#like my favorite foods are all east and south asian

[its-sixxers]

born too late to explore the earth, born too early to explore the stars, born just in time to enjoy a wide variety of cuisines and snacks

[a-punchline-on-duct-tape]

hello, @battleslippers brought up a pretty good point when it comes to desi!johnny cade, because what the fuck is he doing in oklahoma in the 1960’s anyway!

so now, i’m going to present possible reasons on why/how he even wound up here

a) immigrant johnny 🍅👎🏾🤬😤

is my least favorite, bcs it makes no sense for his character at all.

johnny immigrated with his family in 1965, and he was born and mostly raised in south asia

this one could be possible because there are recorded indian immigrants from this time (my sources are my family members)

i don’t like this one whatsoever because south asian lifestyles + culture are completely different, and his personality wouldn’t be anything alike to johnnys real one in the book/movie

b) east-india company 🥉

in the 1700’s, the east-india company brought indian servants to the colonies and they were recorded to be enslaved in mostly maryland and delaware. once slavery was abolished, they blended in with african-americans and were deemed as mulattoes. if this was the case, he could’ve wound up in oklahoma one way or another, so its defo not unrealistic

i can see this one being highly likely, but it was most likely mean johnny is of mixed descent (either mixed with african-american, latino, or native heritage) but i hc johnny to be mostly south asian, so think twice ab this one

c) indo-caribbean 🥈

between the years of 1838-1917 around 500k people living in colonial india were taken to the 13 colonies and the caribbean to be indentured slaves to farm sugar cane. this one could work because once these people were freed, johnnys parents/grandparents could’ve come to oklahoma and thats why hes there

this one im 50/50 about bcs it could also make johnny mixed and i dont really see it + the culture of indo-carribean people vs south asia is a little different

d) sikh migration 🏆 ⭐️🎖

in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, many sikh immigrants came to california. these people specifically came because of food shortages and drought issues. these people typically worked on railroads. as these migrants came to the us, they experienced a lot of discrimination and racism (ex/ bellingham riots) so its possible his family moved to oklahoma to escape it then had johnny

there was a bunch of more complicated history with this, but that history doesnt change the fact this explanation is possible

this ones personally my favorite, because it means johnny could be mostly south asian, he could be sikh, and he would most likely be punjabi which is exactly how i see him

(hope y’all appreciate this i spent like 30 min researching and writing this lmaoo)

(usual desi johnny tags @pumpkinsy0 @coquettejohnny btw if yall want me to stop tagging, just send a dm! i dont mind at all)

[st-louis]

hi ari! iirc youre from philly or around the area right? any tips of what are must sees for someone whos visiting for the first time? you know, anything that isnt in all the travel guides? thank you so much and happy new year! :)

yes i live in philly! whether i have useful tips is another story all together though 💀 i don’t really have a lot of time to go out in the city anymore because of my kid, who is also a picky eater (so i’m not really as tuned into the restaurant scene as i used to be). also a lot of the stuff i would recommend is either probably in the guides… or isn’t in season right now (like for example the southeast asian market that’s in fdr park is amazing but it won’t be back until the summer). also a lot of the stuff that i felt was quintessentially a fun philly experience (like fiume) got modernized in a way that means i can’t imagine it’s as fun anymore.

i will say that if you are a first timer monk’s is always worth a visit (it’s a very nice classic belgian beer bar), my favorite pho is pho 75 on washington avenue (bring cash), the philly art museum’s really nice but the barnes is a more unique experience, cuzzy’s on 5th street has excellent ice cream and is run by an incredibly nice dude. if you like thai food and can get a reservation kalaya in fishtown is one of my favorite restaurants in the city (like it’s in guides and has won awards but the hype is deserved). if you want a good philly pizza slice experience, highly recommend pizza shackamaxon which is also in the vicinity of several decent bars and restaurants (lloyd’s is a very chill neighborhood place with a good beer selection, great food, and incredibly nice staff). the sports stadiums are really easy to get to on public transit (the broad street line runs right to the stadium) and you can usually grab cheap flyers tickets the day of a game, so if you can do that i would also recommend it for the experience! if you’re driving the best cheesesteak is john’s roast pork but make sure you check the hours bc they close early.

there are a ton of music venues too if you’re into that kind of stuff. you can see shows at the first unitarian church, union transfer, kung fu necktie, underground arts, etc. would recommend checking ahead to see if there are any bands you’re interested in coming through.

public transit here is pretty easy to use (broad street line runs north/south, the el runs east/west, and there are also trolley lines that will take you to different parts of west philly) but you will probably also see some of the city’s issues in microcosm there. by which i mean unhoused people and drug use. if you aren’t used to big city public transit in your own home, i would just say to be aware of your surroundings and you’ll be fine. if you are used to it, philly probably isn’t any different from what you see there.

sorry this probably wasn’t much of a help. i used to be young and fun but now i’m just old and tired and most of the things i do are kid-oriented 💀

[jigglybellysoftheart]

what is your favorite meal little fatty? i want to know how you got to be in this shape

I loooove south east Asian food. Cantonese food is my favorite!!! I also love sushi.

This should come as a surprise to no one but I love to eat 😅 like, I'm a HUGE foodie. I love going to restaurants. I love trying new foods. I love good food, whether it's fine dining or great homestyle food. And I'll try anything.

Even when I was traveling and lost all that weight, my entire budget and schedule revolved around food lol. I spent hours sitting in parks looking at google maps reviews for places to try. I just applied for a new credit card and I chose the one I did bc it had good rewards on groceries and restaurants.

My friends know to come to me for restaurants recommendations and instructions on how to cook stuff, and they know to give me food related gifts.

I love eating 😂 that's how I got to be in this shape

[keishun]

Some of my Creepypasta headcanons!!

‘Ticci’ Toby (Tobias Rogers)

-he’s average height for a male, maybe a bit tall so like 5’9?

-he’s 19

-he’s definitely jewish or just white..

-he’s a libra

-he’s definitely bisexual and polyamorous

-he’s super clumsy

-his clothing style is steampunky

-his favorite subject in school was history or literature

-definitely listens to deftones, ghost, and songs from musicals

-he has a couple of mental disorders such as tourette’s syndrome, AUTISM (nobody says he has this and I personally feel offended but that’s just me personally), schizophrenia, insomnia, and maybe some other ones

-he actually dislikes horror movies, like he can tolerate them he just doesn’t see the appeal

-a huge riddler fan

-prefers dc OVER marvel

-likes thanksgiving

-definitely uses tone tags in his texting

-he and tim don’t really talk a lot but do have some show preferences in common

-can play the drums

-really likes bagels

-does not like eggs at all

Sally Williams

-she’s pretty tall for her age, so 5ft

-she’s like 9 or 10

-she’s black but has vitiligo

-likes christmas

-she’s a scorpio

-she dresses in Lolita fashion

-her music taste is definitely something… like she will listen to the popular songs at the moment and will play it so much to the point that everybody would/should know the lyrics to that song

-she definitely listens to k-pop though

-tries to learn korean

-she has a lot of porcelain dolls

-the dolls names are Gertrude, Minerva, Edith, and Angelica

-her teddy bears name is Samuel the Bear

-she’s blind in her left eye

-when she was younger she played the violin

-her favorite Disney movie is ‘Sleeping Beauty’

-she doesn’t kill as much as the other pastas due to her being a literal child but she will occasionally join in with lazari

-her favorite people in the mansion are slender and lazari

-very picky eater

Ben Drowned (Benjamin Lawman)

