AUGUST 11, 2022
 

Hello, everyone!

Wang Wen, the executive dean of the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, details in a recent guest essay how the attitude of China towards the U.S. in the 1990s and 2022 differs greatly. 

During the turn of the century, Wen describes how Chinese scholars looked to the U.S. as a national blueprint for development and governance. However, as time progressed, U.S. wrongdoings including “wars overseas, reckless economic policies and destructive partnership” worsened those ties and the reputation of the U.S. Wen recognizes that the Chinese government is also to blame for domestic and international stagnation on cooperation and policy, however, to him, the U.S. blaming China for “undermining” the world order is a hypocritical move.

Wen also points out that “China’s critics in the United States need to realize that American actions such as these are causing outcomes in China that even the United States doesn’t want,” citing the COVID-19 response as well as ongoing relations with Taiwan as examples.

In the end, Wen believes that a strong, stable and independent U.S. is necessary for the world, advocating for international cooperation, hoping that both China and the U.S. come together and solve the world’s biggest problems.

Spotlight 💡

Today’s spotlight is Katie Zhao, whose recent novel, “How We Fall Apart,” talks about Asian representation within class lines, mental health issues, LGBTQ+ relationships, and illegal relationships.

In her novel, Zhao dives into the private school elitist sphere, and her protagonist sticks out like a sore thumb. Instead of feeding into the “Crazy Rich Asian” trope, Zhao hoped to highlight the reality of Asian American class disparities within the diaspora. Similarly, Zhao’s decision to portray an adult teacher in a relationship with a minor is one that talks about a horrible reality of exploitation. She wrote an uncomfortable book not to have a “feel-good story,” but rather to highlight the cruel nature of exploitation that regularly occurs within power dynamics at institutions all the time.

Race in America 🌎

The U.S. Senate confirmed its first South Asian American judge, Roopali Desai, to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Desai, a litigator from Arizona, was confirmed with a bipartisan 67-29 vote. She has worked as a Phoenix-based civil litigation partner at Coppersmith Brockelman since 2013.

Desai is the fifth confirmed nominee from the Biden administration but did not face a lot of disagreement during her confirmation, as committee members called for a quick voice vote rather than a formal roll call.

In Other Asian News 🗞

The U.K. is launching an East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) helpline for victims of racist and other hateful incidents.

The helpline, “On Your Side,” will be a free, nationwide 24/7 service run by specialists providing tailored and culturally sensitive support to ESEA individuals. The line will be operated in various languages including Japanese, Chinese Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka and Hokkien, Tagalog and Indonesian – other languages will be provided through interpreters.

This service is funded by the Hong Kong British Nationals (Overseas) Welcome Program and developed by 15 national and community-based organizations specializing in hate crime reporting, hate crime prevention and supporting ESEA victims of racism and violence. Organizers hope that this program will be useful to those who are struggling to communicate their experiences through language or cultural barriers.
 

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In Vietnam, the national Health Ministry has released a document asserting to medical professionals all over the country that “homosexuality cannot be 'cured', does not need 'to be cured' and cannot be changed.”

In an effort to end gender and sexuality-based discrimination in the healthcare industry, the Health Ministry urged medical workers to be “respectful” of minority identities. The Ministry told staff to “not consider homosexuality, bisexuality or being transgender a disease,” as misinformation and societal misconceptions continue to circulate.

LGBTQ+ youth are still being brought to hospitals and clinics to be “cured” while many patients report invasive questioning and denial of medical services.

Food and TV 📺

Pijja Palace in Los Angeles is dishing up Indian-Italian-American cuisine such as pizza with green chutney or peri peri vindaloo sauce and goan sausage, tikki masala flavored pasta and malai rigatoni. Chef Avish Naran boasts an impressive pedigree from positions in the LA outpost of the New York pizzeria Roberta’s and the two Michelin-starred Indian restaurant Campton Place in San Francisco.

“Growing up in LA, you notice there’s a lot of similarities between a lot of different cuisines. Everything we’re seeing today is completely organic. Like, nothing’s a fusion, everybody’s just doing what they grew up with. I think LA is such a huge cultural hub, with a history of great casual restaurants” Naran says. 
 

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Alicia Hannah Kim will star in season 5 of Netflix’s “Cobra Kai” series. Her character is South Korean sensei Kim Da-Eun. The new sensei is one of the recruits of the villainous sensei Terry Silver as he aims to destroy both Daniel Larusso’s Miyagi Do and Johnny Lawrence’s Cobra Kai.
 

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Korean food has exploded onto the scene in the small town of Kalimpong, India. For instance, Chef Tej S Thapa opened the Seoul Full Korean Cafe and Restaurant in the market of Trimurti Complex two years ago, serving up kimchi fried rice and Bibimbap. Chef Vin Tan’s artisanal stand Kran makes kimbap. Tan says, “It’s remarkable to find people from around the state to check out this culinary phenomenon and the multicultural vibe Kalimpong has become famous for. Kalimpong has emerged as the epicenter of a brimming cross-cultural movement that can bring Bengal its first Koreatown. It’s hard not to notice.”

What else is on our minds? 🧠
 

• Business types and hustle influencers apparently love to quote 5th century Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu.

• As Japan swelters from rising temperatures, a camel in one of its zoos died of heatstroke.

• The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has led to fuel shortages and an uptick in alternative means of travel, ditching cars for bikes. 

• About three dozen people in China have been infected with a new virus called Langya henipavirus, giving them symptoms of fatigue, cough and aches, with some developing kidney failure. All have survived and scientists think the virus may come from shrews.  

• Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice latte can move over as Cup’ Noodles brings back its divisive pumpkin spice-flavored instant ramen.