The All-American Slurp
by
Lensey Namioka
Review
1. What is a conclusion?
 A decision or an opinion you reach by
drawing together details in a text.
2. What is a theme?
 An important idea or message that the
author wants to convey.
3. Describe the way in which
each Lin family member
learns English.
 The narrator worries a lot and takes care
to speak correctly. Her brother learns
English from his friends and speaks
quickly, although not expertly. The father
is scientific about learning English and is
proud of his mastery of verb forms. The
mother memorizes lists of polite phrases.
4. What does each person’s
way of learning English
show about his or her
personality?
 The narrator is concerned about what
people will think about her. The brother is
more concerned about communicating
with friends than with speaking perfect
English. The father is proud of his
English. The mother is not as confident
as the father but tries to be polite.
5. How do the Lins
embarrass themselves at
the restaurant?
 They slurp their soup.
6. Compare: In what ways
are the Gleasons’ actions
at the Lins’ house similar
to those of the Lins at the
Gleasons’ house?
 Both families struggle to adapt to the
others’ way of eating; both are coping as
well as possible under the
circumstances.
7. What theme about cultural
differences does the story
illustrate?
 People from different cultures may have
different customs, but they may also
have many things in common.
8. What details or events
support the theme?
 Chinese people slurp soup, Americans
slurp milkshakes; both families learned
about different customs when they visited
each other’s homes.
9. How does the narrator feel
the first time her family
eats raw celery?
 The narrator is embarrassed.
10. What happens when
the Lins eat celery?
 Everyone stares as the Lins eat celery.
11. How does Meg make the
narrator feel better after
the dinner party at the
Gleasons’ house?
 Meg mentions that her mother doesn’t
plan for parties and just hopes for the
best.
12. Why does the narrator
think her brother is
adjusting better to
American life than she
is?
 He is making friends easily.
13. Which of the Lins fits in
first with American
culture?
 The narrator’s brother fits in first.
14. What problem do the Lins
try to overcome in the
story?
 The Lins family tries to fit in by adjusting
to American customs.
15. What does the narrator
discover when she drinks
a milkshake with Meg?
 The narrator discovers that Americans
slurp when drinking milkshakes.
16. What does the narrator
learn about slurping?
 The narrator learns that Americans and
Chinese both slurp in some situations.
17. Contrast: What is the
difference between the
way that the Gleasons
eat and the way that the
Lins eat?
 The Gleasons pile food on their plates
and mix the foods. The Lins eat one type
of food at a time.
18. What lesson about life
does the narrator learn?
 The narrator learns how to fit in to new surroundings
and that Americans and Chinese are not as different as
she first thought. First, she learns that Americans eat
raw celery and that slurping soup is considered bad
manners in the United States. Although Chinese
people slurp soup, Americans slurp milkshakes.
Second, the narrator wants to wear jeans as the other
girls do. She wants to understand American ways and
fit in. Finally, she understands that the Gleasons are
unfamiliar with Chinese eating customs and realizes
that everyone has new experiences that can be
embarrassing and that everyone has feelings. She is
learning to be more accepting of others and of herself.
19. Emigrated
 Left one country to settle in another
20. Smugly
 In a way that shows satisfaction to
oneself
21. Systematic
 Orderly
22. Etiquette
 Acceptable social manners
23. Consumption
 Eating; drinking; using up
THE END