-actually taller than a lot of people say! 5’6

-he’s probably 13 and was gonna turn 14 before he died

-asian

-likes halloween

-has social anxiety and trust issues

-he’s a taurus

-he dresses in one of those sleep, eat, game, repeat shirts with neon socks and shorts

-likes to play soccer

-he definitely has discord

-play fortnite(💀) and cod

-prefers marvel over dc

-does have a fear of water

-has a sibling bond with Sally and Jeff

-wears axe body spray

-drinks mtn dew EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

-he was definitely in French class in school

-his favorite subject was probably math

-can hack into things very easily

-he thinks he’s straight but he’s not, probably pan or something

-listens to a lot of video game music or trashy rap music

Jeff The Killer (Jeffrey Woods)

-pretty tall 6’

-probably somewhere in his 20s

-has anger issues, schizophrenia, and adhd

-an aries

-white asf

-listens to heavy metal and trashy rap music

-is one of those people who wears hoodies even during summer

-makes some pretty good food for a killer

-he has to get the cuts on his mouth stitched up every other month because they keep reopening

-mixes up north, south, west, and east

-doesn’t like breakfast foods

-has a Boston accent

-prefers savory food over sweet and spicy foods

-he HATES spicy food

-he likes to collect bugs in jars or like little bird skulls

-GOES ALL OUT FOR HALLOWEEN I AM NOT KIDDING YOU ISTGGG

-uses the axe body spray he stole from Ben

-he did not do his homework for school, I don’t even know how he passed his senior year..

-will know random ass facts that literally nobody knows, like this one time with Ben

Ben: Tell me a random fact

Jeff: The Eiffel Tower can be 15cm taller in the summer!

Ben:

Jeff:

Ben: How the fuck do you know that

Anyways

-he’s definitely pansexual and polyamorous

Jack Nichols (Eyeless Jack)

-pretty shorter than what people say he is, 6’3. Like no he is not 6’10, he was a scrawny short awkward college student trying out in the medical field not a basketball player..

-has a random fear of nursery rhymes

-he’s a virgo

-listens to rock, metal, and pop

-he’s in his 20’s or he’s like 19

-studies different types of plants

-is probably one of the doctors in the mansion

-a huge nerd

-reads so many books, if you name a random book he’ll probably know it

-was probably so insecure back in college so imagine how insecure he is now… yea..

-doesn’t get the appeal over stranger things

-he definitely likes dc over marvel because like I said he’s such a nerd. (NOT SAYING ANYBODY WHO LIKES DC IS A NERD, I LITERALLY LUV DC)

-he also really likes the x-men

-has a kin list (DO NOT BASH ME)

-he likes cranberries a lot, maybe a little to much

-HATES pomegranates

-he actually does not have an obsession with kidneys like people says he does.. I feel like he would like something bigger maybe??

-has a grunge type of style

-doesn’t wear his mask a lot unless he is on a mission

-probably bisexual or pan also polyamorous cause I said so

-hates apples

-adores little kids due to working with primary schools while in college

Okay, this is only Part 1. I really wanted to get this out as soon as possible due to me having zero fics and shit anyways!, if you guys want I will also do x readers and stuff, just recommend them and look at my list for shit that I will do and won’t do! Okay byeeeee! :DD

[moodywyrm]

OKAY these are from different ask games but I’m extremely nosy so :)

26. how’s your spice tolerance?

27. what’s your favorite or go-to outfit?

🔐 - something no one would guess about you

🖇️ - what are your favorite asks to answer

🌊 - a kink you would like to write but you think you’d be judged

Aaaaaaand some of my own:

Would you consider any of your anons friends, even if you’ve never actually talked to them off of anon?

Do you prefer tea, hot chocolate, or coffee?

Favorite constellation?

Talk about your crush (if you have one)

Sorry, I love seeing the answers to these. Makes me see the author as more of a person than just their fics (Not to sound weird, it’s just a lot of people think that about writers). They’re also super fun! Enjoy, Moony. <3

Omg you’re an Angel I love questions 💕💕

26. My spice tolerance is pretty good!! But specifically when it comes to Latin spices and cuisines, bc I’m Mexican and most of our food is spicy 😎 my favorite snack is xxtra hot Cheetos with Tapatio 💕 but something about East Asian and south Asian spices fucks me up??? I think it’s just bc it’s not a taste profile I grew up with :(

27. These are similar but not the same! My go-to outfit is usually comfy pants (typically flared leggings) with a band tee (probably metallica), my big cardigan, and my doc martens. My favorite is usually that outfit but with a miniskirt and tights, although I can’t always wear it bc sensory issues.

🔐. I’m not sure actually? If I had to guess, based on my blog alone, I don’t know if people would guess my love of musicals? Or my love of crime and mystery stories? My sister and I went on a rampage watching a bunch of murder mysteries 💕 idk I feel like I talk about a lot of my more hidden or less popular interests on here?

🖇️. Omg i love answering my nonnies life updates, sweet domestic asks, especially when they’re about the lil universes I’ve built around the characters (like college basketball Abby and her apartment). Idk, both of them make it feel like people are actually engaging with me and my work instead of me just screaming into the void 💕

🌊. I don’t know actually? I feel like I don’t have any kinks that are like really intense? Maybe somno?

Okay for yours!!

- i do consider my anons friends!! Maybe not as closely as the ones that have markers or ones I talk to off anon, every day, but they’re still my friends!!

- coffee all the way 💕 I’m very picky about tea, and I don’t like hot drinks or drinks that are too sweet

- i like scorpius!! Although I don’t know too much about the constellations 😭

-i do and some of y’all probably know who. they’re the sweetest girl in the world and I’m so happy I met them :( genuinely, I must have done something pretty good in a past life to have her in mine now. she’s absolutely gorgeous, in case y’all were wondering, but my favorite thing about her is how caring she is. I love watching them take care of their family, and how they take care of me. I’m gonna take care of her one day, in person. My strong girl, she makes me so giddy all the time, i love talking to her 💕

Thank you for asking so many questions baby!!! I love answering ‘em 💕 and k totally get it, I feel like sometimes readers forget we’re also humans with stories and feelings, and I’m so lucky to have met people like you and so many of my followers who are so kind 💕

[witchthewriter]

Hiiii! First of all, I really have to say that I admire all your work, such interesting reads.

I am 10000% down a house of the dragon-rabbit hole now (which is why I made a tumblr in the first place), so that is my main fandom, if you would put a bit more emphasis on this part it would be greatly appreciated. Other fandoms would be GoT and HP.

I use she/her pronouns, I have a preference for men (or masc-presenting people of any gender). I am a slytherin, possibly ravenclaw? Cancer sun, Aries moon, Cancer rising. ENTJ with very strong ENT-tendencies, and J/P being about 51/49 hehe. Half Scandinavian and half South East-Asian, tanned skin, long and straight dark brown hair reaching below my waist. My favorite colors are red, black and green.

 A common first impression of me is that I am bold and outspoken, but I am in reality quite sensitive and self-conscious, albeit this being concealed deep down. I don’t think I have a shy bone in my body though, 100% outgoing. I am super ambitious, competitive and goal driven. I set extremely high standards and goals for myself and I have much higher expectations/demands for myself than for anyone else, in order to always improve. I love a good fiery discussion, argument or a witty mental-sparring but one of my faults is that I sometimes become too into winning the argument no matter what, being the competitive person that I am. Perfectionist as I am, I always try to be calculated and choose my words carefully though. I don’t think there is a person I wouldn’t stand up to or take a discussion with, I just can’t help myself. But there is also no situation where I wouldn’t let my thoughts linger and overthink the argument and feel insecure for weeks later, behind closed doors.

