MEMOIR Fresh Off the Boat by Eddie Huang
I'd go into the dining room, which was only separated from the living room by one step. A false divider. Although everyone had gone into the living room for karaoke, one person always remained on the dining room level: Grandma. She'd sit there in her wheelchair and make birds out of Play-Doh. (Fresh Off the Boat, page 9)
Some words that are not used but are demonstrated in this story:
internalized racism, white privilege, racial oppression, cultural hegemony, ethnic stereotyping, social stratification.
Words that are actually used in this story:
macaroni, The Chronic, subprime mortgage, Play-Doh.
2/27/13
2/26/13
2/18/13
thank goodness
FOR
1. being done with pruning roughly 300 square feet of star jasmine ground cover:
thin out new buds from sprawled, older wood
aggressively tip back this year's growth leaving 1-2 sets of leaves
thin out excess branches to reveal sprawling scaffolds of old wood
revel at the amount of energy that has been put into making an evergreen look like it is deciduous
2. finding a local Asian grocery that carries sticky rice, which makes traditional Chinese sticky rice aka 'nuo mi fan':
caramelized, minced shallots
diced shiitake mushrooms
finely minced ginger
soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper
sweet/sticky rice (soaked for 30+ minutes)
stir and cook together on low until rice is translucent
1. being done with pruning roughly 300 square feet of star jasmine ground cover:
thin out new buds from sprawled, older wood
aggressively tip back this year's growth leaving 1-2 sets of leaves
thin out excess branches to reveal sprawling scaffolds of old wood
revel at the amount of energy that has been put into making an evergreen look like it is deciduous
2. finding a local Asian grocery that carries sticky rice, which makes traditional Chinese sticky rice aka 'nuo mi fan':
caramelized, minced shallots
diced shiitake mushrooms
finely minced ginger
soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper
sweet/sticky rice (soaked for 30+ minutes)
stir and cook together on low until rice is translucent
2/5/13
1/30/13
1/24/13
Fresh Off the Boat
DEFINITION "Fresh off the boat"
The phrase Fresh off the boat (FOB) is a terminology used to describe immigrants that have arrived from a foreign nation and have not yet assimilated into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior. Within some ethnic Asian circles in the United States, the phrase is considered politically incorrect and derogatory. It can also be used to describe the stereotypical behavior of new immigrants. The term originates in the early days of immigration, when people mostly migrated to other countries by ship. - Wikipedia
Being an independent adult with dirty fingernails, $7 in the bank, and an OK Cupid account that gives her the creeps is difficult in its own right, let alone being a child of immigration and unspoken tradition. It is a relief, therefore, to see other people out there so boldly confront and represent themselves without apology to anyone.
Eddie Huang is an urban, younger, Asian-American version of Huell Howser. Sort of. Redefined, partially reclaimed, "Fresh Off the Boat."
The phrase Fresh off the boat (FOB) is a terminology used to describe immigrants that have arrived from a foreign nation and have not yet assimilated into the host nation's culture, language, and behavior. Within some ethnic Asian circles in the United States, the phrase is considered politically incorrect and derogatory. It can also be used to describe the stereotypical behavior of new immigrants. The term originates in the early days of immigration, when people mostly migrated to other countries by ship. - Wikipedia
Being an independent adult with dirty fingernails, $7 in the bank, and an OK Cupid account that gives her the creeps is difficult in its own right, let alone being a child of immigration and unspoken tradition. It is a relief, therefore, to see other people out there so boldly confront and represent themselves without apology to anyone.
Eddie Huang is an urban, younger, Asian-American version of Huell Howser. Sort of. Redefined, partially reclaimed, "Fresh Off the Boat."
1/22/13
Karl Linn
I searched "landscape architecture social justice" and got:
Similar last name, similar path. Here is a 206-page transcript overviewing his life's work.
Rubens: So tell me more about your birth and early childhood.
Linn: I was born in 1923...
I grew up in the incredibly beautiful environment of the Immenhof, which lives on most vividly in my childhood memories as a sensual world of beauty, taste, and scent. I felt deeply connected and at home there. In springtime, a vast orchard of two thousand fruit trees blossomed into snowdrifts of masses of white and pink flowers framed by a blue sky sparkling in bright sunlight. In the summer, the ripe sweetness of cherries, plums and berries tempted me to eat until I had no appetite for meals. So that’s where I grew up. My deepest roots are there at the Immenhof. I can close my eyes and instantly call up a vivid memory of my mother and sister working with other women, tilling the earth, propagating, pruning, spraying fruit trees, harvesting, packaging, shipping, and preserving fruits, and caring for animals. My family’s daily life, recreation, and celebration reflected the rhythm of the changing seasons and gave formal cadence to the days of my childhood.
Rubens: She literally worked? You would see her on the land, pruning—
Linn: Everybody worked, yes.
Linn: I was born in 1923...
I grew up in the incredibly beautiful environment of the Immenhof, which lives on most vividly in my childhood memories as a sensual world of beauty, taste, and scent. I felt deeply connected and at home there. In springtime, a vast orchard of two thousand fruit trees blossomed into snowdrifts of masses of white and pink flowers framed by a blue sky sparkling in bright sunlight. In the summer, the ripe sweetness of cherries, plums and berries tempted me to eat until I had no appetite for meals. So that’s where I grew up. My deepest roots are there at the Immenhof. I can close my eyes and instantly call up a vivid memory of my mother and sister working with other women, tilling the earth, propagating, pruning, spraying fruit trees, harvesting, packaging, shipping, and preserving fruits, and caring for animals. My family’s daily life, recreation, and celebration reflected the rhythm of the changing seasons and gave formal cadence to the days of my childhood.
Rubens: She literally worked? You would see her on the land, pruning—
Linn: Everybody worked, yes.
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