This was the day I drove with Khiem and Justin from Edmonton to Calgary, stopping at Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff.

Along the way, we talked about how beautiful the scenery was, with the mountains and the rivers and the lakes.  We had lots of fun conversations along the way.

But the most profound conversation to me was Justin's reply to me when I jokingly asked him if he knew he was a "Banana", a modern slang which describes an Asian Canadian, someone who is "yellow on the outside" but "white on the inside".  My seven-almost-eight-year-old son replied, "I'm not a banana because I don't peel off!"

Of course, Justin was only speaking innocently by his observation that unlike a banana, his skin does not peel off. 

However, to me, that simple, innocent statement is profound because it teaches us Asian Canadians so much, not so much about our physical characteristics as Asian Canadians, but more so about our thoughts of, attitudes toward and portrayal of ourselves.

If you were an Asian Canadian, would you peel off?

If we were able to peel off our skin through our thoughts and actions, it would mean that we could throw away the identity and culture that we inherited.  To me, that would be a great, great loss.

I can say with confidence, that I am not a banana because I too don't peel off!

by John E. Tran