Last night, aSTEAM Village took us out for a Kansas City Royals home baseball game against the Minnesota Twins. This was my first ever baseball game. I understand absolutely nothing about baseball, despite Jordan’s best efforts of “Helen! Eyes back on the game!” interspersed by explanations of what happened.
We had a wonderful view of the game!
As I munched on the most scrumptious baked pretzel dipped in spicy nacho cheese, I learned that cracker jacks, the kiss cam, and a herds of Hawaiian-shirt-clad beer drinkers are all real phenomena. All night, my eyes drifted between the tiny squishy baby two rows down clad in a blue Kansas City onesie, the fireworks exploding at each home run, and the digital banners promoting Papa John’s lighting up the bleachers, all the while muttering “Wow! I feel so American!”
This pretzel truly tasted as good as it looks.
Spokes has, without a doubt, been my most prolonged and immersive experience to American culture — in this blog, I’m using the term “American culture” to describe the aspects of the US that appear in media, popular perception, etc. Over these past few weeks, I’ve developed habits and have had experiences that I previously believed only existed in Reddit threads written by confused Europeans visiting the US, or my elementary school choir songs such as “Take me out to the Ball Game.”
We did in fact get taken out to the ball game — thanks again, aSTEAM Village!
Anyhow, here are a few examples for my cultural immersion:
1) Buying literally everything at Walmart
Without a doubt, I’ve made more Walmart visits this summer than I have cumulatively over the 20 years of my life leading up to this trip. I realize now how much I’ve my abundant supply of local Asian supermarkets for granted. Walmart supplies our groceries, teaching supplies, toiletries, storage bins… Walmart pretty much is our lifeline at this point. I’m now a Walmart expert — I have navigated different species of Walmarts (supercenters, neighborhood markets, vision centers, pharmacies) as well as memorized the quirks and intricacies of shopping there (no Apple Pay, self-check-out is always the way to go, the $1.50 Italian bread from the bakery will change your life).
2) Developing a love for the deep fried
We tried out a local Kansas City treat called In a Tub, where nearly everything was deep fried and served in a tub or basket shaped dish. I decided to eat my day’s vegetables via onion ring and fried spicy zucchini, and the experience truly was delightful. Aside from In a Tub, I’ve also enjoyed dining in Popeyes and KFC recently and now unironically find American Cheese, when served in certain contexts, quite tasty. My taste palette has gradually yet undoubtedly altered as we’ve crossed to the Midwest, much to the horror of my cholesterol.
Our feast from In a Tub!
3) Sandwiches! Every day!
Like with Walmart, I’ve eaten more sandwiches this summer than I have cumulatively over the 20 years of my life leading up to this trip. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I’ve cooked on a stove. Even when I have access to a kitchen, this 30 second meal is tempting and wins me over every time. A few sandwich recipes I recommend include:
The all-time favorite: PG & J
Healthy fibers to promote daily digestion: tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce/spinach/any form of edible leaf, mayo, cheese
Rebellion against lactose intolerance: mayo, cheese, cheez-its
Inciting Jordan’s horror: mayo and celery sticks
Lazy vibes: just bread
Sandwich lunch in a park :)
4) Queue that song again
I’ve been able to spend the hours on the bike and in the van exploring different music genres and collecting music recs. For the first time, the American oldies have really grown on me. Some of my current favorites are “American Pie,” “Piano Man,” “Somethin’ Stupid,” and “Movin’ Out.”
Thanks for reading,
Helen