Best Quality

"The Worst Fukien Landlady"
(a.k.a. Best Quality)

3. What did the cat and the jade pendant symbolize? I couldn't understand the connection between their significance within the story and everything else that happened. When Suyuan said "Even you don't want them, you stuck," I interpreted that she meant heritage, even though she was talking about the neighbors. I loved the scene where Tan portrayed Jing-Mei poking her "pet" crab; her authentic descriptions made me picture myself in Jing-Mei's position, squatting on the kitchen floor, poking a crab who was clawing back at me. Gosh, such Chinese bickering/boasting! They remind me of my family gatherings! ;D Waverly is such a butt; why does she have to go making Jing-Mei feel bad like that? If you want to insult her, just do it! Why the heck does she have to be so sneaky about it too? I hate how Jing-Mei insults Waverly, only to have it backfired, then kiss up to Waverly all over again. OH; was the eleventh crab supposed to represent Jing-Mei: "... I was starting to flail, tossed without warning into deep water, drowning and desperate" (205), that how her best quality is being unique and caring from the others? Since Jing-Mei's family consisted of three people, when Suyuan died, one of the ingredients in the dish that Jing-Mei cooked for her father changed from the sauteed crab's soy sauce to the bean-curd's red chili sauce. Is this supposed to signify something? What was the importance of the number 3? It was mentioned a lot of times, from the number of main ingredients in the dishes to slapping the window to how long ago Suyuan died.

4. Suyuan doesn't eat the eleventh crab, afraid of possessing the bad luck. Even a beggar wouldn't want it, and their family was of a much higher position than a beggar, so why would they want it? This reflects Suyuan's pride in herself and her family that she eventually passes on to Jing-Mei. Know your self-worth and don't underestimate yourself.

5. I guess the main conflict is Jing-Mei against herself (internal: man vs. self). Throughout the whole chapter, she struggles to find her own self-worth, demeaning herself below all others, not knowing that she is of equal worth as them. When Suyuan finally presents the jade pendant to Jing-Mei, the conflict is resolved. She realizes how much she is worth to her mother, and to the world. The pendant shows her that she is the "best quality" there is and nobody else can be like her. She is a one-of-a-kind and she now knows that. Her life's importance is to keep living as herself, her true whole self, and nobody else.

6. The scene where Jing-Mei played with her "pet" crab reflected a frightening mood. Tan's word choice of: poked, jumped, claws, clear, dropped, cold, tall, dread, clatter, tap, hot, screaming, thrust, bright, red, bubbling... It really made me feel sorry for the poor crab and I almost shivered at the thought of dying in a slow, painful death like that.

Emily Huynh, Period 4