There are hundreds of stories behind ramen noodles. A savory broth, flavorful meat, and a few toppings are basic components of a ramen dish and have evolved over time. Most history indicates ramen noodles were migrated to Japan via China. The Japanese adopted the dish in the 1920s and started calling it “Ra-men”, while the [...]
A year ago, Captain Lou and his volunteers stepped up to a call to save Little Saigon. Lou, who is retired and is now a hobbyist freelance videographer spent endless hours to meet with youths, elders, and city council members to help me to capture the history of the Little Saigon neighborhood. The City of [...]
On May 29th, R² productions invited Filipino artists, “Gloc-9” and “Pork Chop” to promote Seattle’s local Filipino group, “The Browned Out Band”. This was Gloc -9’s second visit to Seattle. His first time in Seattle was in October of 2009 when he performed with two famous Filipino bands, Parokya ni Edgar and Kamikazee. He also [...]
The year was 1979. Jimmy Carter was President, disco was king, and 29 year-old Alan Sugiyama established the Center for Career Alternatives (CCA). And now, after thirty-one years as the Executive Director and the public face of the CCA, Al Sugiyama has decided to step down. So why now? Sugiyama stated, “When I first started [...]
Good conversation with friends and family over tea and homemade food is a great way to find your appetite. Food is a huge part of Chinese culture. Today, many people can relate to the memory and simple pleasure of aromatic scents and smells when you enter your family’s home. Food in Chinese and Asian culture [...]
When news of the political unrest in Thailand hit the national airwaves this spring, the Seattle-Puget Sound Thai-American community reacted with dismay. Watching daily reports of rioting and arson attacks in Bangkok was especially difficult for Su Vathanaprida, a retired Seattle librarian. “My reaction to the turmoil was sadness,” she said. “Thailand is a democratic [...]
In April 2010, the state of Arizona enacted a piece of legislation that incited a firestorm of controversy that extended far beyond the borders of the state itself. Popularly known as SB 1070, this law was hailed by supporters as an important step towards addressing concerns over Arizona’s “porous borders,” while it was challenged by [...]
Understanding the life of international students have been neglected for a long time. In Scranton, Penn., several foreign-exchange students reported living in filthy homes, some of which were later condemned. Students were placed with ex-convicts and drug dealers. The employee who placed the students with their host families was sentenced to three months in jail. [...]
From July 20 – 26, the Wing Luke Museum will host an interstate trip that will explore Chinese American history first-hand as experienced by the pioneering Chinese immigrants in the American West. The time periods covered in the tour will span from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s. Starting in Seattle, where a pre-event dinner [...]
Some remember Seattle’s International Children’s Park with a wooden bridge that sat on a stampede of gigantic rocks. Some remember the park with the slender slide. And for others, the dragon sculpture that still remains, from Seattle’s local artist, Gerry/Gerard Tsutakawa. Over the last 30 years, the petite 0.2 acre landscape of the park has [...]
The skies are clear with a blue backdrop, vibrant wildlife is aroused, and the opulent sun is shining down – summer is here. Capitalizing on the radiant weather, APIs are spending less of their time in the city and more of it indulging in the outdoors. Taking his passion and directing it online, avid hiker [...]
Comedian Bobby Lee is lazy, lethargic and really bad at sex. Or so he claims. But yet he somehow still manages to make people laugh, whether it’s through his appearances in blockbuster hits such as “Harold and Kumar Goes to White Castle” or “Pineapple Express”. Even as a regular on MADtv, he intrigued audiences with [...]
Indie-rock singer-songwriter Thao Nguyen’s smoky voice, twirling dance moves, swift guitar licks, heartfelt and honest lyrics, and catchy melodies promise to entertain audiences, July 18, when she performs at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre with “The Get Down Stay Down”. The group will be sharing the bill with the folk-rock Avett Brothers. “I like Seattle a lot,” [...]
Au Revoir Taipei This schizophrenic rom-com-cum-thriller flaunts a tres chic Taipei but with a story stretched beyond believability. After being dumped for Paris by his girlfriend, a young man learns French at a bookstore where, implausibly, a pretty clerk obsesses over him. One night, they meet cute at a food court and youthful thugs—out to [...]
There is something daunting about a novel that strains your hand when you pick it up. Like picking up “War and Peace” for the first time and struggling through that first chapter. There is this pang in the back of your mind that teases, “You’ll never finish.” But there is also something exciting about a [...]
