Southeast Asian in the US Ques 3 - Essay Example

Viet se Way of Life Canh is the of the Viet se restaurant that my friend John and I visit for lunch. We peruse through the menu and order of niceties. Because the restaurant is located in the leafy suburb, we were lucky to encounter an English waiter. I ordered Nuoc Mam, which are simply salty fish source and some vegetables. My friend John ordered rice, viewing other customers having their lunch. Majority of them were consuming rice, I later found out that, rice is their staple food. The waiter then brought us some tea served in a teapot.

He goes ahead to say that, Vietnamese respects guests and courtesy is one of their most significant virtues. This was to be one of the most fantastic foreign trips I have had in recent years. From my conversation with the waiter, the name Vietnam first came into use in 1803 when envoys from the Nguyen dynasty went to Beijing to create diplomatic associations with the Chinese court. The emperor chose the name Nam Viet for his territory. Viet means imperial domain while Nam means south which was being added to his dynasty.

As we continue our chat, he tells me that Vietnamese is the most dominant language spoken by approximately 87.0 percent of the entire population. He says that it is a tonal Mon-Khmer lingo with strong Chinese lexical influences. However, dialectical variations are present among different locations in terms of their vocabulary, number of tones and accents. Moreover, the remaining populations speak Nung, Mong, Tai Dam, Chinese, and Khmer. From the interrogation, Vietnamese are extremely social people.

This is portrayed in the way they build their homes. Their houses are rectangular created and made of mortar and brick. The waiter says that their compounds are regularly large open areas for drying their rice. The homes are usually built close to each other creating a nuclear arrangement surrounded by agricultural fields. This is to ease access to each others home for social, economic, and wellbeing. In their culture men dominate over women, this is shown in how their women engage in petty trading which is common in their society and they end up earning meager salaries which they use to support their families.

In broad-spectrum men, perform powerful and masculine roles such as administration, public activities, business, hold political offices and other roles that require ones to be away from home. Influential roles such as the Catholic priest or a Buddhist are also reserved fro men. He further says that, marriage is a significant ceremony of passage for the realization of maturity. Almost every person marries, according our conversation it occurs usually in early twenties or late teens. Their national law illegalizes polygamy and arranged marriages.

It is customary for eldest sons to inherit big portions of family property in particular land, younger sons inherit other items as gold, ceramics, or pieces of land. From my interaction with the waiter, Vietnamese are very polite people. One of the most significant proportions of politeness is for their children to show respect for the elders. It is expected that younger people should show respect by using hierarchical provisions when addressing their elders. A young person is expected to salute an elderly person incase they meet.

At this point, John asked him which religion he subscribes to. He acknowledged being a Buddhist. Although Protestantism, Islam, Catholicism and two other aboriginal religious traditions that come up during the colonial era, known as Hao Hao and Cao form part of Vietnamese religion. Migration has also played an immense in the Vietnamese history and lifestyle. Majority of them migrated from the neighboring countries such as Cambodia, China, and Lao. This has influenced their race, culture, and ethnicity.

Majority of Vietnamese believe that medicine is linked to religion and that affliction and diseases are an unavoidable part of life. They believe that, one’s life is predetermined and attempting to prolong it is an exercise in futility. A decent burial for a departed loved one is one of the most significant thing an individual can do, it helps the living mourn as well as continue with life. Again, it provides an avenue for the living to fulfill unfinished business with the dead as part of their funeral rituals.

As I finish the last piece of fish in my plate, my friend John asks the waiter now our dear friend, the meaning of their restaurant name. He elaborates that, the name Canh means vegetable. Traditionally Vietnamese prefer rice and vegetables as it helps build the body defense mechanism and provide the necessary energy for the daily activities. As we part ways with our waiter friend known as Minh, he invites us to one of their most famous ritual, which is the New Year’s celebration known to them as Tet Nguyen Dan.

However, we do not promise on our attendance. Work CitedMurray, Geoffrey. Vietnam-Culture Smart: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. New York: Kuperard Publisher, 2006. Print.