I am super a very passionate person, about my goals and relationships alike, but I am also very nurturing and caring for both animals and humans. I am very loving and affectionate to the people close to me. Although at times I can come across as harsh, I really do love supporting and taking care of people. Helping someone get better and reach their goals feels ALMOST as good as reaching my own goals.

Dislikes: Being alone and “relaxing/doing nothing”, being stuck in a predictable and unchallenging routine. I would hate to do something half-assed or “good-enough”. The scariest thing ever for me would be to feel incompetent. I don’t think I would be good at being with someone who is very shy, as I dislike being bored. I can definitely assume a leadership-role when needed, but I would need someone with the wits and guts to have a proper back-and-forth with me in order for me to truly thrive.

Hobbies: I am a thrill-seeker and get bored quite easily. I love adrenaline-inducing activities, hiking in nature, traveling and living in different countries, exploring different cultures, food, cities and all their people. I’m a very daring foodie but also love the arts of wine and fine cuisine. I also love reading anything really, classic lit, non-fiction and beach reads - I read it all, I love trying to become more knowledgeable in any way possible.

Lastly, I would like to say that I do request a Level 5. I have done all of the requirements, but I am also not stupid, I know I started this tumblr less than a week ago and that my reblogs/shoutout aren’t going to do anything with my 0 followers :))  lol. I really want to support the work of you because I really am super grateful for this opportunity and so impressed by your work, so I have also shared a tip with you, I truly hope it helps. Thank you in advance <3

Want one? Here be the rules 🦋🌈

Oh my goodness, I didn't know you sent in a Tip!? I haven't received anything, and I'm not sure why. Maybe tumblr has stuffed up, but thank you so much for doing so x

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Harry Potter! I think you would push him to achieve his best. You remind me of Hermione in that way, and Harry would find comfort in someone caring about decisions. It was much different with how he grew up - the Dursley’s didn’t care what he did. 

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・ Harry likes to rub your back. He’ll gently trail their fingers up and down your spine, or uses the palm of his hand to massage your entire back. Sometimes he’ll absentmindedly drawing little patterns with his fingertips.

・You often play with hairs at the nape of Harry’s neck whenever you’re bored / or there’s a cease in action. 

・You’d definitely both be aurors, I cannot see you in any other Wizarding profession

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟����𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢

He loves how encouraging you are. How he feels supported and that there’s someone who cares about him. Not just that he was the Chosen One, or that he killed the evil in the Wizarding World. But because he’s Harry. 

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑

Your best friend would be Hermione. You’d probably have a bit of a competitive friendship, but it’s a healthy one. 

𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Robb Stark! I think you would open his eyes to a lot of different opinions and ways of seeing the world. He would really appreciate that, maybe not at first, but in the long run. 

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・ Robb likes to rest his chin on your head as you hug/cuddle. You two could be lying in bed together, or standing in public. 

・I think you’d be childhood friends who grow up and grow apart because he’s destined to rule. You come back once the war starts and you’re a very good advisor. 

・You bond with his direwolf and he becomes incredibly protective over you 

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢

His favourite thing is your caring nature, and how it comes from a place of true love. 

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑

Your best friend would be Margaery, I think she would love how active you are and you would love her intelligence. You two would make a formidable pair. 

𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧

𝐷𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

I ship you with Daemon, I think he would appreciate your proactive take on life. The fact that you don’t want to sit still is a relief for him - he doesn’t want to do the same. He has things to do, important things, and he’d like to take you with him. 

𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑠

・Likes to train together. Other couples might cuddle and sit in front of the fire, you two are constantly moving together - doing things that will heighten the adrenaline. 

・ Daemon shows his affection by squeezing your thigh. He reaches over and gives your outer thigh a squeeze, maybe of reassurance and/or love, depending on the context.

・Calls you “beautiful”, “my heart” in High Valerion. 

𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢

Loves how adventurous you are. He loves dragon-racing, battles and anything that gets his blood pumping. 

𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑

Your best friend would be Alicent. I think you have a similar aura that everyone else sees (which isn’t always true to who you are.) 

[biglisbonnews]

