A few weeks ago, I finally began to watch the TV series – Fresh Off The Boat, a series I’ve been hearing about quite a few times. Actually, I’ve heard about the derogatory word FOB (short for fresh off the boat) before, used in a more Western context. If I’m not mistaken, it’s supposed to refer to immigrants who come to the West seeking a better future, and that these people usually come out of boats that transport people across great distances. It has been used mainly for Asians leaving their homes in search of a better life.

At first, I was a little hesitant to watch the TV series because it sounded a little off – title-wise, especially since I didn’t know at first that it was initially about a memoir that the title character – Eddie Huang, wrote about his childhood. But since watching it, I have grown to love the TV series in more ways than one.

I am not sure if it can be considered ironic that an overseas Chinese likes a TV series that’s mostly based on an American perception of what Asian-Americans had to endure living in a place where they were a minority, but many parts of the TV series related to me, as I’m sure it has related to countless overseas chinese here in the Philippines and around Asia, as well as abroad. Despite the fact that I’m not so fresh off the boat, and me and most of my “people” – that being overseas Chinese living in the Philippines, have been around for at 1 or 2 generations, some of the stereotypes in the show are not as prevalent but they’re something I think older generations would be able to relate to more.

Watching the episodes one after another, it was addicting to see this Taiwanese-American family trying to fit in to a community so far away from the Chinatown communities where most overseas Chinese flock to or surround themselves with.  Even if Chinese in the Philippines don’t all live in Chinatown areas, though it can be considered ironic as I still live in a community with many Chinese families and I did go to a Chinese school after all, it was fascinating to see all those little quirks that I’m sure overseas Chinese can relate to, if not in themselves at least in the generation of their parents or grandparents.

Watching Eddie and Constance Wu’s character, among other characters, it was a breath of fresh air to see how they were struggling and moving forward despite the stereotypes and criticisms enforced on them by societies that didn’t really understand Asian cultures and practices. Being a comedy, I found many hilarious moments watching the episodes that talked about Chinese habits like taking off your shoes, or bargaining for goods – something that by the way I am horrible at and should not be considered an obvious Chinese trait, and episodes that embedded a bit of Chinese dialogue into them.

In a few articles I read about how the real Eddie Huang reacted to the way his memoir was changed around to not reflect his real life, I am hoping that though it may not correctly tell HIS story, it will add a little bit more of truth and realism to Asian communities and their life in the West. The way it seems now, though it’s adding in a lot of things that overseas Chinese can definitely relate to, at times it feels like it’s being told from the perception of a Westerner about Chinese biases and how they feel Chinese and other Asian communities are living in the US, not so much from the perception of someone who has to grow up in that kind of culture and in that kind of community.

Looking forward to Season 2 and what it’s going to bring to the table though!