Tea with Milk

Bibliography:

Say, Allen. 1999. Tea with Milk. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN: 0395904951.

Summary:

Allen Say both writes and illustrates this picture book about a young Japanese-American woman who grew up near San Francisco but moved back to Japan with her parents after finishing high school. In Japan, May/Masako (American/Japanese) feels like a foreigner. She doesn’t speak the language well or understand the customs. All she wants to do is go to college and live on her own, but her parents want her to marry a good Japanese man. In frustration, Masako goes to Osaka to be in a big city again. She gets a job at a department store and lives in a boarding house. Then she meets a Japanese man who went to an English school and had English foster parents. May and Joseph have a lot in common, including a love for tea with milk. They get married and stay in Japan.

Analysis:

The end of the story reveals that the author is writing about his mother and father, and he says they always spoke both English and Japanese and had elements of both cultures in their home. The book is a wonderful portrayal of cultures coming together, and of home being where you make it. It is also a poignant story of not feeling at home in a country, even if you look like everyone else on the outside. Throughout the book, May/Masako goes by different names in different situations, but she really feels that her name is May. The interchanging of names reveals the identity problems that she faces, and so does the word “gaijin” (foreigner) that people unkindly call her.

The watercolor illustrations are mostly in subdued colors, except for a few bright dresses. Say shows facial expressions well; for more than half the book, May looks sad and stoic, but then she smiles when she gets to speak English for the first time in Japan. The illustrations are beautiful, and portray cultural details that really add to the story.

As May experiences Japan for the first time, the reader is also able to learn about the culture. The story references things such as young children learning English in school, tea ceremonies, calligraphy, matchmakers, cultural expectations for women, kimonos, and more.

Reviews/Awards:

“Say explores familiar themes of cultural connection and disconnection. He focuses on his mother Masako, or May, as she prefers to be called, who, after graduating from high school in California, unwillingly moves with her parents to their native Japan. She is homesick for her native country and misses American food…. The pages are filled with detailed drawings featuring Japanese architecture and clothing, and because of the artist's mastery at drawing figures, the people come to life as authentic and sympathetic characters. ” School Library Journal

“Declaring ‘I'd rather have a turtle than a husband,’ the independent-minded Masako heads for the city of Osaka and gets a job in a department store. With his characteristic subtlety, Say sets off his cultural metaphor from the very start, contrasting the green tea Masako has for breakfast in her home, with the ‘tea with milk and sugar’ she drinks at her friends' houses in America. Later, when she meets a young Japanese businessman who also prefers tea with milk and sugar to green tea, readers will know that she's met her match.” Publisher’s Weekly

Connections:
* Read another book about Allen Say’s family history: Grandfather’s Journey.