Edition
28 May 15th June 15th
2010
in a city rich in shades, here is a COLOR that includes all...
Wine Master Jeannie Cho Lee and The Asian Wine Scene
The Real Life “Hitch”
Chang-Rae
Lee The Surrendered Author On His Latest Victory
Reviews Restaurant:
Apgujung Restaurant Beauty:
Shiseido & Yu-Be
The First Generation Professional's Guide to Success
1ST
ANNUAL
OMEN
OF
JUNE 24,
2010 6�10PM MANDARIN ORIENTAL, BOSTON
OLOR
LEADERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT FORUM
....AN EVENING OF CONVERSATIONS, CONNECTIONS, FOOD AND MORE! The Women of Color Leadership and Empowerment Forum will begin with a cocktail reception followed by an intimate dinner and unique panel-style discussion, featuring renowned women of color who are CEO's, Entrepreneurs and Executive Directors. There will also be a special perfomance by jazz vocalist Rajdulari. Attendees will have the oppurtunity to forge relationships and learn from these inspirational women who have excelled in their industries, reinforcing Color Magazine's mission of promoting professionals of color. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Color Magazine Foundation, which provides financial assistance to professionals of color who want to pursue graduate level degrees
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Contents
M AY 2 0 1 0
B u s i n e ss
5 The First Generation Professional’s Guide to Success after to College 8 Samantha Shih’s 9Tailors
B e nc h m a r k s
6 The Date Doctor: Thomas Edwards Jr. is the Professional Wingman
L i f e st y l e
Feature
12 Chang-Rae Lee discusses his life, his work and The Surrendered
E n t e rta i n m e n t
D i a lo g u e s
10 Gifts From the East by Ada Gonzalez
16 Yoko Miwa: Japanese Jazz Musician Transcends Cultures
18 Wine Master Jeannie Cho Lee and The Asian Wine Scene 20 Food: Apgujung “An outpost of ethnic food in a mostly beige landscape.” 22 Beauty: Taking it all off with Shiseido & Staying Supple with Yu-Be
www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2010
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From the editor
In a city rich in shades here is a color that includes all…
being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
and me being Asian American, I get to have an extra ounce of pride in this issue. Even though it seems as arbitrary as taking pride in the performances of the athletes-for-hire that make up the Red Sox, simply because I’m a resident of the city that they play in, I take pride nonetheless. But back to the point, I love that in this issue we have a jazz pianist named Yoko Miwa from Kobe, Japan who evokes the late Bill Evans. And that Jeannie Cho Lee is the first Asian Master of Wine as recognized by the prestigious Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom, which has only 279 members who are most often white and male. And of course Chang-Rae Lee, a first generation Korean-American whose first novel, Native Speaker, is often compared to Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man. These are some remarkable professionals of color indeed and, I must say, I am a fan. Michael
CON T RI B U T IN G W RI T ERS
Color Magazine is the premier all-inclusive monthly magazine that highlights and promotes professionals of color. 4 Copley Place | Suite 120 Boston, MA 02116 (617) 266.6961 sales@colormagazineusa.com Publisher
Josefina Bonilla
josefina@colormagazineusa.com Editor
Michael Chin
michael@colormagazineusa.com Chief Operating Officer
Lisette Garcia
lisette@colormagazineusa.com INTERN
Rossemary Calderon Advisory Committee
Greg Almieda Ferdinand Alvaro, Jr. Daren Bascome Mark Conrad Kim Dukes-Rivers Beverly Edgehill Yvonne Garcia Digna Gerena Kimberly Y. Jones Samson Lee Brenda Mckenzie Juan Carlos Morales Oswald Mondejar William Moran Nereida Perez Russel Pergament Carol Sanchez John Sims Eduardo Tobon Leverett Wing Publisher
Color Media Group, LLC
Joanne M. Choi is a freelance journalist and also contributes to Asian Boston. She is a HR analyst at Mass General Hospital and her passion is staying up-to-date on people and society. Aaron A. Arzu is a Le Cordon Bleutrained culinarian. A recovering lawyer, Aaron now spends his time arguing over the perfect spice blends instead of legal briefs.
