It was a bizarre June. Sorry I’ve been silent. But here’s a quick plug for some stuff worth checking out.
I’d heard about the Museum of Chinese in America but had never visited. I plan to check it out in the next few weeks and am even more excited that it has gotten a state-of-the-art makeover in a new building designed by Maya Lin.
I won’t be living in New York once it has its grand opening on September 22nd, but I’m still interested to go on a Thursday (for now it is only open that day and admission is free) to see the few things they’ve already unveiled.
Here is a story about the museum and its vision for the future. On Saturday, the museum will host the first Asian American ComiCon, an event brought about by Secret Identities, the comic anthology and now organizing force focused on Asians and Asian Americans in comics. I think it will be awesome, so register to attend if that’s your thing.
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Tags: art, chinese, comics, firsts, media
From the mailbag.
I’ve been meaning to write about interesting interactions I’ve had with other Asians who assume I’m something other than Chinese. Whether at a Korean deli or a Chinese nail salon, I usually enjoy these exchanges. But sometimes they definitely get awkward (more on that later).
Here’s a relevant story from a contributor:
New York City, NY
Greeting me as in reference to my race often seems endearing or humorous. The latter is when someone greets me in confusion to my actual race. I get this a lot.
The race people often confuse me for is Japanese or Korean. One of my stories comes from one afternoon. I walked out of a [Japanese] bookstore. From the corner of my eye I noticed an older woman approached me. She greeted me in Japanese and handed me a flyer (in Japanese) and discussed the program she was trying to promote. It was a workshop of some sort. She went on and on without the right moment for me to save her from her trouble. Finally, I said, apologetically, Thank you, but I did not speak Japanese. I should have added I was also not Japanese, but she went on as to where I was born (Here, in the US, I said) and then why my parents never taught me Japanese.
My parents are Chinese, I answered.
I only know a few simple phrases in Japanese and if I could have said them correctly to the woman – I would have really thrown her off.
A week later, that same woman was about to approach me again, but this time I lost myself into a crowd of pedestrians.
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Tags: chinese, conversations, japanese, strangers
Moo goo FAIL.
I’ve been so busy the past two weeks so I’ve been unable to post the awesome stories contributed by my awesome friends. This tidbit from about ten days ago is golden. I think Gohmert himself looks a bit embarrassed just before he speaks, knowing he is about to say something astoundingly stupid. [Note: WordPress is having trouble embedding this video. You may have to just click the 'Moment of Zen' link - sorry.]
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | M – Th 11p / 10c | |||
| Moment of Zen – Moo Goo Dog Pan | ||||
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If we keep borrowing money from the Chinese, they’ll have enough power over us to force us to adopt their savage ways, making moo goo gai pan with cats and dogs instead of gai (chicken)? The way he says “Cha-nees” kind of makes my stomach turn. I’m not sure if anyone on the floor followed his argument. You can watch a longer video here and see if you can make sense of it all. Thanks for the tip, Peej!
I’m really tired of the “Chinese eat dog” thing – the jokes, snide comments, and judgments of Chinese culture based on this. It’s just so exhausting trying to explain to people that they are thinking like 4-year-olds and not applying facts, empathy, and their analytical powers to see the culture with any clarity. My favorite is when the people who express disgust about dog on the menu pretty much don’t hesitate to pop open a can of Hungry Man frank and beans for dinner. Who’s “civilized” now?
A few years ago I spotted a headline in the Post or NY Daily News about a Chinese delivery guy who fled an attempted robbery. It read: “Moo Goo Guy Ran”.
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Tags: china, chinese, food, politics, wtf
Sex theme park is a no-go.
I was tempted to title this post “Holy guacamole! Aiya!” because that’s how I felt upon seeing the image and accompanying text for this article in the NYTimes. It seems that plans for a sex-themed park got under way in Chongqing, but then got nixed by local authorities. Some snippets from the article:
Photographs on the Internet showed workers on Saturday pulling down a pair of white plastic legs and hips that appear to be the bottom half of a giant female mannequin towering over the park entrance. The mannequin is wearing a red G-string.
Like other fast-growing cities in China, [Chongqing] has a reputation among some people for loose moral standards.
Chinese approach sex with an attitude that seems alternately more prudish and more open than that of Westerners.
The government, for example, regularly censors movies and other works of art that are deemed to have overly graphic depictions of sex. (“The Plum in the Golden Vase” was banned by imperial decree.) Parents rarely talk to their children about sex.
On the other hand, prostitution, while officially illegal, is practiced openly, with full-service “massage parlors” and “hair salons” found everywhere. Officials and businessmen have a propensity to take and support a mistress as a sign of success in their careers.
