Human Fondue

Growing up, I remember much being made of the concept that America is a "melting pot". Ideas, cultures, languages; multiple elements and facets of a myriad of viewpoints and traditions, all merging together into something new. Or so was my impression.

As a teenager and young adult, I recall that the metaphor changed; America was no longer a melting pot, I was informed, rather it was more akin to a salad bowl. Cultures, languages, traditions, and ideas were certainly all thrown together in this great experiment of a country, but no longer were we to expect them to meld into something uniform. Instead, we were to honor and respect the distinctions between said elements, while still drawing value from their mutual inclusion.

This "salad bowl" metaphor certainly seems to be in effect today. I observe it in the classroom dynamics of my son's school, the multilingual and multicultural efforts the school district makes, in an attempt to be as inclusive as possible.

I spend a fair amount of time pondering this, especially in light of events that highlight a deep and lingering cultural divide (only one of many) that has potentially lethal results.

Call me crazy, but I really like the idea of America being a melting pot (at least in theory). That image always conjured for me a concept of human fondue; ideas and traditions with sharp lines of division and distinction dumped into a pot, where those lines and distinctions blurred and melted away, leaving something new (and tasty) in their place.

The salad bowl simile, on the other hand, leaves in place those stark distinctions. In fact, it highlights and emphasizes, not our similarities, but our differences.

I am trying to teach my son cultural awareness and sensitivity. I don't discount the importance of people's traditions and familial history. But I can't help but wonder if our country would have fewer divisions and internal strife if, instead of considering oneself <cultural variable>-American, if residents of this country were simply "Americans".

After all, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's all serve food that originated in another country, yet are thoroughly American in every way. If that's not the quintessential example of America the melting pot, I don't know what is.