Francesca Danielle’s Reviews > Taiwan Travelogue > Status Update

My favorite chapter in terms of unravelling the dynamic between the two women. In the end, no matter how much Chizuko preaches about their seeming equality against all odds, it seems as though she still reinforces Chizuru's lower status by insisting on "protecting her" by gifting her a kimono -- the cultural outfit of her oppressor. Painful, isn't it?

I just realized how a translator can only rely on the words of others to create something, whereas a novelist has a wealth of ideas and opportunities to create. Inherent dichotomy between the Mainlander Chizuko, who can do anything she wants, and Chizuru, who can only derive happiness from others....

It’s clear that even if Chizuko and Chizuru are closer than they were at the beginning, there are still many secrets that Chizuru is keeping from her.

Chizuko and Chizuru seeing another Mainlander-Islander couple right when their feelings are on the cusp. The myth of two students being hidden away by the gods so that two factions could live in harmony which relates to potential Taiwan-Japan friendship, but this ignores the social subtext required of a Mainlander-Islander couple. Also the reversal of the use of an Islander slur on the Mainlander is so good.

Just romantic tension all around... these lesbians can't just say "I like you" they have to pull some "Her voice was like a gentle breeze in my heart" and "Her Noh mask slipped slightly until all that was left was begrudging fondness"........

This chapter seems like a tipping point for both women as they become more comfortable with each other, but every time Chizuko opens her mouth I'm abruptly reminded of how deeply ingrained Japan's propaganda was to its citizens (including its critics). I also enjoy the angle the book uses in talking about the dangers of colonialism on the destruction of individual culture through Chizuru, who has witnessed cycles.

I told Elah this: "The most important part of the book to me is the way that they navigate their blossoming feelings, the inherent taboo of it, and how social norms/colonizer-colonized dynamics infiltrate into their daily interactions."

I like the symbolism of the Mainland Sakura being forcefully planted on the Island as a symbol of ownership and dominance.

I like the dichotomy of Chizuru also reducing Chizuko to just a Mainlander and automatically deferring to her; shows just how deeply ingrained the power dynamics are in both the superior/inferior position. I also enjoy how this chapter shows Chizuru opening up and seeing Chizuko as a person.

How much oppression can we put in Chizuru—familial bias, gender oppression, having to yield to your fianceé, and now having to be the interpreter of a Mainlander. Poor girl. Sometimes it feels like Chizuko is realizing that Chizuru is a flesh and body human just like her and not another islander.

There is an underlying horror in this slice-of-life culinary book that is most prominent in the interactions between Chizuko and Chizuru. Chizuru cannot put on airs because she's attending to a main-lander, she cannot be friends with Chizuko because that would imply being on equal footing. Chizuko wanting to try a Kyushu style bi-thai-bak disturbed me because it's an example of Japan appropriating Taiwan's culture.