ reason for putting me through Japanese school was born out of a deep respect for their own parents: They wanted me to have my own unique way to communicate with my grandparents. However, their dream could not be fully realized, as all of my grandparents passed away while I was only an infant. As I continued in Japanese school, and my Japanese skills began to overtake my Taiwanese skills, I felt a growing disconnect from my family and heritage. I felt ashamed, even, for learning the language of my ancestors’ tormentors while only retaining the fluency of a toddler in Taiwanese. At the same time that my other Taiwanese American friends went to Chinese school on the weekends, I went to Japanese school. My friends and family frequented Taiwan as much as they could over breaks, but I spent those same days studying abroad in Japan. And so, every time my parents conversed in rapid-fire Taiwanese and every time I even thought in Japanese, I felt a wall build up between us.
On the…
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