How It All Goes Down
Part I: A Woman on the Street
- Jeannette Walls is sitting in a taxi thinking about her outfit when she notices her mom rooting through a dumpster. That's a total killjoy, so Jeannette decides to go home instead of to the party she was planning to attend.
- At home, Jeannette feels guilty because she has a home to go to. Her mother does not.
- However, Jeannette says she has tried to help Mom before, but Mom doesn't want her help.
- Still, Jeannette feels guilty, so she invites Mom to lunch at a Chinese restaurant.
- Mom dumps some duck sauce packets into her purse while waiting for her food. Hey, it's always important to have an emergency stash of duck sauce.
- Mom tells Jeannette that it's Jeannette's values that are screwed up. She lives a wasteful life in a fancy apartment.
- Mom isn't ashamed at all to be "recycling" (1.1.22) food from dumpsters.
- But Jeannette is still embarrassed. "What am I supposed to tell people about my parents?" (1.1.25), she asks.
- "Just tell the truth," Mom says. "That's simple enough" (1.1.26).
- And here comes the truth. Can you handle it?