Jet Li films, other traditions bring together cultures
Published Oct. 6, 2006
It's a common American fairy tale that a man lives on the moon. As it turns out, it might be a global myth.
"When I was young, I used to think that there really was a beautiful woman who lived on the moon," Chinese student You Li said.
This childhood reminiscence was just one of many memories that illustrate how cultures are similar, even though it might not seem so at first glance.
The Asian Affairs Center, Graduate Student Association and the International Center sponsor the Multicultural Community Hour, an organization that strives to increase cultural involvement. The group meets every Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in Memorial Union.
"Multicultural Hour is a very informal discussion by students, often graduate students," the organization's representative Mary Jo Herde stated in an e-mail. "It is designed to provide a place where international students can get to know others and have a positive relationship with American students and community members outside the classroom."
This year, Pi-Kai Hsu, a graduate student from Taiwan, leads the group.
Not only were topics relating to differences in moon-folk discussed, but also how to catch rattlesnakes, what it means to find a coin in your dumpling and what has been Jet Li's best film.
This week's focus was on the mid-autumn festival and what customs accompany the event. To celebrate, some students baked Moon Cake, which was filled with green beans but not the American green bean.
Other foods that participants enjoyed were Woo Loong tea, egg rolls, cookies and coffee. You Li said the Moon Festival is celebrated on Aug. 15 because that is when the moon is at its roundest, brightest and most beautiful.
Just as the Americans learned about foreign cultures, the international students also learned about U.S. customs.
"Many topics help expand my mind and help me battle a feeling of ethnocentricity," Herde said.
Students from many different parts of the globe attended the event, such as graduate student Jenny Chou, from Taiwan, and Daniel Smith, an MU junior from Illinois.
"It'd be great for more people to come and experience this," Smith said.
As conversation about rattlesnakes and Jet Li might illustrate, the forum is not all serious conversations about cultures.
"We joke around about how high the drinking age is here in the U.S. compared to other countries," Smith said.
In addition to the students, community members attended the Multicultural Community Hour. Ralph Kreigh, who talked to the students about English terms that even locals don't know such as "whole ball of wax," which simply means "everything."