Seamless in Seattle

It almost seems too surreal to be true- I'm eating decadent dim sum, listening to the smooth Mandarin of my Beijing-born table companion telling me about his ten years of living in Europe.  The odd thing about this interaction, is that I could be having this conversation on just about every continent on earth, from Africa to Australia, but here I am, at Seattle's Jade Garden Restaurant.

Globalization isn't a new concept, nor is it noncontroversial.  It seems rare to find something completely American, but that sentiment could be more a function of the way we define American than a reflection of reality. 

In a sense, Seattle's impressive International District, also known as its Chinatown, seems to be more "Asia" than "typical United States." 

The vast Kobe Terrace and Danny Woo Garden display an impressive array of flowers and vegetables, where many urban-dwellers have their own piece of land.  From the bustling Uwajimaya Village to the myriad of smaller shops selling everything from Asian antiques and furniture, to children's clothing, the area has a distinct Asian flavor. 

On the other hand, a distinct Asian flavor wouldn't necessarily clash with a distinct American flavor.  When you look a little closer, the area is just as authentically American as it is authentically Asian.  

For instance, how would you properly classify "Gossip Espresso and Tea," a coffeeshop/teahouse serving an Asian-fusion of beverages?  There's the Italian espresso, with coffee beans probably coming from Central America, with a wide array of pearl milk tea, which is extremely popular throughout Asia.  In one small location, you can almost cover the world. 

This sentiment is probably even more pronounced in Seattle's nearby Pike Place market.  Vendors offer an array of goods spanning the globe to an equally international audience.  Even something as simple as a cup of coffee could come in several varieties in less than a block.  You could have baklava with your Turkish coffee, a croissant with a cappuccino at a French bakery, or a plethora or Starbucks paraphernalia at its original store.

The beauty of the market place is that even though each shop retains a specific cultural and commercial identity, collectively they're all part of the same neighborhood.  Each respective culture flows seamlessly together, adding its own flavor to the mix, while retaining its distinctive characteristics. 

In today's intensely political climate, it seems that much of the media coverage tends to exaggerate these distinctions, or at the very least, categorizes issues as they see fit.  It's much easier to separate blue state voters from those in red states, than to look at an expanse of purple.  In the same way, in conversations of international policy, it can be simpler to view the U.S. interests as distinct from those of the world, rather than part of the whole.