For a variety of reasons, there is this stereotype/factual belief that Asians are really into all things technological. I've been doing some surveying recently, and learned that there is one modern (not even that modern, really) advancement that Asian people have adamantly refused to embrace.The dishwasher.
The dishwasher in my parents' house has been broken for at least 17 years, yet not only do they not fix it, there's not even a moment's thought to fixing it. This despite the fact that my dad complains about doing dishes every single time he has to do the dishes, which in his case, is every day. The dishwasher serves only one function - to store dishes when there isn't enough space in the regular dishrack or in the cabinets.
I used to think this was just a quirk of my own parents, but I learned that Wendy, Julie, Richard and frankly dozens of my friends grew up the same way. As a result, a lot of us don't even know how to use the dishwasher. If you do use the dishwasher, you might be thinking, "What are you talking about that's so stupid. All you do is put the dishes in, put the detergent in, and then turn it on." 
And to that I really have no counter-argument other than to say, "Look, I don't know how to use a dishwasher." You might then say that is not a very intelligent response. I suppose you would be right.
And to that I really have no counter-argument other than to say, "Look, I don't know how to use a dishwasher." You might then say that is not a very intelligent response. I suppose you would be right.As an aside, my buddy Ido is from a very Jewish family, and also grew up under the same anti-dishwasher parental regime, and struggles with the dishwasher to this day. The more I learn about very Jewish families, the more I see commonalities with Asian families, but that's another topic for another time.
If you have experienced this anti-dishwasher mentality (or are even anti-dishwasher yourself) I'm curious as to why. Leave a comment explaining your theory. I would really like to understand this better.
15 comments:
one of your asian friends put liquid soap dish detergent in my dishwasher instead of dishwasher detergent. and broke my damn dishwasher.
you know who you are!
It's truly remarkable how much I've learned about asian culture over the last 18 months.
i don't like using my dishwasher. i have once put liquid soap dish detergent in my dishwasher and had bubbles flood my kitchen. for the 8 years my parents lived in a house with a dishwasher, they have never used it. why would i want to use the dishwasher if i have to rinse the dishes beforehand anyway? i can just spend 2 more seconds scrubbing each dish and place them on the drying rack.
i have recently started to use the dishwasher only because my non-east asian roommate does not know how to do dishes without a dishwasher.
so true about the dishwasher! we didn't use ours for the first fifteen years that we lived in our house. my mom complained that it was too old, made too much noise, didn't clean the dishes well, etc. then we got a high-tech dishwasher and experienced the heavenly release of not having to spend hours each week washing dishes. of course, my family is now ensconced in a rental home with - drumroll - an old dishwasher that my mom refuses to use. such is the circle of life.
The number of asian people who do not use the dishwasher is simply staggering.
My mother doesn't use the dishwasher either, despite having lived in the US for 9 years (nor do I for that matter). Not sure what my mom's logic is, but mine is because I don't think it gets the dishes completely clean...
my mom doesnt use the dishwasher either, i have no idea why. i like my dishwasher, even tho i live in a crappy apartment with a dishwasher that doesnt work or clean my dishes. i take out a plate, and it still has sauce on it, it just now has a nice addition of dried soap that didnt get washed off. yup.
my mom definitely uses the dishwasher. proudly, i add, and often accompanied by the comment, "see, we're not like those other chinese people! i don't understand them. they just use the dishwasher as a drying rack! it makes no sense." this is why i turned out white.
I only used the dishwasher when I lived with a white majority household.
Home - no
Black roommate for internship - no
White roommates at college - yes
White roommates at grad school - yes
Black roommate during work - no
With Asian fiancee - no
It just seems like I'm faster at washing them by hand.
we never had a dishwasher when i was growing up so i don't know how to use one either. i struggle loading the damn rack and never know where to put what where.
it's mind boggling.
sooo true. i now have my own dishwasher in chicago and i honestly didn't even think about using it until my white friends pointed it out to me. as a side note, one of the tenants at my parent's condo is chinese and she put liquid soap into the dishwasher and it overflowed and messed up the wood floors....
this past was hilariously true. bordering on a stuffwhitepeoplelike.com entry.
our household still use it as a drying rack! even after my parents acquiesced to the idea of showering in the morning!
i like the dishwasher because when you fit the multicolored pieces into all the spaces the right way, the lines disappear and the music speeds up. or maybe that's tetris...
almost as astounding as the number of asians who don't use the dishwasher is the number of asians who use the dishwasher to make bubbles and ruin floors.
i know i'm a little late in adding my two cents, but the dishwasher in my parents' house hasn't been opened since we moved in in 1986. for all i know, there are now seven generations of squirrels in there. we cover it up (literally) with a large sheet of paper, usually some poster-sized ad that comes in the sunday paper. when that gets too torn and grimy, it gets replaced. i bet my parents are wishing the dishwasher had come with a sticky plastic film, so they could keep it looking new forever (see Asian Adventures, Vol. IV).
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