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“I Love You” in a Language My Parents Could Speak
Written by Jodie Li “I love you.” Three words that, for many Asian Americans, aren’t a daily reassurance but almost a shock to hear. If I heard those words from my parents, I’d honestly be worried something bad had happened. But not hearing “I love you” doesn’t mean love isn’t there. Many Asian immigrants grew up in cultures where words of affirmation weren’t the norm. Love was shown, not said. It’s like speaking different languages; you wouldn’t expect someone to understand you if you only spoke yours and never tried to learn theirs. The same goes for love. I’ve learned to listen for “I love you” in the language my…
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A Reflection On Asian Americans’ Political Resistance
Written by Paulina Tep When I started my freshman year at UD in Fall ‘24, I was beyond excited to join the APIDA (Asian Pacific Islander Desi American) community here. Planning for college in high school, I was eager to finally escape the predominantly white community I was surrounded by. Despite UD’s PWI status, I knew that anyone of any background could find community here. So when it came time for the Involvement Fair, I ran to all of the Asian RSOs I could find. Since then, participating in these RSOs has been an amazing experience for me – the clubs are phenomenal at cultivating fun and cultural events. While…
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The ABG: A Label Built On Struggle
Written by Paulina Tep When you hear the term “ABG,” you think of the Asian Baby Girl: she’s got bleached hair, wears heavy lashes, is obsessed with raves, and is a certified bobaholic. The ABG is the antithesis of Western society’s expectations of women: bold and sexy, not passive and dainty. While this is the widely accepted definition of an ABG, I have noticed a shift in how it is presented in recent years. Several other youth subcultures of the past decades have transitioned into a social media “aesthetic,” including the ABG. The ABG style is about visuals now and not culture. My observation is that while the standard ABG…
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Lunar New Year, Lunar Nostalgia: How My Family Celebrates
Written by Will Chen Lunar New Year is one of my favorite holidays because its themes center on renewal, family, fortune, and prosperity. Each year, my family hosts a gathering and prepares a wide variety of Chinese dishes for everyone to enjoy. Cousins, aunts, and uncles come together to catch up and share updates about their lives. This sense of connection and togetherness is what makes me look forward to Lunar New Year each year. Traditional Lunar New Year Foods: One of my favorite dishes that my parents prepare each year is Cantonese-style ginger scallion lobster. This dish highlights the natural sweetness of lobster, enhanced by ginger and scallions that…
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How the Holidays Have Changed
Written by Mark Arranguez Each year, as the Christmas season approaches, my family would set aside a weekend to bring decorations down from the attic, adorn our tree, and fill each room with red, green, and gold. Over time, however, the help behind that tradition has dwindled. Early on, my dad limited himself to only the heavy lifting due to a “lack of creative vision.” In 2018, my brother began college, and the decorating fell to my mom and me. Then, when I began college in 2022, decorating became a chore to have to squeeze into Thanksgiving Break. As my on-campus responsibilities grew, I began to wish that when I…
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Asian Holiday Delicacies
Written by Asmi Chinauriya Asia is full of a mix of religions, and on top of that, there is the mix of holidays that have been practiced in Asian culture for centuries. So, how exactly do they celebrate their holidays? They will often agree on a celebration that can be agreed upon by anyone: food. Something that often comes as a surprise to many is that in Japan, the people celebrate Christmas with boatloads of KFC. Though I could not tell you how exactly this tradition started, I think it should be practiced more outside of Japan as well. It is also worth noting that during Christmas time, most of…
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Chocolate Meat
Written by Micah Dulos Standing on my tippy toes, I’d stand near my mom as her arm stirred a wooden spoon back and forth. Seven-year-old me was always piqued in interest by her cooking, at the time believing it was pure magic—like how Santa Claus always found a way into our house to eat our cookies from time to time. She would smile and tip the pot just a bit to show me. It was an opaque, brown—almost black—sauce that covered small bits of what looked to be meat. Its aroma—a warming, musky scent with hints of vinegar and slow-cooked pork—filled the air. It wasn’t a sour and almost spicy…
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Silent Thanks: Unspoken Ways Asian Families Show Appreciation
Written by Asmi Chinauriya Asian households are known to be strict, and the children are known to be disciplined from a young age. Many Asian children don’t learn to show their appreciation for things from a young age because they never had anyone to teach them. Though the parents do a wonderful job teaching their children how to respect others and how to act in public, they often forget to teach them how to show their appreciation. Does this mean that no one in an Asian household shows appreciation? Absolutely not. It means that it just may not be in the way that many people around the world are used…
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Passing the Torch: Family Traditions I Continue to Uphold
Written by Francesca Tero My family has been at the heart of my earliest memories, shaping the traditions that have formed my strongest opinions and values. Every June during my most formative years, I would stand on stage to perform at an annual vocal recital in front of my entire community. This included my peers, teachers, various members of the church at which the recitals were always held, but most importantly, my parents, sister, cousins, Ninongs, and Ninangs, occupying a row of their own. Out of all of the people in the crowd, this was the only row whose eyes made me nervous. I remember also feeling shy at the…
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The Taste of Gratitude
Written by Hannah Sazon As the season of thanks rolls around, I’ve been thinking about how food plays such a big role in our cultures. It’s one of the first ways we learn love and care, even before realizing it. In my own life, gratitude has always shown up through the dishes that remind me of the people who raised me and the memories that come with them. It doesn’t always have to be an extravagant meal; what matters is the comfort and memories tied to it. Here are a few examples of what make up the taste of gratitude in my life. 1. Filipino Red Hot Dogs with Cheese…