Asian and Asian American Artists on Celebrating Lunar New Year Lunar New Year is the single most important date on the calendar for billions of people in East and Southeast Asia, including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore. Observed this year on January 22, it marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring, with families journeying to their hometowns for weeks of festivities. With over 18 million Americans of Asian descent, the holiday — called Chūnjié in Mandarin, Seollal in Korean and Tết in Vietnamese — is celebrated in the United States as well as globally. And though it’s not officially observed in most Western countries, many in the Asian diaspora keep their heritage alive through traditional foods and rituals. Often, it’s the only tangible connection to culture we have in terms of a true celebration.As we prepare to ring in the Year of the Rabbit (or of the Cat, if you’re Vietnamese), PAPER caught up with some of our favorite Asian artists and creators from around the world to hear what the holiday means to them — and how they plan to celebrate. Lexie Liu, singerGrowing up in China, Chinese New Year is THE New Year for families to get together and celebrate with gourmet food, beautiful blessings and red packets. Ever since my parents divorced, I haven’t found a good way to attend both of their family dinners in New Year because they are in different cities, but this year we are all celebrating in the same city so I can finally be there for both of the families.The foods I loved are Fried Stinky Tofu with lots of spicy radish from Changsha Hunan. I need it in my holiday life. For the Year of the Rabbit, I wish I can eat more vegetables than a rabbit. (I probably do already.) Also, I wanna be as energetic as one, too.Related | Lexie Liu's Got Tricks and Tracks You Need to HearRuoyi Jiang, founder of Chop Suey ClubLunar New Year has always been about family time, relatives getting together and gossip. It means a BIG dinner together, endless amounts of food, giving and receiving red envelopes, watching a national TV program while poking fun at it, and enjoying the fireworks.The past many years I haven't been able to go back home for LNY, so this holiday for me is about celebrating with our chosen family. We are throwing a big party on Jan 21st (LNY Eve)! I do this type of parties because many people like me cannot be home to celebrate with their families. This time we wanna bring street food like skewers into the mix with soup dumplings. My favorite food for the season is 糖葫芦 tanghulu (candid hawthorn stick), it's not a LNY food per se but it's a Beijing winter specialty. My family is very small (just me and my mom), so we normally go to someone else's house for this holiday. My favorite memory is getting dressed with my mom, she would criticize my fashion while trying to have color-coordinated outfits with me. My wish for this year is that China can return to normalcy soon, so my mom and I can resume our annual trip together. I haven't seen her for three years now.​Twaydabae​, chef and influencerLunar New Year has always been about spending time with family & celebrating traditions to me. It's a time to reflect, wish each other well and set intentions for the future. I plan to celebrate with my family: It's going to be a big get-together this year and I'm really looking forward to having my mom's thit kho and my Stepdad's pho.My favorite memory of Lunar New Year in my home would have to be the games that are played, especially the dice game aka the Bau Cua Ca dice game. And my wish for this year is to welcome more peace into my life and to practice mindfulness in everything I do.Related | Twaydabae Is Viet Girl MagicEden, producerGrowing up in Ireland, Lunar New Year always felt like a nice family ritual — there was never much notice of it in the world outside. My biggest memory is of red envelopes. My granny would give them out to us on New Year’s and it always made it feel like a special time. I actually keep them in my house now and use them sometimes when gifting things to my friends. This year, I will be on tour somewhere in Texas doing my best to find some dim sum. Kim Nguyen, founder of Nguyen IncSometimes I go back home to Houston to celebrate with my immediate family but this year I’m staying in NY and planning on cooking with my friend SK Lyons at their home. Both of us have never cooked pho before so we are going to attempt my mom's recipe. I love literally everything my mom cooks. She is hands-down the best chef I know! Memories that immediately come to mind from when I was younger are playing bầu cua tôm cá with my uncles and cousins (because I was very lucky and always won a lot of money), cleaning every inch of our house before the festivities and playing hide and seek with all my cousins with back-to-back episodes of Paris by Night blaring from the TV in the living room. I read somewhere that this year's water rabbit (or cat) is supposed to be the year of hope, so I'd like to keep that in mind throughout the year.Related | Nguyen Inc Is Making Runway Fashion Statements From Upcycled TeesThuy, singer​Lunar New Year means family and tradition to me. It means being able to ring in a new year with the people who mean the most and enjoy traditions that have been passed down for decades together. I plan to celebrate by being surrounded by close and extended family. I want to be in conversation with family about our past and future plans while enjoying all the delicacies and treats! I especially love bánh tét! My favorite memory is staying up until midnight to light the fireworks! It was so much fun and we didn’t have to clean up the mess. We would leave the red residue all on our front porch for weeks. The only thing that scared me was how loud they were as a kid! My wish is to live peacefully and wholeheartedly. I want to continue doing what I love and enjoy every moment of it.Related | Thuy Is in Her BagAlex Porat, singerI’m going to spend most of my Lunar New Year days with my family. We’re going to eat a lot of food, especially Tang Yuan, which is my favorite dessert on this earth. I’ll probably also do a lot of cleaning and potentially rearranging of furniture so that I can have a new perspective in my living space as I turn into a new year. This might be pretty silly, but in general, I like moving furniture around way too much. My favorite memory is from whenever I was in Asia as a kid celebrating. Every time I was there around Lunar New Year I would see all my relatives and it was always such a big celebration. Now, living and growing up in North America, it’s such a different experience but I still have such a great community here of friends and family that celebrate. So there are a lot more memories yet to be made.Su Lee, musician and podcasterKoreans eat a lot of savory pancakes on Lunar New Year and my favorite is Mom’s specialty potato pancake that she makes at home. (Speaking of which, I would probably ask her to make some in advance before I leave Korea.)When I was in kindergarten, my grandpa would take me on a ride in his car and buy me toys whenever my family visited him for the holidays. I remember he always had a picture of me stuck by the front seat. This was a very long time ago and yet I still remember it all so clearly. I miss my grandpa a lot whenever I look back on this. One of my biggest wishes for this year was that my sister would pass her nursing exam. And this one has come true already – she passed! I hope this means I’ll have my other wishes come true. I hope I can go on tour again and maybe even be able to play at some festivals this year! I also hope I can get to meet and pet more cats this year.Related | Su Lee Forgot How to Make FriendsSamantha Tan, race car driver and team ownerLunar New Year is similar to [Western] New Year’s celebrations at the end of the year. It’s about celebrating the next cycle and next rotation in the Zodiac, family gatherings and wishing for health and prosperity for the years to come. Honestly, after growing up in a small Canadian town, Lunar New Year celebrations felt like one of the only times I got to experience something from my culture, so it allowed me to connect with my heritage. Today, it’s a celebration that reminds me to be proud of who I am and where I came from.This year, I am spending my Lunar New Year with my mom’s side of the family. My grandparents are planning a big dinner with all our favorite foods, complete with noodles, lots of dumplings, steamed fish and nian gao! Sometimes, when the whole family is able to get together in Toronto, we’ll go out to a restaurant and my favorite dish has always been the Peking duck with pancakes.Dolly Ave, singerLunar New Year always gives me fond memories with my family. It’s a celebration of a new chapter and a special occasion to be with your loved ones and take in all the blessings and future blessings the year may off you.I’ll be performing for the Vietnamese community here in California at a Lunar New Year festival. For me, that’s a special moment to bring to people music to dance to and celebrate to. I love sharing a big Vietnamese spread but specifically the large roasted pig that is commonly eaten during this time. My favorite memory is taking our red envelopes and, in good fun, playing games for each other's money.Photos courtesy of the artists https://www.papermag.com/lunar-new-year-celebrations-2659287111.html

[httpiastri]

hii! i love ur acc sm and ive been wanting to do the “let it snow” for awhile so.. here it is!

im 18, south east asian, scorpio, 5,6, and unlabelled

favorite color atm is pink, i know 3 languages (english, chinese, vietnamese) , and a proud honor roll student (NERD ALERTTT 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️)

im graduating ‘24 and im planning to go to miami for marine biology!!

i have 2 cats of my own, so very big cat person, all black cats cuz i love them <3 im a laid back person, sometimes very lazy but im hardworking most of the time! i dont like doing something physical like sports (did swimming for a bit but quit bc of an injury 💀), i love everything food from very salty to very sweet, i love doing my makeup and skincare, i also love doing my nails bc its so therapeutic to me <33 i love shopping

my hobbies are cooking (almost wanted to do culinary for my major), drawing, reading, cleaning, doing other peoples hair/makeup/nails, listening to music, and watching shows and movies

my love language is definitely acts of service with a lil bit of words of affirmation

ive been into motor racing since i was young as my dad is a pretty big fan of it. used to fall asleep to the sounds of it in the background from the tv 😭😭

idk if i put too much or too little but its done so yippe!

hello sweets! aw im glad you like it!! i ship you with charles leclerc!! idk i just got major charles vibes when reading this? first of all, as he is multilingual aswell, he would relate a lot to you but also find it so interesting how you know several languages. i feel like he would have that european logic of "but chinese sounds so hard? italian and french are just… italian and french" 🤣 as he's laidback but a hard worker too, it would be easy for you both to get stuck in either your chill-ness or get like stubbornly stuck in that need to work even harder. you just have to help each other out and find a better balance 🤭

we love nerds in this household, and charles is a racing nerd so it works out well <3 the image of charles with black cats really works in my head? i think he would love them too?? charles is a foodie too so if you cook for him, he would get so soft. dinner dates at home where you're doing the cooking and he's helping out, the both of you just chatting away about your weeks and enjoying each other's company 💘

charles would love to spoil you with acts of service, always offering to help out and run your errands so you can rest. he'll do all of the chores, wake you up with coffee or breakfast in bed, and so on. and he'd make sure to always ask you what he can do for you and how he can help you out. plusss he would love to praise you and tell you what he likes about you. very much "you're beautiful", "you did so well", "i wish you could see yourself through my eyes" <3

[2023eportfolio]

South East Asia: Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia

Week 3: Chapter 2: Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia Sustainability Topic: Animal husbandry

INTRODUCTION

This week, I will be learning…

Method: soup, rice paper rolls, stirfry noodle, rice

Menu: Thai Chicken Coconut Soup, Sticky Rice, Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce, Vietnamese Rice Paper Wrapped Rolls, Indonesian Fried Noodles with pork, Indonesian Vegetables with peanut sauce

Vocabulary: galangal, papaya, tom kha gai, pad thai, gaeng bah

Prior Knowledge

I have made thai curry before; it is one of my favorite things to make whenever I have the ingredients. I have not had much Vietnamese food or Indonesian food. I know that south east asia uses fish as a source of umami. I have used the little dried shrimp in my curry paste before.

