FOX+ presents Fresh Off The Boat. The show follows a Taiwanese immigrant family as the Huangs adjust into a new lifestyle in America.
Loosely based off the life of chef Eddie Huang, Fresh Off The Boat recounts his experience as his Taiwanese family moves from Chinatown, Washington,D.C. to Orlando, Florida. The family’s attempts to adjust to the changes in culture in school, work, and even around the neighborhood are at the heart of the story and have proven to be relevant telling of the immigrant experience.
Eddie Huang (played by Hudson Yang) travelled along with his mother, Jessica Huang (Constance Wu), his father, Louis Huang (Randall Park), his two brothers, and his grandmother. His father is determined to pursue in the American dream through his own business while his mother does her best to assimilate into this new world. The show, which is available on FOX+, has been praised for being humorous, thought provoking, and honest and has most especially been lauded for putting an Asian family at the center of a TV series. Critics have welcomed the show as a change of how Asian Americans are portrayed in media and as a start of more diverse and inclusive shows on television.
While the show portrays a Taiwanese immigrant family, many things from Asian culture that they display hark true and relevant for Asians across the world. Here are some things that Filipinos can relate to from Fresh Off The Boat.
1. Asian Parenting
Strict rules and high expectations — Filipinos are no strangers to these when it comes to their parents. Constance Wu’s character, Jessica, in particular flaunts all these all too familiar qualities. Her relationship with Eddie can make almost any Filipino nostalgic for how their parents dealt with them during their childhood.
2. “Your English is very good!”
It was a simple scene from the first season, but this a very common experience for Asians when meeting foreigners. Filipinos especially can relate to this because a lot of tourists don’t know that the Philippines is one of the top countries when it comes to overall English literacy.
3. Being resourceful and frugal
A common Asian stereotype is how well they can stretch a dollar or a peso, and Fresh Off The Boat does not shy away from displaying how the Huang family can be efficient and resourceful. From capitalizing on freebies at the grocery to shopping wisely, Filipinos can relate to making sure people are making sound financial decisions.
4. Superstitions everywhere
Filipinos can be very superstitious, especially the elders. The superstitions may vary between different Asian cultures, but any Filipino can relate to doing something odd even if they’re not sure exactly why — all they know is that it’s for good luck (or will keep the bad luck at bay.)
5. Work hard, love hard
Fresh Off The Boat puts a premium on showing how Louis works for his family, and how tough Jessica is on her boys. Filipinos can relate to their parents working hard all the time, almost maybe hardly being at home — and when they are home, they show the family some tough love. It can be a challenge, but at the end of the day, Filipinos will love their family no matter what.
