Have you ever noticed that when we (Samoans) go to fancy restaurants, we tend to eat like (for lack of a better term) ‘palagi’s’? We start with the soup, entrees, salads and then make our way into the mains and end with desserts. On top of all that we eat (properly) with forks, knives and spoons.
Yet, when we’re at home (away from the public eye)…THERE’s NO SUCH THING! (haha) Then there is also this frenzy that we get ourselves into when ‘palagi’ people come for lunch or dinner at our homes and all of a sudden our table manners become a little more ‘english’ and proper. We basically go way out of our way to accommodate their ‘palagi-ness’ by re-creating the one thing that labels us ‘fia palagi’…that being the way we act at fancy restaurants.
I’m typing this out as my family are going through this ‘palagi-fying’ process. Where normally soups, entrees, salads, main courses and desserts all go together on the one table (okay who am I kidding…it’s more like all on the one plate) we are now dividing the sections up. We started with soup, and then entrees and salad and now we’re on to the main course.
I was asked to slice the leg of lamb (alaga mamoe). I found myself slicing the pieces thin and dainty. I can’t tell you why it was that I changed my slicing habits, because usually I would make sure that there are huge chunks of meat on the platter. I also found myself cutting around the fat even. Again, there’s just this thing your mind goes through when you’re around palagi’s (and I’m using the definition of ‘foreigners’ when I say the word palagi). It has become automatic for the mind to switch over to catering for the palagi needs.
I think the word that best describes this situation is “impress” or “impression”. It is like we want the palagi’s to be impressed with the way in which we do things. It is almost as if we’re going out of our way to show them that we ‘have learned something from being colonised and settled’ all those many years ago.
Am I going to deep with this? Have I hit a raw nerve with any of you? If so, then Tamavalevale has done his job……thus far. Stay tuned for Part 2.
Yet, when we’re at home (away from the public eye)…THERE’s NO SUCH THING! (haha) Then there is also this frenzy that we get ourselves into when ‘palagi’ people come for lunch or dinner at our homes and all of a sudden our table manners become a little more ‘english’ and proper. We basically go way out of our way to accommodate their ‘palagi-ness’ by re-creating the one thing that labels us ‘fia palagi’…that being the way we act at fancy restaurants.
I’m typing this out as my family are going through this ‘palagi-fying’ process. Where normally soups, entrees, salads, main courses and desserts all go together on the one table (okay who am I kidding…it’s more like all on the one plate) we are now dividing the sections up. We started with soup, and then entrees and salad and now we’re on to the main course.
I was asked to slice the leg of lamb (alaga mamoe). I found myself slicing the pieces thin and dainty. I can’t tell you why it was that I changed my slicing habits, because usually I would make sure that there are huge chunks of meat on the platter. I also found myself cutting around the fat even. Again, there’s just this thing your mind goes through when you’re around palagi’s (and I’m using the definition of ‘foreigners’ when I say the word palagi). It has become automatic for the mind to switch over to catering for the palagi needs.
I think the word that best describes this situation is “impress” or “impression”. It is like we want the palagi’s to be impressed with the way in which we do things. It is almost as if we’re going out of our way to show them that we ‘have learned something from being colonised and settled’ all those many years ago.
Am I going to deep with this? Have I hit a raw nerve with any of you? If so, then Tamavalevale has done his job……thus far. Stay tuned for Part 2.
