Sharkbites Newsletter

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JULY 26, 2022


Hello, everyone!

Panda Express has donated $1 million to
The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) for its work in changing the narrative about AAPI history and experiences through arts, media and film investments.

Through those investments, TAAF was able to diversify positive stories about AAPI narratives and dispel inaccuracies about our communities. As TAAF’s first AAPI Giving Partner, Panda Express continues to be an AAPI-owned company committed to supporting and achieving a permanent and irrevocable sense of belonging for the AAPI community.

As part of their programming to amplify representation in entertainment, TAAF will co-host an event on Tuesday evening, July 26, 2022 to celebrate AAPI stories and storytelling at the 2st Annual Rise for Comedy showcase in collaboration with Universal Pictures and Rideback Rise – a non-profit creative hub and content accelerator empowering the next generation of BIPOC Hollywood leaders founded by producer, Dan Lin.

The evening will consist of a panel discussion with opening remarks and closing remarks by TAAF’s CEO Norman Chen and Chief Brand Officer at Panda Restaurant Group Andrea Cherng, respectively. The panel will feature Lisa Ling, Executive Producer & Host, This is Life on CNN; Lorraine Ali, Television Critic for the LA Times; and Jaqueline Kim, Talent Agent, United Talent Agency, and will be moderated by Kathy Im, Director of Media & Journalism at the MacArthur Foundation.

The Showcase will also be accompanied by a comedy program featuring Jo Koy to celebrate the upcoming release of “Easter Sunday,”  a film starring the comedian that was written and directed by AAPI creatives based on his comedy and life experiences.

Spotlight

Today’s spotlight is Iranian American chef Fares Kargar, who is bringing Persian food to Atlanta’s food scene.

After gaining experience in both the kitchen and the administrative side of restaurant work,
Kargar opened Delbar to create a new narrative for Persian and West Asian cuisine in Atlanta. Continuing to advocate for authentic foods and new presentations, Kargar expands on several other questions in this interview with Eater to discuss his dreams for Delbar and offers recommendations in the Atlanta area.

Delbar is currently in Inman Park, but two more locations are in the works at Buckhead and Alpharetta as well as a food stall in Bibi at Ponce City Market.

Race in America

In Colorado, the Dragon Boat Festival is returning after being dormant for two years due to COVID-19.

This weekend, the
Festival will take place at Sloan’s Lake Park, celebrating its 20th year. Several Asian communities will gather at this central location to come together and squeeze in multiple activities, including food, shopping, martial arts competitions, music and the main event: watching vibrant boats on the water.

The Colorado Dragon Boat Festival takes place at Sloan's Lake Park. The rowers are training as others are walking around the food and activity stalls.

Image: CBS Colorado 

In Other Asian News

Last year, in an effort to level the educational playing field, the Chinese government banned private tutors. Now, wealthy and well-connected Chinese parents have created an
underground, illegal network of tutors and classes for their children.

In addition to private academic tutoring, Beijing also banned excessive homework and academic classes during the weekends and holidays to promote social equality and ease the stress on young children. The policy ultimately drained the nation’s large tutoring industry, which was previously worth around 2 trillion yuan (approximately $310 billion) and led privileged families to push their children ahead through illegal classes.

Because the policy is aimed at upper middle class families, others below that line lack the resources to navigate the educational gap under the table. Tutoring agencies, many of whom were forced to become nonprofit organizations to charge less for their services, are also rebelling against the program and continuing to offer their private lessons in secret.

 

...


In Okinawa, young Japanese Ryukyu women are revitalizing Indigenous tattooing practices through social media.

As part of a larger movement to preserve Okinawan traditions, destigmatizing and promoting the practice of hajichi also moves to empower women as the practice calls back to an era when Okinawan women were influential leaders in their communities. Hajichi represents many things in Okinawan culture, including the pride of womanhood, beauty and protection from evil. Different islands in the Ryukyu community also had various designs and meanings. Tribal tattoo artists make sure that those they tattoo are strictly from the Ryukyu community.

Currently, Okinawan people, who are often mixed with Yamato Japanese ethnic heritage, continue to face barriers in the form of microaggressions as well as legal protections.

A textbook showcasing the hajichi process and placement.

Image: 3Arts - Chicago Artists

Entertainment

The L.A. Times food critic Bill Addison has named Anajak Thai their 2022 restaurant of the year. The Sherman Oaks eatery opened in 1981 but has evolved over the years. For instance, under the helm of current chef Justin Pichetrungsi, Anajak hosts Thai taco Tuesdays, during which Ora King Salmon are blanketed in blue tortillas and layered with pickled shallot, cabbage chili crisp and mayo. Other dishes like kanpachi with dollops of salmon roe or tostadas with lap cheong encapsulate Pichetrungsi’s vision.

Pichetrungsi had a successful career as an art director in Disney’s Imagineering department before leaving to take over the family restaurant after his father had a stroke in 2019. Pichetrungsi's father, Ricky, was born to a Thai family of Cantonese heritage and immigrated to the US in the 1960s. Pichetrungsi’s mother helped steer the dining room. Their family was one of the first businesses to offer Thai food in the San Fernando Valley.

 

...


Chinese basketball player Han Xu plays center for the New York Liberty team and stands at an impressive 6 feet 10 inches tall. Han is among the half dozen Chinese players to compete in the WNBA. Highlights of Han’s skills have amassed millions of views on streaming platforms in China such as Kuaishou. She scored a personal best of 24 points against Las Vegas last month.

Han explained one of her role models is Yao Ming. “He had a very successful career in NBA and he also promoted the culture of the sport in China so that now more Chinese people like to watch basketball. I hope I can also make some influence in the WNBA and then transfer my influence back to my country and let more fans to see the performances from a Chinese player” Han said.

Han Xu wears white beat headphones as she smiles at a video message from her old coach in China. She wears a bold red lip and pink eyeshadow with a black sleeveless top.
Image: WNBA

What else is on our minds?
 

Would you ever get tattoos?

Daniel says he wouldn’t. I would.

Sincerely, Mya Sato and Daniel Anderson

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