CORREC T ION
4
Ada Gonzalez is a Jungian Analyst in training at the C.G. Jung Institute. The focus of her work is on cross-cultural issues and psychological trauma for individuals, couples and families. She has a private practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Karen Hinds is the Founder and CEO of Workplace Success Group (www. workplacesuccess. com), a training and consulting firm that works with organizations and individuals to be more effective in the workplace.
Distribution
GateHouse Media
Trond Arne Undheim is an entrepreneur, speaker and author. He lives between Boston and London, speaks six languages and has a Ph.D. in sociology. He writes frequently on wine and society.
L a s t m o n t h ' s c o v e r a n d f e a t u r e p h o t o g r a p h s w e r e t a k e n b y L o l i t a P a r k e r J r.
MAGAZINE MAY 2010
Business
First Generation Professionals A Guide to Success after College
T
By Karen Hinds his spring, another batch of college graduates will enter the workforce as first generation professionals. These graduates will be the first in their families to hold a degree and a professional position. First generation professionals usually have no one in their immediate family circle who understands their new professional world and its unwritten rules. There are few guides, if any, to assist them in navigating the social and political workplace quagmires. As a result, many talented employees never realize their full potential because they are not aware of the techniques and strategies critical to building a solid career foundation, and many are people of color. Colleges and universities across the country have initiated college success programs aimed at dramatically increasing the numbers of first generation college students in higher education. These institutions are also offering support programs to ensure a higher graduation rate of these students. The result is an influx of college graduates in the workforce who have the drive, talent and creativity to succeed but lack the essential business skills of professionalism, communication, leadership and followership – the requisite skills of being a productive, effective team player.
Action Steps for First Generation Professionals As a first generation professional, I recognized quickly that there were some prerequisites to my professional advancement after making a few faux paus. The following recommendations are based on my experiences in corporate America and as head of a consulting firm, Workplace Success Group. Increase your Professional Savvy The first step to increasing your overall organization skills is recognizing that business is a game and many unwritten rules that govern success. Everyday, careers are made or broken based, in part, on the professional acumen of an employee. Take a Course in Fine Dining and Get Wardrobe Assistance Strong workplace relationships are usually fortified in social settings, centered in part around food and drink. Being able to be comfortable
and confident at galas, receptions and luncheons is essential in the process of building alliances that can position you for better opportunities. In addition, being appropriately attired (without being a fashion statement) for each occasion, especially in the office can make or break your career. New professionals often fail to take the extra care needed to craft their brand and reputation. Get Strategic about Networking First generation professionals do not have the luxury of relying on the network of their parents or other family members/friends to open doors. Getting invited into the right circles can seem like a herculean task; forge through anyway. Set goals and build your network so it stretches across race, ethnicity, industries, states and even countries. Step out of your comfort zone and build a bridge with a person that is unlike you. Show up often, early and volunteer in the places and organizations where you want to excel. Too Many Mentors Is Not Enough No one can truly build a solid
career with just one mentor or even two. Especially for first generation professionals, I highly recommend seeking out a group of advisers. Start with your college alumni group and build outward. Never ask someone to be an adviser. Instead, ask permission to seek advice occasionally and then always express your gratitude. Your group of advisers will give you ears and eyes in places you may not have immediate access. Be bold and ask anyone you want to get to know better. Strive To Be A World Class Communicator When placed in a new position, many first generation professionals experience feelings of loneliness, alienation and sometimes, culture shock. As a result, it’s critical to learn how to be a confident, effective communicator. Strive to improve your business writing. Work on your ability to make clear, concise presentations. When building relationships with colleagues, learn how to listen and know how and when to speak. Be a Leader There’s a misconception that in
order to lead, a title is necessary. Great leaders were leaders long before they were given a specific title. Look for opportunities where you can take charge and solve a problem. Seek small opportunities to lead; you’re probably not going to get the big initiatives this early in your career. Volunteer for committees, company sponsored events, extra projects. These early successes will build your track record. Be a Follower In every business and educational organization, there are a plethora of courses on leadership. If everyone is in training to be a leader, who is following? Before you can become a good leader, it’s important to be a good follower. There will be times when your leader may seem incapable and you have no control or influence. In these times, be a team player, offer your ideas and support as much as you are able. Avoid the trap of being a consummate complainer or the “know it all” personality that plagues many teams. Learning how to be an effective team player in such difficult circumstances will make you a more effective leader when it’s your turn.
www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2010
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benchmarks
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MAGAZINE MAY 2010
The
D ctor Is In A New Way of Finding Mr. /Mrs. Right
At
By Brooke Botello
a recent event, I was introduced to an intriguing young entrepreneur, Thomas Edwards Jr. He handed me his card, on it a blackened out figure with orange wings. He was upbeat with contagious positivity; it was no surprise to learn he’s a love/dating/life coach. “Yes, my clients have referred to me as Hitch.,” he quickly explained. You remember the movie, the chubby every man who needs coaching to get the out-of-his-league hot girl? Enter the love doctor, Will Smith. In real life, enter Edwards.”
