As is, the can is clearly labelled "Food."

And the answer to the question, "What *kind* of food?" is clearly
stated. "Dog."

So Tam and Tien hadn't been dining well on tasty, high quality
American dog. They'd been heating and eating cans of dog food.
Recipe brand, chunks of meat in a mildly seasoned brown sauce.
Garnished on top with chopped scallions.

My godbrother wasted no time in trying to clarify this misunder-
standing for Tam and explain what had been in the can, but even as
he spoke Tam continued eating from the bowl of Recipe brand dog
food.

Tam asked my godbrother, if the meat was not dog, what was it?

That required translation of the ingredients listed on the label. It
was some type of meat, some type of "meat by-product," and that
phrase alone required about 10 minutes of dictionary work to
identify and explain. Tam eating and enjoying the dog food the
entire time. The ingredients also included water and salt, some
kind of grain or starch, and other things that also are always put
in people food. By that I mean, "food for people."

My godbrother finally asked Tam to please stop eating the dog food.
There didn't appear to be anything bad or unhealthy among the
ingredients, and not being familiar with the concept of canned "dog
food," Tam wasn't convinced that the brown meat was not "real" food.
It seemed too tasty to be something that Americans only gave to dogs
and never ate themselves. Why wouldn't Americans eat something that
good??

The issue that finally persuaded Tam that he should not buy or eat
any more cans of "dog food" was not its taste, texture, ingredients,
or intended purpose. None of those bothered Tam. What persuaded him
was my godbrother's explanation that if anyone ever found out that
Tam and Tien were eating "dog food," it would reflect badly on their
Si Phu. People would say he had neglected them, failed to teach
them, or was leaving them in such poverty that they had to eat food
for dogs. Tam would never bring such shame on his Si Phu, so he
agreed. No more "dog food," no matter how good it was.

Tam knows this story has been told, countless times, and to people
who have never heard of him and who won't ever know him. He has
become used to it. He smiles a bit when someone starts retelling
this story again. Others may smile because it is a funny story, but
Tam smiles because he knows the rest of us have all made even
more spectacular blunders and misunderstandings. He always looks
like a man who is simply waiting his turn to say something."


Cheers

Jim


... Snow White made a pie from that apple and all the dwarves died.

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