In my kitchen in the heart of Silicon Valley, I try to recreate the flavors of home. I simply call this “khaana” or food, while my equally Indian husband, having grown up in the Middle East and Canada, calls it “Indian food.” I make rotis  (Indian bread) to accompany the curries, dals and vegetable side dishes that I whip up.  […]

In her endlessly instructive book Introvert Power, psychologist Laurie Helgoe talks about the differences between cultures that value deference and those that do not. She says: “In America, deference is a very unpopular notion. Why would you put yourself “one down” when the whole point is to move up? Why would you back off when you are supposed to get ahead?” […]

In the Milpitas library, I meet Jennifer every Thursday and Friday and we go through our English lessons. I have been teaching her for more than a year now as part of the library’s volunteer tutor program. This time, we’ve picked up a book on inter-cultural communication and the chapter talks about the importance of self-disclosure when you talk to a person of a different culture.That strikes me as important. Here, in the Bay area, cultures collide and sometimes interact in wonderful ways. Talking directly about what you think and revealing who you are becomes important because people can have preconceived notions based on your ethnic identity. […]