Pete Wu’s book “De Bananengeneratie” takes readers on a journey through his personal experiences growing up as a Chinese-Dutch in the Netherlands. Pete was born and raised in the Netherlands, but his Chinese heritage often made him feel like an outsider. He struggled to find his identity as someone who was “Chinese on the outside, white on the inside”, i.e. like a “banana”.

Growing up, Pete felt resentment towards his Chineseness, and he struggled to reconcile his dual identity. Through his book, Pete seeks to answer the question of what it means to grow up as a Chinese-Dutch. He shares the details of his childhood and interviews many others who grew up with Chinese parents.

One aspect that Pete discusses in his book is the emotional distance he felt from his parents. The lack of a “talking” culture in China, combined with his parents’ long working hours and the language barrier, made it difficult for him to connect with them. He felt like he couldn’t fully express himself, and this led to a sense of distance in their relationship. This is a common experience for many children of immigrant parents, as cultural differences and language barriers can create challenges in communication and understanding.

One of the stories Pete shares in his book is about his father. He recalls his dad telling him, “I never say that I’m proud of you because I’m afraid that by doing so you will work less hard.” This statement highlights the cultural differences between Chinese and Dutch parenting, where the former tends to be more reserved in expressing emotions and praise.

Pete also discusses the cultural differences he experienced. In Chinese culture, you don’t open up in general, which made it challenging for him to express his feelings. Furthermore, he was constantly reminded that he was not considered Dutch enough. People would often ask him where he learned Dutch or if he knew kung fu, which were micro-aggressions that made him feel excluded.

Another thing that struck Pete while writing the book was realizing how much his parents had given up by coming to the Netherlands. They left behind their home and family in China to give their children a better life. This realization made him appreciate his heritage and identity more.

Throughout the book, Pete also discusses the representation of Chinese people on Dutch TV, which was often limited to stereotypical roles. He hopes that his book will help break down these stereotypes and encourage people to embrace their differences.

It’s quite an interesting read. As the son of Polish parents, I noticed some familiarities with Pete’s story, but my experience was completely different. My friends would sometimes joke about being Polish, but growing up I never felt treated differently (looking and sounding Dutch helps of course).

People often ask me if I feel more Polish or more Dutch, to which I usually answer that I feel neither. I wonder how Pete would feel if he grew up in an environment where looking Asian doesn’t receive special treatment. Growing up as a kid, it is important to belong to and feel accepted by your group. This I imagine is one of the root causes of his desire to be more Dutch and less Chinese. And now that he reconciled with his past, it seemed that he accepted being Chinese on the outside and Dutch on the inside, just like a banana. But does this mean he feels being Dutch, Chinese or both, Chinese-Dutch?