Learning to make fish soup
by Jill Shah on December 21, 2011
About the author
My name is Michelle Truong and I'm a pre-med junior at the University of Texas at Austin studying Human Biology and Spanish Literature. I joined GlobeMed in Spring 2011 in our chapter's first active semester on campus because not only did I identify with the mission, but it was also the answer to my wanderlust and a place where I was able to find my niche at a large university. As an "adult" now I am all of a sudden faced with many decisions to make and I'm glad to say GlobeMed was the best choice I made so far.
I never thought I would spend so much time thinking about fish soup. I do like fish, and soup, but not really fish soup, yet for the past few days that is all I have been thinking about.
Taken out of context, I could see how my ponderings would seem a little odd, but fish soup is on my mind because of what I read about it in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, who chronicled the “collision of two cultures” with the story of a Hmong family holding onto their rich tradition as they journey through the world of American medicine.
“Fish soup. That’s the essence of Hmong culture,” a professor of French told Fadiman. The professor was referencing an oral report a Hmong student gave as part of an assignment in his French class on how to make fish soup. What was meant to be a five minute speech turned into a forty-five minute discourse about fish soup, starting from techniques on how to catch the fish to how to season it. Fadiman explains the Hmong phrase cuaj txub kaum txub, meaning “to speak of all kinds of things”— a sort of disclaimer given at the beginning of narratives to remind listeners “that the world is full of things that may not seem to be connected but actually are; that no event occurs in isolation; that you can miss a lot by sticking to the point…”
Fadiman adopts this phrase and “speaks of all kinds of things” as she details the Hmong culture, creating in a sense her version of a “fish soup” to tell the story of their traditions and history. In this soup we not only see the complexities of Hmong traditions, but also the culture of American medicine and how the two interface. The dichotomy of these two elements is deeply explored in the novel; ultimately the contrast between the two of them serves as a microcosm for every single interaction we have with one other. Everyone has their own version of “fish soup” and each has a unique combination of ingredients that cannot be edited.
After I read this part of the book, I started thinking of GlobeMed as its own fish soup because there are so many elements that combine to create the amalgam we know so well as a student-led nonprofit organization. Like the Hmong student who gave the holistic report in French class about fish soup, I find myself giving long-winded answers to, “So what is GlobeMed?” or “How was your trip to El Salvador?” and “What project are you working with the clinic to support?” because long-winded is the only way I know how to cover all the seemingly unrelated bases we incorporate.
Similarly, all our partner organizations have their own fish soup speeches as well, stories that became part of our own as our relationships grow — all the more reason why it is important to understand the cultures, traditions and histories we adopt.
In her book, Fadiman writes about the collision of two cultures. Perhaps this collision is because there is inability for both sides to listen to the other’s fish soup recipe. With GlobeMed, we strive for collaboration, achieved through a perfect blend of teamwork as chapters and partner organizations that share unique ingredients to brew our own version of fish soups together. How does the relationship between your GlobeMed chapter and partner organization create its own fish soup?
Taken out of context, I could see how my ponderings would seem a little odd, but fish soup is on my mind because of what I read about it in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, who chronicled the “collision of two cultures” with the story of a Hmong family holding onto their rich tradition as they journey through the world of American medicine.
“Fish soup. That’s the essence of Hmong culture,” a professor of French told Fadiman. The professor was referencing an oral report a Hmong student gave as part of an assignment in his French class on how to make fish soup. What was meant to be a five minute speech turned into a forty-five minute discourse about fish soup, starting from techniques on how to catch the fish to how to season it. Fadiman explains the Hmong phrase cuaj txub kaum txub, meaning “to speak of all kinds of things”— a sort of disclaimer given at the beginning of narratives to remind listeners “that the world is full of things that may not seem to be connected but actually are; that no event occurs in isolation; that you can miss a lot by sticking to the point…”
Fadiman adopts this phrase and “speaks of all kinds of things” as she details the Hmong culture, creating in a sense her version of a “fish soup” to tell the story of their traditions and history. In this soup we not only see the complexities of Hmong traditions, but also the culture of American medicine and how the two interface. The dichotomy of these two elements is deeply explored in the novel; ultimately the contrast between the two of them serves as a microcosm for every single interaction we have with one other. Everyone has their own version of “fish soup” and each has a unique combination of ingredients that cannot be edited.
After I read this part of the book, I started thinking of GlobeMed as its own fish soup because there are so many elements that combine to create the amalgam we know so well as a student-led nonprofit organization. Like the Hmong student who gave the holistic report in French class about fish soup, I find myself giving long-winded answers to, “So what is GlobeMed?” or “How was your trip to El Salvador?” and “What project are you working with the clinic to support?” because long-winded is the only way I know how to cover all the seemingly unrelated bases we incorporate.
Similarly, all our partner organizations have their own fish soup speeches as well, stories that became part of our own as our relationships grow — all the more reason why it is important to understand the cultures, traditions and histories we adopt.
In her book, Fadiman writes about the collision of two cultures. Perhaps this collision is because there is inability for both sides to listen to the other’s fish soup recipe. With GlobeMed, we strive for collaboration, achieved through a perfect blend of teamwork as chapters and partner organizations that share unique ingredients to brew our own version of fish soups together. How does the relationship between your GlobeMed chapter and partner organization create its own fish soup?
Mike says on April 01, 2012 at 3:16am:
I'm not a regular eater of fish soup as like other soup. But occasionally I eat fish soup. Thanks Jill for teaching me how to make fish soup. I'm pleased and excited to try it soon. http://www.onlineshoppingrsc.com/blog/