I'm sure this is going to come off to many as something to do about nothing and it certainly didn't offend me personally but....

I was at a food court the other day. Different sections of the food court had labels. There was the "Green" section which was the salad area, there was a "Drinks" section and a "Vegetarian" section for vegetarian friendly prepared foods. There was one area labeled "Home Cooking" and another labeled "International". The "home cooking" area had various chicken and beef dishes and things like string beans, zucchini, mashed potatoes. The international section had Chinese and Indian foods.

I really didn't think anything of it but then later this thought just wandered into my head. Isn't labeling one "home cooking" and the other "international" a subtle way of saying that if you grew up eating the kinds of foods seen at the "home cooking" station that you're a *real American* and if you grew up eating the kinds of foods seen at the "international" station you're a foreigner?

It might seem like nothing but is it really? I've often heard white or black looking Americans talk to Asian looking Americans as though they aren't really American. Whether they actually think that or not while they are saying it I have no idea but it crosses my mind, hey, that person IS an American, quit saying things that suggest they are not.

Who says Rice or Noodles or Fish or Curry for dinner is not "home cooking"? I grew up with rice every night, does that mean I wasn't eating home cooking? Does it mean I'm not really American?

Anyway, I'm sure some people will get this and others will think it's just a stupid non−issue but the more I thought about it the more I thought it's one of those things that when you *get it* you'll get a slightly better understanding of what people that get affected by this kind of stuff are really dealing with and how without thinking people often subtly exclude others.