Stealing Buddha's Dinner is the autobiographical story of Vietnamese immigrant Bich Minh Nguyen and her continuous struggle to fit in and become 'truly American' in Grand Rapids, Michigan during the 1970s and 1980s. Her perception of what 'American' means relies almost completely on media imagery and messages. In a very foreign world, Bich finds refuge in watching television. In a culturally homogenous Midwestern city, her highest aspiration becomes not to be noticed by her peers. When recalling her childhood and teen years in Grand Rapids, she points out that she felt awkward and misplaced due to her physical and cultural coordinates which did not match those of the other kids at school: "I came of age in the 1980s, before diversity and multicultural awareness trickled into western Michigan. Before ethnic was cool. Before Thai restaurants became staples in every town." (Bich 10) Very sensitive and introspective, Bich begins to feel isolated and find comfort in watching television which becomes her strongest barometer of what the American identity is made up of. In the 1980s, commercials for band-name packaged foods projected an idealistic image of the American family and life. Consequently, names like Shake 'n Bake, Kraft Macaroni, and Hamburger Helper slowly become synonymous to social acceptance and insider invisibility which Bich strives for. In this sense, eating becomes a metaphor for acceptance and acquiring a sense of belonging both of which Bich feels deprived of.
             Food is central to the book because it is a metaphor of fitting in, i.e. young Bich sees it as a means to an end. She hopes to become truly American by eating the foods advertised on tv. As preposterous as that might sound to some, it makes sense to a little girl who craves acceptance. Moreover, her feeling of isolation is enhanced by the fact that her family does not have ties to the Vietnamese community either. They avoid...