In elementary school, I would always bring the Japanese lunch boxes (bento boxes) filled with home-made Japanese food my mom would always make me. I’d always felt a bit awkward and wasn’t really open to showing it to people, but one day, in 5th grade, my worst nightmare became reality. I was as usual, eating my bento sort-of secretively, and this day, I had Japanese curry. This is when my classmate walks by, stops to stare, and publicly shouts out, “ew, what are you eating?” My stomach dropped. I felt stuck, unsure what to say, how to react, and rather than anger, I felt sadness and a sense of shame. I was lucky enough for one of my close friends to clap back at him, but after that, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of embarrassment whenever I opened my bento box. I considered requesting to bring sandwiches and non-foreign looking menus, but I felt too bad for my mom who had always woken up early in the morning to make these lunches for me. I remember going as far as to throwing my lunch in the trash really fast in the cafeteria, and when I did eat it, covering my lunch with both my arms and eating it so fast I would get a stomach ache every time. The interaction with the classmate may have left a negative impact on me, but I can say it has done some good too, in the sense that I eventually came to the realization that it was simply because he was uneducated. Of course, that doesn’t excuse his behavior, even if he didn’t have malicious intent behind it. But I do now see the importance of first, approaching their differences with respect, compassion, and curiosity, even if you don’t agree or truly understand someone’s background or culture.