Campbells® Star Wars soup | New Kids

The tv was on in the background while I was doing dishes and the kids were playing with Viraj. All of a sudden, we heard a little kid speaking Hindi and everyone immediately froze and turned to the tv to see what was going on. The above commercial was playing and just as soon as we all realized what was happening, it was over. Just like that, 15 seconds and it was done.

We get a glimpse into a new immigrant’s experience of lunch time in a school where he doesn’t speak the language. Equally as important is the fact that the other child sitting across from Krish is also an immigrant and does not speak English. They bond over their shared love/language of Star Wars. The fact that it was Campbell’s soup doesn’t really  make sense because let’s face it, pasta in soup out of a can is a very American concept that newly immigrated families probably aren’t packing for their kids’ lunches.

Seeing this commercial made me feel hopeful for my kids, who though can speak English, have their own immigrant experience that they bring with them to the lunch table. We’ve come a long way from the days when my sister and I would bring Indian food to school for lunch and the white kids would make fun of us.

Visit Mum

I recently came across this sweet ad about a mother/son reuniting after years apart. It brings up feelings on the immigrant experience that I’ve heard echoed from my parents while I was growing up. The son describes his love for his native city of Mumbai or Bombay, which is also one of my favorite cities on earth. You can almost smell the delicious food the mother painstakingly makes for her son which she believes will be sent to him, courtesy of British Airways. I’m a sucker for emotional commercials featuring real people and this one even incorporates my other passion, the Indian diaspora! Enjoy.