Thomas is charming and charismatic but looks too young to be giving love/life advice. However, the moment he begins talking about his business, you forget about his youthful appearance and you’re faced with a savvy entrepreneur. “Online dating surged during this recession and so did the self-help industry. I started my business during the worst of the current economic struggle but I can honestly say that it’s only made business better,” Edwards said. He also happens to know his stuff, “The key to a great life is a life of passion. If you’re not in love with your job and can’t afford to ditch it right now, spend the rest of your time doing everything you love and create that balance in your life. Passion is sexy.” We all know someone with experience using dating sites like Match.com, Jdate or eHarmony. Eventually, hopefully, you want to meet your suitor/suitete in person, right? Apparently it’s a major step these days. “In the age of Twitter, Facebook and texting, face-to-face interactions have become difficult for many people,” Edwards explained, “The anxiety of actually showing people who you are as a person is scary. Will he or she like me? Do they think I’m attractive? Am I coming on too strong? These are questions that don’t come up when you’re in front of a computer screen. A computer allows you to become who you want to be without fear.”
YOUR WINGMAN
To learn more about Thomas, visit www.theprofessionalwingman.com.
While Google is rumored to be making us dumber, online dating may be making us socially awkward. Thomas levels the playing field through coaching. “You do need confidence. People don’t push the envelope enough. A woman wants a guy who takes control and is willing to take risks for love.” We hire trainers and coaches in other aspects of life, why not for love? If anything is worth working for, it’s love and others agree. Thomas is currently busier than he’s ever been with a waiting list to boot. “I want to be the go to guy for helping you find a fulfilling life. I plan on opening my personal coaching to live event seminars soon. I strongly believe that every person can lead a powerful life. We all have the potential and I want to inspire everyone to tap into it.” “I’m not just talking about helping people find love, but also building confidence and creating more fulfilling lives. In the end, people are looking for security and empowerment at the same time; they should be willing to invest in it now more than ever.” www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2010
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Business
Shih Samantha
9
tailors By Michelle McKenzie
F
or nearly three years, Samantha Shih’s 9tailors company has been proving high-quality custom-made clothing can be affordable as well. Integrating web technologies, fashion design and resources from China, 9tailors allows clients to design clothing online or in-studio to their specific tastes and measurements. The garments are then hand-sewn by select tailors in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and shipped back to the client.
A self-described “very petite person,” Shih, had to either have her clothes made or have major alterations done, both of which could be very costly in the U.S. During two years of study in China, when she had everything custom-tailored, she started to stitch together the idea of creating an affordable custom-clothing company in the U.S. by utilizing resources in China. After a three-year stint at Deloitte Consulting, providing business solutions for Fortune 500 companies, Shih was ready to go her own way. Calling it “a web-based Build-a-Bear for shirts,” 9tailors offers clients hundreds of fabrics to choose from, to which they add collars, cuffs and other details from an array of choices. Men’s dress shirts can be designed online; other garments, such as women’s blouses, are designed during an in-studio consultation. Prices range from $60-$200, with most dress shirts costing about $90-$110. Always innovative, 9tailors also offers live online consulting via webcams. CM: How did you go from creating business solutions to custom shirts? SS: My major – Poly Sci – has nothing to do with manufacturing. I knew I wanted to be involved with China and business, but there are no opportunities for someone with no work experience. I went to China for two years. (While there) I custom-tailored everything because I am a very petite person. As I was going through the process in China, I started thinking about what I could do when I came back. I knew I wanted to do something that involved China, that was creative, that involved business and possibly retail. There are not many opportunities like that in Boston, unfortunately. So I thought I could try to create my own. 8
MAGAZINE MAY 2010
CM: Did you do your own alterations or make your own clothes? SS: My only sewing experience in the past is working one-on-one with the tailors in China, learning about shirt lengths and hem lengths. I observed and was involved in the whole tailoring process, which was extremely valuable. CM: What is the significance of the name: 9tailors? SS: It went through several iterations between me and my founding members. Every time we would think of a name we would (search it online); so many were taken. We wanted it to be somewhat related to China, we didn’t want Jade Tailors or Dragon Tailors. In Chinese, 9 is a significant number; it means longevity and it also means success. It is more subtle. CM: You seem to use a lot of your Asian heritage in your business. SS: There are a lot of Asian influences in what I do, but it’s not the primary focus. Being Asian, growing up in Hong Kong, going to school in China, I have the advantage of understanding how Chinese business people think; a cultural understanding of how things work, the vendors and the tailors. And at the same time, having lived here in the U.S. for quite some time, I also understand what our clients want and the quality they expect. It’s important to marry the two perspectives, and because we do that, we are able to provide a quality, affordable product. CM: People often question the quality of goods made in China. What do you say to them?