Learning Objectives

This week, we will introduce three of the most influential countries of South East Asia, their histories, geography, cultural influences, and climates. We’ll introduce the culinary cultures, regional variations, and dining etiquette of Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. We’ll identify the foods, flavor foundations, seasoning devices, favored cooking techniques of Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and how they differ and where they are similar. We’ll discuss technique and recipes of the major dishes of Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

RESEARCH

Method of Cooking

Origin and History

Thailand contains two flourishing cuisines:

the palace cuisine and the simple, practical peasant cuisine. (Street food is a much-relished third.) Peasant cuisine is spicy and robust, fast-cooked with stir-fried noodles or meat. Palace cuisine is sweeter, less intense, with richer ingredients like coconut milk and lots of fruit and vegetable carving and elaborate presentation. Rice, fish, and seafood are important to both.

Vietnam:

“Originally a breakfast from North Vietnam’s capitol, Hanoi, pho has become the signature noodle dish or soup of all Vietnam. Vietnamese eat it for breakfast, lunch, or a late-night snack. Prepare it with beef, chicken, shrimp, or pork. Hanoi-style pho bo with beef and pho ga with chicken are the favorites.”

“Northern pho uses wide noodles and more green onion than southern style pho. Southern Vietnamese pho broth is sweeter and includes bean sprouts and many fresh herbs with variations in meat, broth, and additional garnishes such as lime, hoisin, bean sauce, and chili sauce.”

Indonesia:

Indonesia contains people of many ethnic backgrounds due to the huge amount of trade that took place in the sixteenth century. “Multiethnic Indonesia’s national motto is Unity in Diversity. Today almost 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslim, with Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian minorities. Indonesians speak numerous languages and dialects, but Bahasa Indonesia is the official language.”

In Indonesia, cultivated or forest grown crops like rice, corn, vegetables, sago, coconut, spices, mung beans, cabbage, carrots, peanuts, potatoes, and asparagus prevail.

Map of Cuisines

Class Discussion Questions • Study area maps • What influences the various areas being studied? For example, does the area have maritime influences, mountains, dry, Mediterranean climate, what is the weather like? Thailand: mountains, river • Prepare the follow questions for class discussion: - Name two large countries that influenced Southeast Asian cuisine - What two types of cuisine flourish in Thailand? Describe the differences. - What two countries influenced Vietnamese cuisine? Discuss their influences. - Name one Vietnamese dish and discuss its preparation. - Name the three main islands of Indonesia. - What were the key cultural influences on Indonesian cuisine and why? - What two foods define the Indonesian diet? - In your research, bring one-two interesting findings from the area to share in class.

Dish Method Variations

In Indonesian cooking, the salam leaf is a common ingredient. Cooks fry the leaves in oil to bring out their delicate flavor. Some cooks substitute the more flavorful Indian curry leaves, however it is not the same thing. Some suggest substituting the bay leaf, but the qualities are totally different.

Fish and poultry can be switched based on availability. Green and red curry flavors allow for variation in the protein, though green pairs better with poultry and vegetables.

Sources

1) Discovering Global Cuisines

2)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pho

3)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ring_of_Fire

RECIPES

Plan of Work

Mis for all dishes.

I would start on the soup base so that it can develop flavor.

Prepare pork for stir fry.

Prepare rolls and cover. Finish soup.

Rice near the end.

Assemble vegetable dish, make peanut sauce.

Fire noodles, finish dipping sauce.

REFLECTION

Technique/cooking method:

Thai curry: The method worked. I am not sure exactly that I could replicate the results based on the lab. I do feel that I learned a lot about ingredient selection for the various dishes.

Below, mise for the tom kha gai.

Hand roll: the fried rolls were a success. The food inside was soft and juicy while the shell was crispy and golden brown.

Tom kha gai: The method worked. The soup was quite spicy, but not as spicy as it could have been considering I took the pith and seeds out of half the peppers before they went in.

The chicken was somewhat stiff and chewy but the way it was cut made the pieces biteable.

Taste: The green curry was sweeter than the massaman. It had a strong fat taste due to the use of coconut milk and cream.

All of the dishes were spicy. The fried hand roll was the mildest in flavor. The tom kha was well balanced between salty and sweet.

The green curry leaned toward the sweet side, but the fish sauce was able to balance it out.

Flavor: The flavor of the green curry was somewhat licorice-y, wish a bit of heat.

The citrus aromatic could be tasted in the tom kha gai through the lemongrass and the lime leaf as well as lime juice.

The coconut flavor shone through in these dishes. The palm sugar also made a nice appearance; you could taste the difference in the sugar in the green curry dish ( I added a lot of palm sugar on accident but it worked out).

Texture: The texture of the hand roll was appealing. It was flaky and crunchy on the outside but soft and chewable on the inside.

The texture of the chicken in the curry was surprsingly soft for how long it was cooked on the stove.

The green curry was creamy.

The texture of the tom kha was interesting. Part of the thai style involves leaving the obstacles and non-food ingredients in the final dish and plate presentation. This was an interesting texture for myself and many of our guests.

Appearance:

Evaluation of results:

Discuss the techniques that did work well.

The thai curry method and hand roll method worked well. The tom kha gai method worked well.

I learned some thai flavor balancing techniques involving fish sauce and palm sugar. I also learned that there is a lot of importance in watching and waiting for signs when making thai curry. It can be a very artful and instinct-driven dish.

Conclusions

The learning objectives were met. I feel like we did not get to compare and contrast Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia as much since we focused on Thai, but we still discusses the cuisines in lecture, so I feel decently familiar with the concepts.

Thank you for reading!

[tuomivuori]

Got tagged by @morewyckedthanyou, thanks a lot for the tag! Always up for talking about myself! :D

favourite colour(s): I love greens, especially desaturated/dusty shades and deep, dark, cool shades, leaning towards turquoise. Also dark purple, burgundy, and light/muted shades of pink.

favourite flavour(s): So hard to choose! I live for food, and unfortunately my tastes are very unhealthy. Salt in both food and candy (the saltier the salmiakki, the better), creamy/buttery things, sweet and sour candies, savoury treats, umami foods, give me everything except for things that are too sweet in the wrong way (the way that things like figs and applesauce are sweet). And of course spices! I especially love East and South Asian kinds of spice combos.

favourite genre(s): Fantasy, magical realism, mystery

favorite music: Ranges from dance pop to rock to metal, and my ears do like classical stuff and musical songs as well, even though I don't really actively listen to those. Well, I don't actively listen to music in general these days, but I've had stages in my life when I did, my 80's rock and metal phases being the most prominent ones. Nowadays I just listen to whatever strikes my fancy or happens to get stuck in my head.

favourite movie(s): I'm more of a series kind of person than a movie person, it's always difficult to come up with favourite movies (though I'm sure there are many that I'm simply forgetting) - except for the LotR trilogy, those have been my favourites since they came out and they still hold up (even though they're not perfect, they're very close!)

favourite series: This is hard to answer since there are shows that I have been absolutely obsessed with for years and years in the past that I'm now totally ambivalent about or even actively dislike (Sherlock is a prime example), and nowadays I don't watch that much stuff. I don't even have a TV or any subscription services. A big recent favourite has been Our Flag Means Death, and one long-time fave that I'm still fond of is Steven Universe. Oh, and Hannibal! That was a damn good show.

last song: The Chain by Fleetwood Mac, I'm trying to create a custom map of the song for this VR drumming game I've been playing with a friend. Chose it because it's rather bare-bones, not too fast, and has a clear rhythm.

last series: The Witcher, finally got around to checking it out. There are amusing parts but it's a bit too gruesomely violent and bleak for my taste (in a similar way to Game Of Thrones), and somewhat confusing plotwise and character motivation-wise, as I haven't played the games or read the books.

last movie: I think it must have been Black Panther 2? I don't watch that many movies either.

currently reading: Nothing, unfortunately. Too much stuff to do to invest time in a book, though I would really like to read more.

currently working on: That custom song map, an art nouveau floral tiffany mirror design for my glassworking course, and a fic that's not progressing at all because of the aforementioned other projects...

