Traditionally, Twinkies are usually thought of as yellow sponge cakes filled with cream. A different image is conjured up for Chinese Americans. When Chinese Americans integrate so much with American culture that their Chinese culture is much less noticeable, they become known as “Twinkies”: yellow on the outside and white on the inside. In Amy Tan's essay “Mother Tongue” and Elizabeth Wong's essay “The Struggle to be an All-American Girl,” both girls are Chinese Americans trying to fit into American society while their Chinese mothers are very traditional at home . Tan and Wong try to please their image in America and their mothers at the same time. Although these essays are similar in that they focus on the native languages ​​used in America and the difficulties of being a Chinese American in America, they differ both in their attitudes toward their mothers and in their personal reflections on being Chinese American. An individual's background is where they come from and how they are raised. Tan is Chinese American. He has a traditional Chinese mother who speaks “broken” English. Tan says, “It always bothered me that I couldn't think of any other way to describe it other than 'broken,' as if it were damaged and needed to be repaired[. . .]” (Tan 43). Tan is an American student. As Tan listens to his mother use that type of dialect, his perception of his mother becomes deranged. Tan believed it “[. . .] reflected the quality of what [her mother] had to say” (Tan 43). For example, department store clerks, bank clerks, and restaurant workers will ignore his mother when they cannot understand her. Tan is a writer who loves the use of language. He says: “Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all, all the English people I grew up with” (Tan 41). He is able to adapt his dialect to his audience. With his mother he uses “broken” English; He uses correct English grammar with his colleagues. Similarly, Wong also grew up in America with a traditional Chinese mother. In contrast, Wong's upbringing involves her mother forcing her to attend two different schools. After American school, Wong continues with Chinese school to learn both cultures. His mother felt it was her duty “[. . .] learns the language of [his] heritage” (Wong 144). This places a burden on Wong as he begins to despise Chinese culture.