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Lena St. Clair's Rice Husband

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The influence of food on cross-cultural identities is also explored through Lena St. Clair's story, 'Rice Husband'. Through this story, Tan addresses the problematic nature of the collision of Western and Eastern ideals. Lena, being born in America from a Chinese family experiences beliefs and ideologies from both cultures. For instance, the superstition and mysticism that Chinese culture associates with food is merged with the Western association of food with diet and body image. Lena's mother tells her that if she leaves rice behind, the number of rice grains in her bowl will be the number of pock marks on her husband's face. In an attempt to avoid being cursed with a bad husband, Lena devises a plan in which she can 'kill' the evil husband

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