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Christine Hà: The Blind Cook on Her Journey to Reclaim Herself
“If you can’t see how steep a mountain is, then you can’t fear it.” That is how Christine Hà, a then 33-year-old home cook with visual impairment, stepped into the U.S Master Chef’s legendary kitchen and mesmerized Gordran Ramsay with her Vietnamese comfort food - clay pot-style catfish. From that moment onward, I know I am watching the history of the culinary world in the making. I see a star is born.
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Lea Salonga: Pride of the Philippines
Multiple Tony award-winning actress and singer, Lea Salonga is the epitome of power, pure talent, and poise. A native of the Philippines, she was the first Asian woman to win a Tony Award (1991), the first Filipina to sign with an international record label (1993), and is one of the best-selling Filipino artists of all time.
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Tu Youyou: A Woman Scientist with a Vision for Traditional Chinese Medicine
Tu Youyou (屠呦呦) is a pharmaceutical chemist and malariologist from China. She managed to extract artemisinin, a drug vital in treating malaria in the 20th century. She was inspired by an ancient chinese medicine recipe for treating malaria and became the first person to properly extract the substance.
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The Legend of St. Valentine
Whenever I think of the month of February, the first thing that comes to mind is always the day of love, or what most people like to refer to as Valentine’s Day. It’s a holiday celebrated on the 14th of February where loved ones exchange greetings and gifts and show acts of affection, sentiment, and love.
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Filipino Palitaw
Living in a Filipino household, I’ve always learned the importance of family, and the countless experiences, traditions, and foods that defined our cultural identity. Every one of my New Year’s Eve consists of buying a variety of twelve fruits, roasting chestnuts, shaking coins in our pockets, and spending time with my family. These traditions and superstitions are necessary to follow in order for the family to have a life of good luck and prosperity.
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Younghoe Who?
Asian-American athletes are historically very rarely seen in western team sports. Taiwanese American Jeremy Lin was absolutely sensational in the NBA for a couple of months, and the phenomena known as “Linsanity” certainly took over the league by storm.
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Thanksgiving in Asia
Submitted by Julia Sayco The universalization of Thanksgiving- its origin, history, and traditions- yield a similar commonality to all: the expression of gratitude towards others and the appreciation of family, food, and life. Thanksgiving is generalized and seen by many as a day of “giving thanks” for the abundance of blessings and spiritual upbringings from the seasonal harvest. Despite the renown celebration of this holiday, Thanksgiving is not uniquely American. Many forget that on a global scale, the amount of festivities and events differ with each country. Asia, most especially, incorporates a mesh of cultural practices and customs that vary from the traditional U.S. Thanksgiving. The art of being…
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Family in an Asian Household
In Asian cultures, family is more than just kinship. It is spiritual - you practice it, embrace it, and make it a central part of your life.
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Embracing Culture at the Thanksgiving Table
One amazing thing about being a child of immigrants is the duality of cultures you grow up with.
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The Mooncake: the unexpected snack of revolution
Submitted by Grace Zhang One of the most beloved traditional pastries in East and Southeast Asia, mooncakes are often synonymous with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Celebrated on the full moon of the eighth lunar month, the festival is marked by family reunions, get-togethers with friends, and of course, lots of special foods. While people can usually identify this sweet delicacy with its intricate patterns and delicious lotus seed paste filling, many are not familiar with the centuries old history behind the mooncake. Here is the story of how one innocuous pastry played a pivotal role in the downfall of an entire dynasty. Like many Chinese customs, the origins of the mooncake…
