Tremblaye’s Weblog

“Don’t Surf is full,the food California-inflected Vietnamese fusion with more than the usual leavening of colonial Frenchness. The white walls are decorated with enormous prints of close-ups black and white photographs of ‘Nam-era lighters,engraved with crudely drawn American military symbols,still cruder sexual motifs and stenciled slogans” (Gibson 14).

California-inflected- When i think of something that is California-inflected, I automatically think that it is going to be laid back and very relaxed. I think of a place that is relaxed and not a formal dinning restaurant. When thinking California I can only think of fun in the sun but when it comes to cooking I have no idea. Does California have their own type of cooking? If she is talking about how the restaurant style i, like the relaxed atmosphere than I get the word but if not then I am lost. I can not think of one type of meal that is originally Californian.

Vietnamese- When I think of Vietnamese I think of the war and all of the times that I had to study the Vietnam war. I do not think of food but only the war. I think of the protests that occurred to end the war and all of the hippies that just wanted peace. I also think of the movie I watched about the Vietnam War, Apocalypse Now which dealt with American soldiers in Vietnam. I also associate Vietnamese with a town near by me which has a lot of Vietnamese immigrants.

Black and White photographs- I think of artsy pictures of views from windows and sunflowers. I think of ordinary objects that look beautiful when the pictures are put into black and white. I do not think that taking black and white photos is very hard because it makes anything look pretty. I have discovered this when using my camera or using the camera on my computer.

‘Nam era- The ‘Nam-era brings up a lot of the same things that the word Vietnamese does. This is sad that an entire race in my mind is associated with a war but its the truth. When thinking of ‘Nam-era i think of the draft and how many young American males fled to Canada to avoid the war. I also, think of Agent Orange and the affects this had on American soldiers but also the Vietnamese people. The word ‘Nam-era brings up a lot of history that I have learned in school.

Lighters- When I think of lighters I obviously think cigarettes and cigars. I think of them as a needed tool in order to smoke. I also think about fires and having campfires in the summertime. Lighters bring a positive connotation, summer camp fires, but also a negative connotation, the addictive habit of smoking. The word lighters bring a whole set of preconceived ideas. I also think that the only people that carry lighters are smokers and it would be very strange for a non-smoker to be carrying one around.

American military symbols- I associate this with a sense of national pride. I think that these appear on army uniforms but also on people’s bumper stickers and clothing. People are usually proud to have served or have a child serve this country. I always think of a flag or the symbol being very large but usually in flag form. This flag is waving as the wind blows upon it and I picture it to be a great symbol for this country.

I think in order to understand one of the terms in the passage another term must be there.

Black and White+ Photographs Lighters- I think that this restaurant is trying to portray a upscaled feel with black and white photographs. But the photographs are of lighters from the Vietnam War. This is not the usual art that hangs from the normal traditional place. I think that the photographs of the lighters are suppose to show how the restaurant is a trendy place that pushes the limits. It makes one challenge what is art and it makes me feel like it is one of those seek places in California.

California-inflected+Vietnamese- This is another set of words that makes me feel like this is a trendy place. The new trend is fusion food, when they take old school cuisine and give it a new edge. This makes me feel like famous people would go to this restaurant and eat.