SS: A lot of people have questions about the quality coming out of China and the type of production done there, especially with the scares like lead in children’s products. But we did a lot of due diligence, researching vendors and finding tailors. I went to China multiple times to see the goods. Our tailors are producing shirts that are really good quality and it shows that it’s possible if you do due diligence. I also knew I needed someone on the ground on my side to meet with the vendors, see the goods we were getting and make sure we are delivering what we promise. My assistant in China has a design background and understands production. CM: Who are your clients? SS: The majority of our clients are under 35 and need shirts for work and play. They purchase shirts that are multi-purpose; can carry them through work to a restaurant, on a date, out to a bar. Many are from the Boston area, but we have a large number from New York as well. Our clients are very nice and recommend us to their friends and clients, so a lot of people find out about us by word-of-mouth. There are also reviews on Google and Yelp and it’s great to see that support early on. We also do a lot of events that introduce us to new groups of people. I speak (at many college events) about style, fashion and transitioning your wardrobe from college to work. CM: What is next for 9tailors? SS: I really want to find more fabrics for people to choose from at an affordable level, like the Egyptian cotton; expanding our women’s line. It’s still new, about 6 months old. What kind of fabrics do they want; what styles? We’re finding out what women need for work and for play. And then the next logical step for us is suiting (custom-tailored suits). CM: What else does a potential client need to know? SS: We run a 24-hour business. It’s not like we take orders, send them out and production stops at 5 p.m. The majority of orders come in throughout the day and evening and then the product is made when we’re sleeping basically, so we have fairly quick turnaround. Most of our shirts are delivered in an average of 21 days – between 10 and 21 days. For a 100-percent custom item, that is fairly quick. It’s key for our clients as well. For more information visit 9tailors.com or call 877-513-1898.
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By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead: EOE.
Dialogues
Gifts from the East
E
By Ada Gonzalez astern religions are entering the Western consciousness and bringing forth a new way of thinking about life. Eastern influences make it possible for Westerners to be more connected with body and spirit. Many people try esoteric practices like yoga to bring peace of mind and well-being to the body.
What we often do in the West is project our negative qualities or the negative aspects of our lives that we don’t like on others. This is how discrimination and abuse happen. Because of the myriad of feelings that we experience as human beings, including jealousy, envy and hatred, we often don’t identify then, but we can feel them when someone else shows them to us. So taking care of our negativity helps us to enjoy ourselves and others in a more genuine way. It requires consciousness. It means to live life with meaning, with self-reflection. This way of living is a gift from Eastern religions to our Western ones. Integration of these forces, negative and positive make us not perfect, which is impossible for humans, but whole.
Western religions, especially Christianity, divide the body and the soul. Many people experience this split. They go to church and forget about the body, or see the body as evil. Others spend time experiencing bodily luxuries at the expense of the soul. Sometimes in therapy, I see marriages that illustrate “What we often do in the West is project our the split – the wife and children go to “church” and the husband stays home and drinks. They are negative qualities or the negative aspects looking for spirit but one in the body and the other of our lives that we don’t like on others.” in the soul. We in the West live in a society that punishes evil and praises good, but we forget that we are all humans and possess both natures. We severely punish the evil and praise goodness as a necessity but many times forget the person behind those difficult or heroic acts. In many Eastern religions like in Buddhism the body and spirit are not divided. Good and evil are part of our human nature and we can not kill one at the expense of the other. The idea is also seen in spiritual psychology, especially in Carl Jung’s studies, where the way to live well – the way to be more of who we are – is to accept our evil parts and not use them to harm others. When we know that we are capable of hurting others and ourselves but choose not to, then we are containing our destructive nature.