If we're mutuals, I'm tagging you! I'd like to know more about you lovely people :>

[koreanresort]

Korean Food in Abu Dhabi

The culinary landscape of the world is incredibly diverse. The most widely consumed cuisines are Asian and European. There are four varieties of Asian food. Asian cuisine includes dishes from Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and North Asia, among others. Among my favorites in this category are North Korean cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Taiwanese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, Mongolian cuisine, and South Korean cuisine. Korean food is one of my favorite food types.

Korean Restaurant In Abu Dubai, there are a number of Korean eateries as well as a Korean Mart. Korean sauces and flavors are used in Korean cuisine. The main ingredients are sand lance sauce, doenjang, gochujang, and ssamjang. Your taste buds get an energy boost from it. In Al Barsha, Dubai, a Korean grocery store by the Mall of Emirates is called Dubai Korean Mart. Both a traditional Korean restaurant and a Korean grocery store are located there.

Some of my favorite traditional Korean dishes are these.

Fried rice with tuna and kimchi: One of my favorite kimchis is Korean sour kimchi. You'll notice that we always have kimchi on hand if you look in our refrigerator. Both eating it as a side dish and cooking with it are enjoyable to me! One of my favorite ways to prepare kimchi in the kitchen is in kimchi fried rice. It's quick and easy to make, and it tastes great.

In Korea, tteokbokki is a well-liked fast food option. The common Korean rice cake dish tteokbokki, also known as "stir-fried rice cake," has a long history and many different variations. Topokki, dukbokki, ddeokbokki, and ddukbokki are some of its alternate names. People like to eat these spicy rice cakes both at home and on the streets. Red spicy tteokbokki is a more recent invention when compared to gungjung tteokbokki, which has been around for centuries. It was established in Seoul's Sindang-dong district by a woman by the name of Ma Bok-rim in 1953, the year the Korean War came to an end.

When making kimbap, cooked rice is stuffed with vegetables or meat (for meat eaters) before being wrapped in gim, a dried sheet of nori seaweed, and cut into bite-sized pieces. Sesame oil and soy sauce are used as seasonings. Sesame seeds are scattered on top. On the side, there is soy sauce.

The spicy, chewy rice cake with gochujang sauce gained popularity as a cheap comfort food very quickly. This spicy rice cake treat had gained some notoriety as a type of street food when I was a young boy. I was raised eating tteokbokki in its purest, most traditional form, unaltered by contemporary inventions. I can still envision purchasing it from market stalls or street carts as an after-school snack.

I learned that Koreans always include strange foods in their diets, like coffee, which they call "maxim mocha," which is packaged in individually wrapped packets and contains a delicious mixture of coffee, cream, and sugar. These packets include sugar control.

Because the ingredients are layered and the sugar is at the bottom, the sugar flow is controlled by crimping the packet at the end. Use the entire packet of sugar if you want it all. I was fascinated by Korean cuisine, so I tried a lot of it and bought more Korean goods.

[psitrend]

Interview with Chef Jeremy Pang

New Post has been published on https://china-underground.com/2019/12/18/interview-with-chef-jeremy-pang/

Interview with Chef Jeremy Pang

JEREMY PANG comes from three generations of Chinese chefs, whose grandfather owned and operated his own Chinese pastry shop in Chinatown in the 1960s.

After graduating as a Biochemical Engineer and working for various companies, Jeremy went to the Le Cordon Blue Institute, where he had the opportunity to reinforce his food knowledge and cooking techniques. After working in several restaurants and spending time as a travel journalist in South East Asia, in autumn 2009 he established the School of Wok in London, a mobile cookery school specializing in teaching Eastern cuisine to students in the comfort of their own homes.

Official site | School of Wok | Instagram | Facebook

Why did you decide to become a chef?

I had always loved cooking but after my father died and I simultaneously was made redundant in my marketing job, something clicked and I decided it was time to explore my passion for cooking on a professional level.

Over the years Jeremy’s expertise in the Chinese food industry has continued to gain recognition with recent publicity and reviews in the Sunday Times, Delicious Magazine Online, BBC Good Food, ES Magazine and many more.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My father. He loved food, loved cooking and really led the way when it came to exploring new flavours as a kid. He would always make us try to guess what ingredients went into a dish whenever we tried something we liked.

What are the main difficulties in Chinese cuisine? What differentiates from other cuisines?

I think there are two areas in which people struggle when learning how to cook Chinese cuisine at home. The first is preparation, I cannot stress the importance of having everything well prepped and ready to go, especially when it comes to stir-frying. Taking the time to make sure all your ingredients are chopped to the same size, your meat is well marinated, etc makes all the difference. The second is thinking about balancing flavours, textures, and colours when cooking. Unlike a lot of Western cuisines, Chinese cuisine involves multiple dishes being served at the same time, rather than just one plate of food. So it’s important to think about the variety in order to keep the palate engaged and excited.

Jeremy attributes his love of food to his father, who was keen for him to experience exciting flavours and exotic foods while he was a young boy.

Jeremy Pang is head chef and founder of School of Wok In autumn 2009 Jeremy decided to follow his heart and bring the world of Chinese cuisine to fellow food enthusiasts. He established School of Wok in London, a mobile cookery school specialising in teaching Eastern cuisine to students in the comfort of their own homes. Following the success of his mobile kitchen and help from sponsors, School of Wok opened its first permanent professional kitchen in May 2012 in Covent Garden, a well-thought-out location near London’s Chinatown and surrounded by some of the finest restaurants in the capital. Since then, the School has gone from strength to strength, winning The British Cookery School Awards in 2014, and teaching over 60,000 students the secrets of Asian cuisines – right in the heart of London.

What are your favorite ingredients to cook with and why?

During summer, at this time of year when the weather is so beautiful it’s less about one ingredient in particular, and more about choosing items that are fresh, seasonal and vibrant, so they can be easily prepared with little effort, or cooked over an open flame outside. I also happen to love wok cooking over my own home bbq.

Do you have your signature dish?

That depends on who you ask! I have a few dishes my dad loved, that I am particularly attached to and enjoy both cooking and eating; Ginger and Spring Onion Crab and Crispy Pork Belly for instance. But I also have a few classic stir-fry dishes that are well-loved at my school; School of Wok, and then there are those dishes (like Chilli Beef) which got me started back when I was teaching customers to cook in their homes.

School of Wok founder, books author and TV chef Jeremy Pang comes from a long line of chefs and culinary enthusiasts.

What tips can you give for healthy Chinese cooking?

Think about balance; make sure you have at least as much veg as you do the meat on your plate. – When stir-frying make sure to add your oil bit by bit, you probably need less than you think! – When it comes to sauces, a light touch is always best. Especially when working with some of the fermented sauces and pastes, you need less than you think as some of these can have lots of sugar. You want to enhance, not overpower your ingredients. Best to remember you can always add more but you can’t take it away.

