Stealing Buddha’s dinner

By Bich (pronounced Bit) Minh Nguyen

Based in Grand Rapids, MI in the 1970’s, and 80’s, this book depicts the real story of Bich and her family. Escaping Saigon right before its fall in 1975 Bich, her dad, grandmother, two uncles and older sister are sponsored by a family here in Grand Rapids.
Bich is completely different in every single way. She is Vietnamese, and therefore different from all the blond blue eyed girls that surround her. She doesn’t believe in God, but in Buddha, also unlike the community she lives in. She is a self-imposed loner who takes a book everywhere she goes. Her father marries a Mexican-American woman, Rosa. This adds a whole new layer of complication to Bich’s life, since Rosa is an activist, and the opposite of the perfect mother’s Bich’s friends seem to have.
Oh yeah, and she eats radically different food from her American friends. It seems that Bich saw American food as the way to get closer to the unattainable culture she is surrounded with, since food is the basis in which she builds the book.
The book is very engaging and well written. Even though it is 256 pages it’s a quick read.
It was very interesting to read about Grand Rapids in the 70’s and 80’s. Personally I find that although Grand Rapids has grown culturally and has become more accepting, different is not the thing to be. So reading about the experience she goes through pains my heart. At such a young age no girl should be getting the message “Come on in. Now transform. And if you cannot, then disappear.” (Page 11) from the community she lives in.
Nevertheless this is not a sad story. Bich grows up and finds herself, her mom and her culture.