Answer: Amy Tan uses imagery to show that she is concerned that Robert and his family will not like her family's meal and that Robert will not like her. Tan describes all the food using negative descriptions, such as "black veins," "rubbery white," and "dried fungus" to describe the food. She is saying bad things about the food, but really these are her favorite foods. This shows that she is pretending not to like her cultural foods, because she is worried they are too different for Robert.
Amy uses imagery to show her feelings because her family is embarrassing her in front of someone she likes. She describes how they are doing it, as imagery.
