I Don't Know How to Eat This - A Poem In Progress
the very rough draft of the first two stanzas of a poem
Article voiceover
Hello readers,
I’ve been crazy busy this week with my son’s college graduation festivities so I’ve had no time to finish anything to post. So I thought I’d give you the very first rough draft—just the first two stanzas—of a poem.
So I read this quote a few weeks ago:
In Thai, when we eat something that’s not to our taste, we don’t really say, “I don’t like this” or “this is bad.” We say, “I don’t know how to eat this.”
- Pim Techamuanvivit
And I’ve been fascinated by this kind of cultural politeness ever since I read it. Right now, I’m only thinking of how I’ve been culturally polite in culinary settings but I’m sure this poem will go other places. So here it is:
My new friend offers me a newer dish— A seafood stew that I instantly hate. I should say, “I don’t know how to eat this,” But, too polite to be honest, I finish My serving. Offered more, I pat my waist And say I’m too full to eat more of this...
Sorry, I'm a bit behind in my reading. Congratulations to your son!! I'm not sure how this new "no" phrase would work in other cultures. Would someone look at me and be concerned that I don't know how to use a fork? I married into an English family and if I was to use this polite phrase, there would be silence and then resumption as if I said nothing.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to try to work on a version of this to say "no" in other ways as well. I have such a hard time with that little word. I'll be interested to see where you take this.