self indulgent post #1

(pictured: photo of some far away family in a galaxy far far away and the artist's rendition of the happy couple that started it all.)
the process of writing for 'yellowpages' has eventually brought me to the topic of family heritage. this word came up in my ESL class (this superhappy yellow kid's day job), and i was asked to explain in a clear, concise way. 'impossible,' i responded, 'look it up in your dictionary!'

questions for thought...

1. is it your family? - so, if you were born into a long line of chicken farmers, are you destined to be chasing poultry?
2. is it the culture of a (now) not-so-far off nation and highly influential trading partner? - what if you don't really speak chinese? how can i connect to my heritage if i only know that Kungpo Palace's ribs are more flavorful and CHEAPER than Chairman Mao's BBQ's?