Stereotypes, Soft Power & Tradition – on His Terms | Part 1: Identity in Layers
Gurtej's story begins in Vancouver, Canada, but his identity can't be pinned to a single place. It’s a blend – Punjabi at home, East Asian at school, Canadian/North American in media, and global in perspective. In a city known for its cultural diversity, his reflections offer a deeper look at what it means to live with multiple layers – some visible, others sensed only with time.
The Layers We Don’t See
If you ask Gurtej where he's from, the answer is straightforward: Vancouver, Canada. But what that means in his context is anything but simple.
Raised in Richmond, BC, Gurtej grew up in a predominantly East Asian environment while carrying the rhythms of a Punjabi home. His high school class had only a handful of South Asian students, so while his household was filled with a mix of Punjabi and Western food and language, his day-to-day interactions were shaped by a different cultural majority.
Even Canadian identity, he notes, is layered. "White society," as he describes it, was present in the broader societal norms, but didn't always align with his lived reality in Richmond. His formative influences ranged from watching late-night comedy as a child (Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Letterman) to decoding what it meant to be "Canadian" in a city that itself felt like a hybrid.
And then there’s the question of how specific to be. Gurtej sometimes says he’s Punjabi; other times, he opts for the broader “South Asian,” not out of convenience, but because the music he listens to, the food he enjoys, and the household rhythms he inherited span regional lines within India.
When Lunch Isn’t Just Lunch
As a kid, Gurtej rarely brought lunch to school. His mom, a single parent, was busy but cooked rich, flavorful Indian meals at home – meals that were best enjoyed fresh off the stove, not cold from a lunchbox. So instead, she sometimes packed simple, practical options like PB&J or roti that, once packed, would roll up and dry out. Over time, Gurtej saved up from his paper route and a soccer refereeing job to buy cafeteria meals instead. Even if the food wasn’t special, it gave him agency. He got to choose.
Looking back, he remembers being curious about the foods his East Asian peers brought. Some smelled amazing, some weird. Some got picked on for bringing fish. But food may not be just taste – it can be identity, comparison, and making it through the day in your own way.
Today, Gurtej still doesn't pack lunch. Not because he can't. Because there's something freeing about choosing what you eat.
Stereotypes and the Soft Power of Subversion [To be continued...]
