ABSTRACT
In 1940, Lily Tanaka, a 15-year-old Japanese American girl, poked fun at the contours of “A Modern Romance” in a breezy poem:
He tooted the horn And he did shout “Hurry!” and Alice Did run out. She jumped in the car And slammed the door shut The engine lurched forward With a loud sput, sput. They went to a movie Then for a ride, They parked, and he said, “Please be my bride.” She said “Yes!” Followed by a kiss The moon was shining And oh what bliss! . . . 1
By the eve of World War II, many urban Nisei (second-generation) women and men were enjoying mainstream practices of dating and courtship that differed dramatically from the arranged matches of their immigrant parents.
The “date,” as described by Lily Tanaka, had become a familiar scenario for city youth who were more likely than their rural peers to have leisure time and parental sanction for such activities.