That is actually the closing sentence of the article. So many statements made without much substantiation. I think one could write a friggin magnum opus about China’s attitude towards sex. This article could at least have maintained some focus in addressing China in re: sex. Instead, we get some “fun facts”, a very entertaining photo, and another example of the bizarre coverage that China gets in the West.
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Tags: censorship, china, media, sex, wtf
More for me.
Today I decided to go get a hearty lunch for cheap so I headed to Jimi’s on Jay Street to get over a pound of rice and Chinese/Spanish food for $5.50.
At the hot foods counter the guy serving me said, “Chinese?” I said yes. He then proceeded to heap extra beef stew and soft tofu onto my rice.
I’m so full and happy now.
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Tags: chinese, DUMBO, food, strangers
Jackie Chan opens can of worms.
There’s a lively discussion going on at the “Room for Debate” blog at the New York Times. I’d heard about Jackie Chan’s remarks, but the issues brought up in the comments to this blog post provided so many different perspectives that I thought I should post them here. From questioning whether Jackie Chan was mistranslated (not to mention misquoted or taken out of context) to how his statements might benefit his career, the commenters make one thing clear: We may not know exactly what Chan meant to say and what context he said it in, but people all over the world sure have diverse opinions about how China, and humans in general, should be governed (or not governed at all).
I’m not able to provide any wisdom as to whether Chan was saying “we Chinese need to be controlled” or “The Chinese need to be regulated,” but the fact that he apparently also mentioned Hong Kong and Taiwan has made for even more discussion. I’m not siding with any of the commenters, but I found the comments coming from people living in China to be interesting. There’s not much cohesiveness to the discussion as Chan seems to have incited every person with an opinion about mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Communism, and humanity to weigh in.
No clue if Chan’s career or image will suffer as a result of this. But I think instead of weighing in on such divisive matters he should stick to making sure his new movies that are better than the Forbidden Kingdom. Please.
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Tags: china, controversy, film, hong kong, media, politics, taiwanese
Send me your stories.
I’ve created an email address for people to send me their stories. What I want to know is: what do strangers say to you with regard to your race? Whether it made you laugh or upset you or just puzzled you, send it to me and I may post it here. I won’t include your name—I promise. Please also include where the incident happened (name of city, neighborhood, intersection – whatever you like).
This is absolutely an experiment. When I started this blog I hoped it would become a place to converse about these experiences and a place for people to share their own. Because whatever reaction a (sometimes well-meaning) person elicits in you, it can be a comfort to know you’re not the only person who this happens to. And an opportunity to laugh about life. Operators are standing by to intercept your e-letters.
Send them to: email [dot] dis0riented [at] gmail [dot] com. Put them finger(s) to them keys.
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Tags: conversations, strangers
This blog needs more photos.
I wish I had all day to blog and find appropriate images to accompany my words. I realize how visually drab this thing is. (Because the sentiments expressed are so serious. I am a very serious person, obviously.) So here are some Asia- and Asian-related images I have on my computer at work that my co-workers get to see when my screensaver kicks in. Enjoy!
Always a crowd-pleaser.
I adore Jie-Jie, the three-armed baby. It’s too bad they had to remove the extra limb. To everyone who finds him grotesque, spend some time looking at more photos of him and you’ll fall for him like I did. It’s not his fault or his mother’s fault that they didn’t have access to good/any pre-natal care!
Signage amuses me.
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Tags: china, engrish, pandas
That drunk guy at the ballpark.
I got to attend Game 2 at Citi Field on Wednesday and had a pretty fantastic time. The new stadium reminded me a bit of my hometown Giants’ AT&T Park, with plenty of room to walk around during the game while still being able to see the field. I took all of the 8th inning to walk the full field level, to scope out all the food offerings and see the different vantage points. It was quite beautiful.
As I took a photo from the walkway at center field, a totally drunk young guy started talking to me, asking me how I was doing, if I lived around here, where I was from originally. He then asked me if I knew about a place called West Garden in the city, and I said I didn’t. His friends were laughing. He asked if I liked to drink dirty martinis. I said I did. Then I told him I was going to keep walking. His eyes were so glazed over, it was kind of ridiculous.
So the next day while procrastinating at work I googled “West Garden New York”, assuming it was a bar or something. It’s not. It’s an Asian massage parlor. With some lovely and graphic Citisearch reviews. I was like, really??? I know they were just trying to have a laugh, but discovering what West Garden is made me feel very icky. I wish people wouldn’t joke in that way.
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Tags: baseball, conversations, flushing, irksome, strangers
Self-conscious interlude.
