Stuff Asian People Like

You’ve just been invited to eat by your best Asian friend and their family. You all enter a wonderful smelling restaurant I will stereotypically call, “Seafood Paradise.” Everyone orders, and you wait for your food to arrive. You expect your own plate. You expect your own food. Instead, the waiter brings all the food to the center of the table..

…What now?

It has certainly been a very long time since our last post (due to increasing workloads at school and a very busy summer). It was always in the back of my mind, though. Yesterday (finally), I was browsing through our giant list of submissions and came across Jackie Smith, who suggested “Putting Food On Other Peoples’ Plates.” This is something I have witnessed throughout my entire life; first as a child (receiving food) and as a much larger child in college (receiving and giving food).

DISCLAIMER: I have never particularly enjoyed the etiquette due to hygienic concerns, but it does make my life much easier as an avid food taster. You will also not find this food etiquette in all parts of Asia.

First things first– there are a few things everyone should know about eating with Asians:

• Like with other cultures, playing with cutlery (in our case, chopsticks) is very inappropriate. Playing with food is also frowned upon.
• Piercing food with chopsticks is okay if it is big and difficult to handle (fishballs).
• Leaving one’s chopsticks standing straight up in their bowl is very disrespectful (and might even resemble deceased family members) due to likeness to incense

After these ground rules, the rest are purely regional and ethnic. Take China and Vietnam, where it is very common to hold bowls and plates up to ones’ mouth and push food directly in. It is also acceptable to put food onto other peoples’ plates as long as they are close friends or family. If your Asian friends have bad chopstick handling skills, it will reflect badly on their parents (who should have taught them how to use them correctly in the first place). Don’t forget to let elders eat first!

In Hong Kong, the oldest family member picks up their chopsticks first. Putting chopsticks at the top of one’s bowl means, “I’m full,” while crossed chopsticks on top means, “I’m taking a breather.” In Taiwan, passing food between chopsticks is bad. Koreans may seem the most backwards because it is “ill-mannered” to eat rice with chopsticks (go figure…).

On the other hand, people in India, Indonesia, and Malaysia use their hands to eat. If you’re having trouble using utensils (or none at all in some cases), you can just ask the waiter for your utensil of choice– chances are they are more than willing to accommodate foreigners. Communal serving chopsticks are also accepted (and available) in most restaurants.

For more information, you can check out:
Learn Thai Culture
Asian Eating Etiquette

We hope this helps, Jackie!

That’s it for the first installment of SAPL in quite a long time. Thank you Jackie, and thank you all for your patience. Posts are coming bi or tri-weekly, so remember to come back often and share all the Asian goodness with your friends.

-Peter.

Albert Chan’s latest project, Descendants of the Past, Ancestors of the Future, chronicles the circumstances which led to his father and mother’s immigrations from San Francisco to America. In conjunction, he is also launching a fundraising campaign for his website and film at http://descendantsofthepast.com.

It’s sure to be good, as his previous movie, Fate Scores, garnered the Rising Star award and numerous accolades from the Canadian film board.

“The story is one that’s very close to my heart,” Chan reveals. “Based on the circumstances a half century ago which led my grandfather, Art Kem Lee, to immigrate to San Francisco while my mother, Betty Chan, immigrated to Toronto, the story is told in the present day from the point of view of an expectant father who desperately needs to find out how his mother and her own father could have lived apart for most of their lives. DESCENDANTS OF THE PAST, ANCESTORS OF THE FUTURE is a universal story about the sacrifices families make, and the powerful bond that ties all generations of a family together – living, deceased, and yet to come.”

The project will be beautifully shot on 35mm film by Emmy-nominated cinematographer Cira Felina Bolla. “Cira’s words to me was that she was ‘completely blown away’ with the beauty of the script,” Chan recalls. “She’s one the few female cinematographers around, so she brings a different interpretation and sensitivity to her work.” Chan’s goal is to raise $25,000, which will cover the costs of shooting on 35mm film.

The music composer will be Ryan Leach, a graduate of Berklee College of Music. “Ryan’s so incredibly talented as well,” Chan raves. “His diverse musical background makes him a master at blending different styles and genres. I’m really looking forward to hearing how he’ll blend western and eastern styles for our film.”

The project also reunites much of the team from Chan’s previous film, FATE SCORES, including editor/producer Aaron Howland, actor/producer Brian D. Evans, and assistant director/producer Richard Possemato. FATE SCORES won an award from the National Film Board of Canada, was acquired for distribution by Moving Images Distribution, and screened at major festivals across North America including the Boston International Film Festival, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Asian American International Film Festival (NYC), Sedona International Film Festival, Memphis International Film Festival, Wisconsin Film Festival, and Connecticut Film Festival.

Collectively, the team has worked on such projects as THE DARK KNIGHT, GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST, COLD CASE, HOUSE MD, LAW & ORDER SVU, BEE MOVIE, THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, BODY OF PROOF, EVERY DAY, UNDERDOG, and BROTHERHOOD.

As part of an underrepresented ethnic minority in film and TV, Chan wanted to tell a meaningful story from his own unique cultural perspective as a Chinese American. Chan hopes to connect the finished film with audiences at international film festivals, immigrant advocacy groups, educational institutions, Asian community groups, Asian youth groups, broadcast television, socially conscious artistic groups, and Asian historical organizations.

“I really hope the film resonates strongly with immigrants like my mother and grandfather who had the bravery and foresight to forge a better future for successive generations, as well as with the children of immigrants like myself, who often struggle with issues of cultural identity and their sense of belonging,” Chan says. “Hopefully, they’ll understand the incredible strength of kinship, which can span generations and continents.”