Jeremy’s ability to bringing food to life with his catching and relaxed approach has helped to fuel a dynamic specialist cookery school, develop delicious authentic recipes, and create innovative teaching techniques and equipment that are taking the culinary world by storm.

Nowadays a lot of cuisines are living a period between tradition and innovation. Is this also happening to Chinese cuisine?

I think as a whole we are becoming much more food savvy and global, thankfully well past the point of the initial ‘fusion’ food, we saw in the ‘90s. After fusion took a wrong turn people went back to single-origin/regional cooking and started again- so I think it’s all evolving now from a place of knowledge rather than purely from an experimental perspective. There are also lots of new young people who have grown up with more access to food education (tv, magazines, websites, social media, YouTube videos, etc), other than just their parents or grandparents- so they are able to use their own background and really take things forward in a new way.

What other cuisines do you like?

My wife and her family come from an Indian background and I really appreciate all of the spice and flavour layering that goes on in that type of cuisine! Like my father encouraged me to do as a child, I am constantly trying to pick out and guess all of the different ingredients that go into some of the more complex curries and dishes.

Photo courtesy of Jeremy Pang A special thanks to Adrienne Katz Kennedy

#ChineseChef, #ChineseFood

[jellyfishyishy]

I am tired of Asians being treated as interchangeable.

Chinese people are not Korean people. Japanese people aren't Korean people. Vietnamese people aren't Korean people. Fillipino people are not Vietnamese people. And vice versa. This list could go on for miles.

There are some things I understand. In the case of regions, it makes the most sense to have Chinese or Japanese actors play Korean characters and the opposite if you don't have accessibility to the correct ethnicity. Ultimately, I still really hate this. Kim's Convenience is a wonderful testament to this. There is great representation. Many of the Korean roles are filled by Korean actors. However, in the cases of Kimchi and Jung, the actors aren't Korean, and it really is a detriment to their (WONDERFUL) performances when you can tell they butcher pronunciations or are overcompensating for the fact that they're trying to explain cultural elements that they don't understand or just aren't familiar with. In that particular case, what makes me really upset is the fact that Kimchi's character doesn't even need to be Korean. So far, nothing about that has been important to the show. I wish they would realize that there's more to Asia than just The East. Though I don't know his ethnicity, they could've created really great representation through Kimchi's actor. It would've been really refreshing. I'll also mention Randall Park as the dad in Fresh Off the Boat. I am not Chinese, so I can't speak to any inaccuracies, but like just because an actor looks Chinese "enough" doesn't make them Chiness???

Do you know what boils my blood? What makes me so so SO angry? Practically all of Lana Condor's roles.

Now, I can't possibly be angry with her. God knows in this market it is next to impossible to find roles for Asians much less for South East Asians, a department in which the representation is particularly lacking. Plus, she is talented. It just makes me so angry that she gets to play roles like Jubilee and Lara Jean- characters from a COMPLETELY different region of Asia. Lana Condor is Vietnamese. Jubilee is Chinese. Vietnam is in Southeast Asia. These are completely different areas on the map. Don't even get me STARTED about Lara Jean. Lara Jean isn't even supposed to be fully asian. She's BIRACIAL. Her sisters are CLEARLY half, and then she waltzes in here trying to look like something she isn't. I think casting like this is a HUGE contributor in the reason why white people mix up Asians so much. Like I said, Lana Condor is not the one to be angry with here. The author had to fight Netflix to even get Asian actors for the Covey family. Representation should not be this difficult. I'm sure Lana Condor is just as tired of this as the rest of us are. She deserves to play a role that she can identify with not just personally, but also culturally. (Obviously this excludes characters written without an ethnicity or race in mind.) I know Lara Jean's racial identity isn't SUPER important in the story, but as long as they're going to bother to write it in and show the effects it has on her character, I think they have to own up to that task.

This extends to the musical theatre industry as well. While some of my favorite actresses: Lianah Santa Ana, Eva Noblezada, Emily Bautista and Lea Salonga, may have never been big if not for Miss Saigon, I think it's high time we saw a wave of Vietnamese actresses play Kim. If this show is going to be as racist as it is, the least it could do is have ethnically correct casting. I'm not even going to talk about The King and I. This is even more on the fault of casting directors.

Now, it's time to address the elephant in the room. This would seriously limit jobs for actors of underrepresented cultures. That is honestly just a fact that only has one solution. Diversity. Write more characters for Southwest Asians, Southeast Asians, South Asians, Blacks, South Americans, Latinx, African Americans, Jewish Americans, and all of the things I've just listed even as NOT Americans! Because obviously the world doesn't revolve around America lol. It just seemed the most relevant to me. Write more characters that don't need a specific race, and then blind cast them. Be thoughtful even in situations with blind casting. Us POC will go wild if we see our culture being represented even in the smallest ways. Keep making lighthearted characters that involve POC that aren't necessarily SJWs and stuff (LIKE LARA JEAN! CASUAL ASIAN REP IS SO GREAT), but sneak in little references through what their homes look like (do they wear shoes at home? decor? food?), how they speak to their parents, what their childhood was like, etc. These are things that can be easily written in after casting! The best thing you can do with blind casting is let someone's cultural identity become a part of their character. It allows for an authentic product that will honestly enhance the world, the actor's performance, and the character itself.

I mainly wrote this because of the long time talks of a Silk show. I want to see a Korean American woman play Cindy Moon. I am tired of seeing non-Korean Asian girls being fancasted as her. I'm even tired of seeing KOREAN Korean girls being fancasted as her, but that's a whole other thing I'm not really willing to get into right now. I am tired of seeing people feeling like they don't have hope in seeing their own culture represented and feel like they need to make people pretend to be a culture they aren't. I'm not here to fight with anyone. I'm here to vent out my frustrations with hopes that someone in the industry will see this one day and understand. This is no one's fault but the industry that created the problem.

And if you're wondering, my personal fancasts for Cindy Moon are Arden Cho and Jamie Chung.

[purplesurveys]

1472

[chasingghosts @ bzoink]

What was the best vacation you've ever been on? My East Asian cruise! My parents gave me a trip to China, Japan, and South Korea for my 18th birthday and it remains to be my favorite time abroad. I wasn’t a fan of anything Korean yet but I enjoyed the trip all the same, and I’m pretty sure I went to one museum per country so that was nice too.

What would you buy first if you won the lottery? Give a substantial portion to my parents then put most of the remaining money into savings or like insurance.

Did you grow up in the city, the suburbs or somewhere more rural? I’ve been in the suburbs all my life. I did have a taste of the city as a newborn as my parents briefly had an apartment in Manila – but then they realized it wasn’t the best place to raise a baby so they moved back with my mom’s family in the suburbs by the time I was like, 2.

Describe the bag you use most often. It’s a white shoulder bag from Nine West. Million pockets, which is convenient for me since I pretty much treat my bags as my second home lol.

What languages did you learn in school? I very informally learned French in elementary school when my teachers wanted to start a thing where they teach us random French words every week lmao. It never really caught on and I didn’t take any more language classes throughout my education. I took a Korean class last year, though.

What has been the happiest time of your life so far? I will say I felt extremely happy during my previous relationship, but knowing how toxic things really were I could just be looking back at it with rose-colored glasses; that said, I don’t even know what to make of that time in my life anymore, so I’d rather move past it as if nothing happened. 

