For Human Parts, the dazzling collection of essays curated by Stephanie Georgopulos on Medium, Djenab Conde writes about the complexities of eating at a Chinese restaurant with her Chinese mother and Guinean father.
Conde writes about how frustrating it is to never be recognized as Chinese even when she speaks the language, but the really heartbreaking part is the subtle ways she tries to protect her father’s feelings. A preview:
Even after I prove my Chinese-speaking prowess and order hot tea, they still discount me as one of them. I am and will always be the lao wai, the foreigner.
