Do You Like Cheese?

In American cooking tradition, cheese and butter are essential ingredients, however, they are so foreign to Chinese. In this installation, I use cheese to reveal  the frustration and capability that Chinese immigrants have gone through to adapt American culture by presenting their negative and positive response to American processed food.  I use American cheese slices in yellow to make the cut-out images of English letters “No Cheese” “I love Cheese” over Chinese characters that are cut out from Swiss cheese slices in white with the same meaning and melted together. “No Cheese” represents the older generation of Chinese immigrants who can’t digest cheese well and it also mimics their rejection to cheese when they order burgers, sandwiches or pizzas. “I love Cheese” represents the younger generation of Chinese immigrants and American-born Chinese who love cheese. 
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Say CHEESE :)

Two Chinese characters “茄子” (Qie Zi) are cut out from cooked Chinese rice and placed as a pair of eyes above the smiling mouth of English cheese letters "Cheese" in a form of face icon. This Chinese saying “茄子” (Qie Zi ) sounds similar to American saying “cheese” said loud when people are taking photos. Although the actual meaning of Chinese saying is different from American one, the making material for both languages suggests a same feeling of happiness. To Chinese, rice is their comfort food, to American, so is cheese. The popular image of smiling face express the same feeling with a sense of humor and implies the cultural differences at the same time. 

Cheese Face Icon

This new developed series reflects on how American processed food is consumed by Chinese immigrants and their reaction to cheese reveals the frustration and capability they have experienced to adapt American culture.  I use American cheese slices to make the cut-out images of English letters “MORE Cheese” “NO Cheese” on colored paper in the form of face icon. With the iconic double red loves, “MORE Cheese” represents the younger generation of Chinese immigrants and American -born Chinese who love cheese, and are much capable to adapt American culture. “NO Cheese” represents the older generation of Chinese immigrants who can’t digest cheese well, it also mimics their rejection to cheese when they order burgers, sandwiches or pizzas. On the smiling face icon, two Chinese characters “茄子” (Qie Zi) are cut out from cooked Chinese rice and placed as a pair of eyes above the smiling mouth of English cheese letters "Cheese". This Chinese saying “茄子” (Qie Zi ) sounds similar to American saying “cheese” said loud when people are taking photos. Although the actual meaning of Chinese saying is different from American one, the making material for both languages suggests a same feeling of happiness. To Chinese, rice is their comfort food, to American, so is cheese. 

寿 SHOU - Long Life?

In this installation, I use hamburger packages to make the large cut-out image of modified Chinese Character 寿 “Shou”, meaning “long life”. My intention is to bring up the question in a humorous way: does American fast food make you healthy and live longer?