Another high point in my life was in my whole journey of moving on (also from the same relationship) because in entered a chain of happy events that made life exciting for me again. I got into BTS, I gained new friends because of BTS, I became closer with my friends at work...last year was a lot of fun for me and I can easily say it’s one of the best years I’ve lived through.

What do you usually order when you get Chinese food? Just yang chow fried rice and spring rolls. I rarely get Chinese food for myself so I never change my usual orders.

Have you ever had a crush on a celebrity? Who? Who hasn’t LOL. I have had so many celeb crushes, but my current would have to be Kim Taehyung. < dgjkdfhssdJHVHGVUYRew8gibVSY$&^*YHSGDYUSXM

Do you have any fears you would rarely admit to anyone? I used to be afraid of catching commercials at night because the graphic effects freaked me out so much as a kid hahaha but I’m super over it now. I’m not opposed to mentioning it with friends if it comes up in a conversation, but it’s never happened so no one really knows about that past irrational fear of mine.

Name one thing you always have in your fridge. Besides water, we never run out of eggs.

What website do you spend most of your time on? Google Suite, if it counts. I use it all the time for work.

What was the last music you listened to? According to my phone it was 28 by Yoongi, as Agust D.

How did you feel when you woke up today? I felt well-relaxed since it was a Sunday morning and I got to sleep in a bit, but also slightly annoyed because I knew I had to attend church with family first thing in the morning and I wouldn’t be able to relax in my bedroom.

What would your dream house be like? I want those modern houses that just look like giant squares lol. Design would be minimalist with a giant couch and TV in the living room to entertain friends. I’d love my own office too, to have that place where I can just focus; but the main bit I’ve always wanted was my own (wo)mancave where memorabilia of all my main interests are framed and hung up and stuff and where I can go to escape the world for a bit.

Do you own any clothes with polka dot patterns? I have a dress with a polka dot pattern but the dots are heart-shaped instead, if that counts. Otherwise, I don’t have anything that’s strictly polka dots.

Have you ever been orienteering? Nah. This was offered as a PE course in my university but I never enrolled in it.

What class in high school did you struggle with the most? Chemistry, trigonometry, and calculus were my Achilles heels. I don’t think I ever got a grade above 85 in those classes.

What did you have for dinner last night? I had fried eggplant and rice.

Would you change anything about yourself? Right now I just wish I had a stronger initiative to switch jobs and see where else I could thrive.

Do you like musical theatre? Mmmm not really, apart from Miss Saigon. It’s my mom’s favorite musical and we frequently listened to the soundtrack every time we were in the car.

What was the last party you went to? It may have just been a family Christmas party last December.

Do you like to make lists? Sure.

What could you talk about for hours? Topics that trigger nostalgia. Shows from my childhood, funny stories from grade school, clashes with my parents as a teenager...my cousin, sister, and I literally had a conversation of this nature an hour ago and we were able to cover so much, hahaha.

Are there any slang words/sayings that you just hate? My Gen Z self wouldn’t say so because I use most of the popular slang anyway, lol.

Do you have a lamp beside your bed? I do, but I turn it off when I finally turn in.

If you were in a band, what kind of music would you play? I’d probably be doing stuff behind the scenes. I can’t imagine ever being the main character, especially in the context of being in a band.

What was the first cell phone you owned? It was one of the Nokia phone that came with Snake and that space-y game.

What's your favourite ice cream topping? Chocolate chip cookie dough bits.

Is there something big you're currently saving for? BTS concert. I’ve stopped spending big on things for now just in case a world tour announcement is around the corner.

Who can you be your true self around? Angela.

[ismoveme]

A dumb theory but...

Tl;dr Douxie is a (white) man who has never supported oppressors and thinks white supremacy is a load of bull.

I don’t normally write long posts, so just here me out okay. 

So we know that Douxie is ~919 years old. And we know that for his early years, he most likely lived in fear of being prosecuted for something he couldn’t control: magic. That is, until Merlin took him under his wing. I would like to think that, although he lived for long, Douxie doesn’t remember much of his life other than his fear of being prosecuted, the stuff he learned, and major events involving discrimination.

I have this theory that Merlin orders Douxie to travel to other parts of the world because he needs to “broaden his worldview to become a true master” or some shit. (I can totally imagine a “But Master” moment). By this time, Camelot can fly so we know this is completely possible.

-He first studies with the Celtics, then the Vikings. Then he moves to Russia, then to East Asia, India, and then Arabia. I’m sure he learns all about mathematics and science from the South Asian and Arabian wizards. Also, at some point he chills with some Djinn (cuz they can be either bad or good, or even neutral; humans can’t see him, but maybe he can cuz he has wizard powers BUT there is no summoning shit cuz that’s not a real thing). 

-Then he goes to South America, where he learns all about the Aztec and Incan gods, and all that good jazz, before moving to North America to learn from Native tribes like the Cherokee and the Tongva/Kizh. From here, Douxie travels back and forth between the Americas and Africa, until he eventually settles in North America because he finds Natives in America to be the coolest and that’s where the next Trollhunter will be (idk this is me just bullshitting).

-He goes around the world to learn magic, but since he’s a clumsy mess, all he’s ever really done in mundane society is mop floors at restaurants. There might be the occasional royal interaction with like idk the Mughals or Ming Emperor or the Genghis Khan, but not much. (Maybe he met Marco Polo but thought he was a douche idk). This also helps develop his emo aesthetic because he’s just a commoner sharing angst with his coworkers.

-But by being a commoner he discovers underground magic peeps, which is where he meets Zoe, and since Douxie’s always gone to study they have a slow burn friendship-to lovers? relationship. Also, he’s supposed to seem all suave because of Trollhunters Pt 3, but really he’s still an awkward boi and Zoe knows all of this and thinks its funny.

-I’m also gonna say, since he’s multilingual, he’s had to learn with dragons and the different dialects of draconic based on European, Mesopotamian, Asian and Polynesian dragons. This could also have helped build up his fear of Charlemagne the Devourer, because he could be globally infamous. Also who’s to say he didn’t pick up Portuguese or Housa, or some old language that he’s forgotten because of lack of use.

-Also, I think Douxie knows all kinds of classical music, but prefers rock/heavy metal/punk because it’s a relatively new style of music that helps him express his pAIn.

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Why did I say all this? Because this sets up his worldview. He would have seen death of millions of Natives to the Americas and the horrendous slave trade going on. Douxie would have seen things like the Haitian revolution, the Salt March in India (and might have also thought Gandhi was a prick), the Mongol take over of the Song dynasty, and the Rwandan genocide. And although he might not remember stuff like how people were like, he definitely would have remembered his own oppression (since it had a lasting impact on his childhood). And he totally would be on the progressive side. He most likely gained socially from his skin color during things like colonization, slavery and imperial expansion. But because of that, he had more ability to influence his white peers. Heck, he might have even actively fought against the ruling government with his fellow common people. (idk about his pov on the Irish Republican Army since he’s still British, but he might be too far removed to support any one group)

SO fast-forward to 2020. Douxie would definitely support BLM. And he probably thinks the rising white supremacists all over the world annoying and confusing, mostly because he doesn’t why they would be so hung-up on being white when there’s things like Chinese food. He would also not support the forced encampment of Uighurs in China.

Of course, feel free to agree, disagree, whatever. I just want my favorite character rn to be an ally. We can all stan an unproblematic king, so that’s what I hope he is. I also want an excuse to draw Douxie in old timey ethnic clothing, so yeah….