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MAGAZINE MAY 2010
boston
16th Annual Academy of Women Achievers Celebration June 1, 2010
12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Westin Copley Place
aka Anthony, Verizon Wireless
I’m proud to work for a company that’s on top of its game – it gives me the ability I need to grow my career. [ Here you get to see just how far you can take it – and I have the total rewards to prove it. ]
Honorees Josefina Bonilla Deborah Enos Vicary Graham Pamela Lenehan Sandra Sims-Williams Sandra B. Henriquez Racial Justice Award Peggy McIntosh
YWCA Boston is dedicated to eliminating racism, Keynote Speaker empowering women, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum and promoting peace, President, Spelman College justice, freedom and
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CHANG-RAE LEE
THE Author Photos by
D av i d B u r n e t t 12
MAGAZINE MAY 2010
R R UR ENDE ED
www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2010
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C
hang-Rae Lee’s first novel, Native Speaker, which earned the PEN/Hemingway Award, is a seething story of a Korean American industrial intelligencer who struggles with issues of assimilation, identity and alienation. His next two novels (A Gesture Life, Aloft) expand on those themes and touch on others. But Lee’s latest offering, The Surrendered – a harrowing 469-page saga of three star-crossed characters caught in the turmoil of the Korean War – is his most ambitious in scope and subject. In the hair-raising first chapter, the heroine (June Singer) loses her entire family as they flee North Korea ending with the loss of her brother in a horrific train accident – the same way Lee’s father lost his brother. We spoke to Lee while he was in Boston for his book tour. CM: You weren’t originally on the career path of becoming a writer, what made you go for it? CL: I guess you really couldn’t say I was on a different career path, it was more of a path of least resistance. [Laughs.] I graduated and this job on Wall Street became available. I just decided that I would take it. I was an English major in college and I had always written. It was just more I didn’t feel ready to take the plunge.
CM: Did your parents pressure you to take the more secure job on Wall Street? CL: Not pressure, but a shared expectation. And I love my parents and I appreciate what they did for me and I wanted to make them happy. I knew this would make them happy, for me to have a nice Wall Street job. So it’s not like pressure but more a shared desire for all those things that immigrants want – stability, security. CM: You write a lot about finding your identity and issues of assimilation. How did you find your identity as a writer? When you took the plunge, did you start to come into your own? CL: No, it took a little while. The first book that I wrote, which is not published, was a pastiche of a lot of styles and interests of mine. Kind of trying out different post-
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modern narratives and structures and I think it was a lot of what I was interested in intellectually, but not really emotionally. So I would say it take me a whole book that was not really something I deeply cared about to figure out that it’s not just about writing well and being smart, it’s also about writing something that engages you on some pretty deep levels.