One of the New York Times’ new local blogs linked to my last post and I feel excited and totally strange about this. Perhaps it will make me post more often and remember that what I say is in the public sphere. And I’ve been wanting to get in contact with the editor of that blog to see about contributing, so it makes me happy that he found me before I even reached out, making for a convenient conversation starter. But the most anxiety-inducing aspect is waiting with baited breath for a response—if any—to what I have expressed, and fighting the urge to edit or remove what I’ve said.
So many people blog and are open about doing so in their offline worlds but I’ve been reticent to add my blog URLs to my signature or even reveal my name. With my professional website I’ve put my work out there along with my name and don’t have nearly this much trepidation about it. But in this space, I’m revealing more, I don’t want future employers to find it, and I want to be able to close up shop without a word whenever I like. My ambivalence about blogging has become totally intertwined with my confused reactions to some of the situations I describe here.
So. Let’s start that conversation I’d hoped for, even if it’s at times uncomfortable and prickly. I am wrapping this up now. It is wrapped up.
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Tags: clinton hill, diplomacy, fort greene, media
A few weeks ago, Clinton Hill.
I need some good comebacks. I love Brooklyn and I love my neighborhood, but recently I’ve run into some icky situations that have made me want to completely stop being friendly. First, the creepy guy with the gold grill who works at the supermarket tried to hug and kiss me. I’ve always just said hi to him and been moderately friendly because he is always there and has always come up to me and told me I’m pretty, and I decided he was harmless after a while. And I don’t want to be cold and act scared of people who are my neighbors. But since the incident when instead of saying “hi pretty lady” he actually touched me, I haven’t been back. When I do, if he tries to hug me again, I’m going to tell him that it isn’t cool with me. But how is just saying hello an invitation for physical contact? Strangers can be so inappropriate, and in the end I’M the one who feels gross and regrets my actions.
That same week I was walking on Fulton back to my apartment before work, and a group of guys said good morning so i said it back, and as I walk away I hear, “Ni hao!”, “Love you long time!”
What on earth can I even say in that situation? I don’t want to get upset, I don’t want to just smile politely, and I’ve never been someone to tell people off on the spot. I just… don’t like being in the world sometimes.
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Tags: clinton hill, irksome, strangers
No shortage of news.
I swear, the NYTimes can’t get enough of all the things going on in China these days; China is popping up in headlines across sections. And I feel like the tone of the coverage is not without a hint of incredulity and a smirk. I can’t keep up with it all myself. Imagine if I had time to read a wider range of newspapers.
A sampling of recent headlines:
A Dirty Pun Tweaks China’s Online Censors
China’s Art Market: Cold or Maybe Hibernating?
Dalai Lama Says China Has Turned Tibet Into a ‘Hell on Earth’
China Calls for Closer Ties With Taiwan
So much is happening that I am even more convinced that I should spend some real time there in the near future. I want to see how all of these happenings are being reported there, and find out how this “grass-mud horse” is actually shaking things up. Way more interesting than this snowballing recession and the never-ending gentrification of Brooklyn. I’ve been in New York too long.
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Tags: art, china, chinese, controversy, diplomacy, taiwan, tibet, travel
An artist in the neighborhood.
The Times wrote a story about Tehching Hsieh recently, and now I’ve decided i must find him. He lives in Clinton Hill! And he has an incredible story. Considering how few Asians live in the neighborhood, I’m hoping I’ll spot him one day.
In the meantime, I should make my way to the Guggenheim for their exhibit The Third Mind: American Artists Contemplate Asia 1860-1989 to see his time-clock piece. The MoMA is currently showing documentation from the year Hsieh spent living in a cage.
This man filmed himself jumping from a second story window onto the sidewalk and breaking both his ankles. I want to know him.
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Tags: art, clinton hill, taiwanese
Well, that’s not quite true. We have been all up ons higher ed for quite a while. It’s not nicknamed University of Caucasians Living among Asians (UCLA) for nothing. But now Dartmouth has taken another step in choosing the first Asian-American to head an Ivy League institution. So this is quite interesting news.
Dr. Jim Yong Kim was born in Seoul and currently chairs the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard. He received a MacArthur genius grant in 2003 and has worked extensively with Dr. Paul Farmer. I’m interested to see what he brings to Dartmouth, as his background is quite different from that of other university presidents.
It will be sad to see the current president of Dartmouth go, as my family have known him through the years and he and his wife have been so warm and welcoming to us. I know there has been tension between President Wright and the Board of Trustees, and that Dartmouth’s mismanagement of money was revealed a month or so ago and led to some staff downsizing. So I guess a change like this shouldn’t be surprising.
My little brother currently attends Dartmouth as an undergrad so to him I say, “Enjoy the Korean man responsibly.”
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Tags: academia, firsts, korean