DESCENDANTS OF THE PAST, ANCESTORS OF THE FUTURE is produced by Chanal Productions LLC (http://chanalproductions.com).

If you’ve checked the sports reports lately, one name has graced the headlines time and time again. Jeremy Lin, a basketball prospect from Palo Alto, CA has shown that he has what it takes to hang with the likes of John Wall (even besting him in their head-to-head matchup at the Vegas Summer League).

Did we mention his 4.2 High School GPA and economics degree while attending Harvard University?

He’s truly a testament to the evolution of Asian-Americans. Hopefully, has can help usher in an age where the size of one’s eyes has nothing to do with the size of one’s heart.

Here are some video clips about Jeremy that should get you thinking–

Show some support for Jeremy on the world’s most trusted Asian blog (google doesn’t lie). You can also read our post on #11 Basketball. Since his family lives a couple of minutes from SAPL headquarters, we shouldn’t have any trouble delivering the messages to him.

New York (June 14, 2010) — Asian CineVision (ACV) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO) have announced a special presentation on New Taiwanese Cinema. The program will be presented during the 33rd Asian American International Film Festival from July 15 through July 24, 2010 throughout various venues in New York City.

This unique showcase consists of four feature length films and two short film programs that bring together the works of Taiwan’s new generation of filmmakers. TECO continues its commitment to promoting cross-cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the United States by joining ACV in presenting a program that highlights Taiwan’s burgeoning independent film community.

“The New Taiwanese Cinema program marks the first collaboration between TECO and the ACV,” says TECO Press Division Director Tony Ong, who explains that the event is a wonderful opportunity to introduce the creativity and distinctiveness of Taiwan’s emerging directors to an American audience. Says Ong, “These works demonstrate how films from Taiwan are gradually finding international appeal while maintaining their unique Taiwanese characteristics.” The film industry is one of the “six key industries” the Taiwanese government hopes to develop for future growth. Director Ong notes, “We see film as a sort of cultural ambassador for Taiwan, an important aspect of our culture that we wish to fully appreciate and develop further.”

TECO and ACV will jointly present a pre-festival press conference at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. Filmmakers and talent participating in the New Taiwanese Cinema program will be in attendance. ”It’s a privilege and a pleasure to collaborate with TECO in presenting a program that represents the diversity and breadth of contemporary Taiwanese cinema,” says Martha Tien, Program Manager of the AAIFF10. The feature film line up includes Taiwanese-American director Arvin Chen’s feature film debut Au Revoir Taipei, Swedish-Taiwanese director Håkon Liu’s first feature length film Miss Kicki, Cheng Yu Chieh’s sophomore feature film Yang Yang, and Cho Li’s first feature length film Zoom Hunting. All four features will be making their New York Premieres, with Zoom Hunting making its U.S. premiere. All directors will compete for the AAIFF10 Emerging Director, Narrative Feature Award.

“Taiwanese cinema is experiencing a resurgence of sorts,” explains ACV Acting Director John Woo. “The New Taiwanese Cinema program celebrates this renaissance including works by diasporic Taiwanese filmmakers. We want to show that Taiwan’s cinematic influence is truly global.” Arvin Chen’s Au Revoir Taipei has been selected to be the AAIFF10’s Centerpiece Presentation and will screen on July 17 at 9:00 pm at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema. Cho Li will make an appearance after her respective screening for a Q+A session. Additionally, a special reception will be co-hosted by ACV and TECO in honor of the filmmakers and their works.

In addition to these four features, New Taiwanese Cinema will include two shorts programs consisting of a total of 12 films. Taipei 24H invites eight filmmakers to lend their distinct styles to create a filmic portrait of Taiwan’s capital city. This special program, partitioned off into eight time frames, shows what events unfold throughout the course of the day. Eye on Taiwan, meanwhile, offers four films that each speak to the social and cultural issues that are impacting contemporary Taiwan. The New Taiwanese Cinema shorts programs will screen at the Chelsea Clearview Cinema throughout the course of the festival.

About AAIFF
The Asian American International Film Festival is the first and longest running festival in the country devoted to showcasing films created by media artists of Asian descent and about the Asian community. Founded in 1978, AAIFF harbors a unique curatorial vision. More than an expression of collective identity, the festival is anchored by the distinct contributions of its members. It is a platform for filmmakers of all backgrounds to develop the constructs of Asian cinema and cultivate the next generation of talent. 33 years after its inception, AAIFF continues to be a leading showcase for Asian American film and video, placing a substantial focus on local and independent works and working to enrich New York’s Asian cultural community.

About ACV
Asian CineVision, Inc is a not-for-profit national media arts organization dedicated to the development, promotion and preservation of film and video arts by and about people of Asian descent. Founded in 1976 ACV began as a social service media activist organization in New York City’s Chinatown. The organization continues to serve the Asian American community by presenting, promoting and preserving the works of Asian and Asian American mediamakers, and providing a window to the diverse experiences and livelihoods of the Asian diaspora.

About TECO
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York (TECO) acts as the de facto consulate for the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the Tri-State Area and Pennsylvania. Its primary mission is to serve as a bridge between Taiwan and the peoples of the region, working towards economic, political, and cultural partnership. In so doing, TECO reaches out to leading organizations to create occasions for cross-cultural exchange, and to introduce the diversity and vibrancy of modern Taiwan to Americans.