Why Sour Sweet?

The novel that we are reading is titled Sour Sweet. But why? Why did Timothy Mo title this book Sour Sweet? I think that Timothy Mo titled this novel Sour Sweet because he wanted to represent Sweet and Sour which is a cooking methods originated from China, so he wanted to represent food since it is a main part of the book.  Also, I feel like Sour Sweet can also have to do with something being good, but at the same time it being bad. You get a little bit of both and just have to role with the punches. I feel like it is similar in the book when the characters go through times that are sour or rough, but also sweet and nice.

A Thought Provoking Question

In this book it shows an interesting bond between two sisters, Lily and Mui. Last class we discussed how Mui has a power over Lily because Mui is more immersed in Western culture now and has adapted faster. Mui found a new found skill and Lily was jealous and it would be catastrophic if Mui was better than Lily in something.

Even though Lily is older than Mui, she always seems to want to be better at things than Mui. Why do you think Lily is like that? Is it just her personality or is she hiding a fear that we can not see yet? Do you think that Lily has a harder time adapting to Western culture and is jealous of Mui that she can?