A Rice Sandwich/Fish Cheeks

hesitant

disgusted

shocked

proud

broken

soft

weak

bright

apologetic

aggressive

sarcastic

depressing

She is embarrassed by her family’s Chinese customs, so she describes the food as foreign and strange.

She is excited to have the minister’s son over for Christmas, which causes her to study every detail of her mother’s cooking.

She is bored with her family’s Chinese traditions, so the text focuses on her desire to have more “American food.”

She is nervous to have the boy she likes over for Christmas dinner, so the text focuses on how eager she is to see Robert’s reaction to the meal.

“I was stunned into silence for the rest of the night.” (Paragraph 6)

“And then they arrived — the minister’s family and all my relatives in a clamor of doorbells and rumpled Christmas packages.” (Paragraph 4)

“And even though I didn’t agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during the evening’s dinner.”

“Robert and his family waited patiently for platters to be passed to them.” (Paragraph 5)