Good Asian Mom? This Woman Is Denying Her Children Hamburger Helper
“I’ve come this far in America with zero help, why would I now suddenly need ‘hamburger help.’”
March 29, 2021
By: Julia Zhen
PHILADELPHIA – Mother of two, Kristen Zhao, is a Chinese-American mom just trying to do her best with her rambunctious kids, Lilly (10) and Calvin (12). While she always tries to feed them nutritious, authentic Chinese foods, she can’t always monitor what they do when they’re at school or friends’ houses, however, Kristen draws the line at ‘hamburger helper.’
“Whenever I cook dinner, I always tend to go with Chinese classic dishes I grew up with like eggplant with garlic sauce or stir fried tomato and egg,” explained Kristen, “These dishes all have a protein and veggie component, but when the kids came back from school one day asking for ‘hamburger helper’ I didn’t know how to react.”
Hamburger helper is a classic American, pre-packaged meal kit consisting of some kind of dried starch, usually pasta, with an assortment of seasoning packets. Despite common misconception, there is not any ‘hamburger’ or meat included in the package, because those are perishable.
“Why would I need any help?” questioned Zhao, “I’ve come this far in America with zero help, why would I now suddenly need ‘hamburger help.’ I go above and beyond for my children, and it’s like they don’t even recognize this.”
Fatima Anthony, Kristen Zhao’s neighbor, echoed similar sentiments.
“My children come home from ‘Derrick’s’ house and all of sudden he is clamoring for ‘hamburger helper’ – why? You already get helped and taken care of in this house. If you walk out the door under someone else’s supervisions, ok fine, you may need some help, you’re just a kid. You come into my house? I don’t need help because I’m busy helping you. I will not be patronized or mocked by ‘hamburger’ even if he is trying to help,” ranted Anthony.
“You shouldn’t even need ‘helper’ from me. You’re just getting the ‘hamburger.’ That’s how it should be. American parents coddle their children too much.”
Both Zhao and Anthony refused to purchase ‘hamburger helper’ for their children despite their insistence. They did, however, appease their children with other American delicacies including: Kraft Singles, Little Debbie Nutty Bars, and Trix Yogurt.
“I can only handle so much whining,” sighed Zhao.