CM: It’s easy to imagine Native Speaker as somewhat autobiographical, which, of course, is untrue, but was it more reflective of your own life? CL: Well there were aspects of my life, but no, it’s not autobiographical. It’s all the things that concern me as a person and an artist all mixed up in one. It wasn’t like I was writing down my experience, but it really was writing down what troubled me. Those are two different things. What troubles you and makes you keep considering certain questions are things that are both in your experience and outside of your experience. And that was really why I felt like I could write that book; I had both perspectives. CM: How has your process and confidence as a writer changed leading up to your newest novel, The Surrendered? CL: I feel as if I have the same experience writing each novel, which is a combination of arrogance and absolute fear – bewilderment and a measure of control. I don’t know if I feel actually different writing it. I will say that in the back of my mind I have a deeper faith that things will come together. Maybe that allows me to have a little more patience with myself and the material than I might have had when I was younger, when I was just hyped up and thinking, ‘I gotta make this work,’ where I don’t trust uncertainty. Maybe I trust uncertainty a little more. CM: Your newest book is your longest and the biggest in scope. Does that trust in uncertainty allow for that? CL: I absolutely think so because I don’t know that I could have written this book 15 years ago. For example, there are sections that go back in time to Manchuria – I don’t see myself, as a 27-year-old, staying there for that amount of time in that chapter. The problem is when your a less experienced writer,
you don’t push it far enough so you may never get to the really good scene. I think that’s part of the maturing of a writer. It’s not so much the sentences or the sense of language change – I think that’s always there fundamentally. It’s a different kind of patience and willingness to observe your own writing the way you didn’t before and listen to it the way you didn’t before. Before I wasn’t really listening, I was just writing. CM: Did your previous books build up to that? CL: I do think they all led up to it. With Native Speaker I had a lot of exuberance and flash even some fury or angry somehow. Maybe anger is too harsh a word. There’s a tone of very quiet rage in that book. Even though this book, The Surrendered, it’s horrible and ferocious and all the things that happen are just terrible, but actually I think the position of the narrator and the position of the telling is quite patient, it’s quite impartial, it looks at everything very objectively. That happened successively from A Gesture Life to Aloft, I think you see that kind of progression. CM: You seem to be drawn to characters who are outwardly successful but are internally conflicted. CL: I am sure it’s a function of the sorts of people whom I know and meet. I tend to meet very accomplished educated, civilized people. Luckily that’s our world, a world of civility behavior and security and a certain kind of certainty. But I know as a writer and as a person, below the surface there’s a lot of turmoil. And that ebbs and flows but that turmoil is constant, and that’s the part that is most interesting to me. CM: Tell me about writing the first chapter of the book when the main character, June, tragically loses her family – similar to your own father’s experience in the Korean War. CL: I wrote that first chapter, not as the first chapter. I wrote that probably in sequence probably fourth or fifth or sixth chapter. I wrote a lot before that, which you never saw. The second chapter when June is cleaning her apartment was actually going to be the first chapter. I knew about that experience, because of my dad, and I knew that I might want to write about it at some point. So I put it on to June and, in some ways, that actually galvanized the story from then on. It made me think, ‘Of course. This is the first chapter.’ Which is amazing because when you read it’s like of course its the first chapter, but it doesn’t always happen like that in the production. CM: When you revisited his story as an adult did it give you a new appreciation for your father? CL: Absolutely, it reframes everything. As a kid you just think he’s an immigrant, he came here he worked hard. And my mother the same way. You just think that’s their character and that’s why they and other Koreans are like this. But the truth of the matter is the things that they’ve seen – that I’ll never see thank God – give a depth and a scale of soulfulness that I never had to deal with. And I think a lot of us, we too easily live in our time, we are just too comfortable. Our time is so comfortable we don’t think about any other time; other times are filled with a lot of difficult stuff. I just think that gives people a deeper and wider sense of their family. I knew what happened to my father, but actually having to throw myself into it – thats what I mean by an emotional connection. It’s not almost a natural emotional connection, it’s one that I created artistically. I don’t think that makes it invalid. It’s just different. CM: At times, your writing often feels very much like poetry. Is that something that you worked to incorporate into your style or something that came naturally? CL: I think my love of language came naturally. It’s taken me a long time to
write prose that feels poetic and truthful without feeling too purple. When I was younger I wrote a lot of purple prose, because I was in love with language and wanted to do a lot of those wonderful metaphorical things, those flights. With my students, when they do that, I say, ‘Listen, this is a little much but I want you to know that I think it’s good to try.’ I don’t say, ‘Don’t do that, and just write it plainly.’ I just say, ‘You’ll find it.’ Telling a story is not just about telling what happens, it’s all about the, sort of, music that goes with it. And not every sentence has that, but certainly in important moments I feel like it’s got to hit a certain note. I want to use it in certain moments, like a piece of music. Not every bar is going to be this aria, but when you want an aria, it’s perfect. Well, one hopes. CM: How has teaching affected your writing? CL: I hope it hasn’t affected it in anyway. I don’t think that I want to take my own advice. Not that I think that I give bad advice but I don’t think writing happens that way. I think writing happens as a long-term relationship with the art and experience. You don’t have a set of maxims you write down, and say, ‘This is what you do with dialogues.’ I try not to think about all those things because I want my writing to be absolutely natural and organic. Now at the same time, I realize I have talked about these things – I try to separate the two. If I’m talking about your writing, it’s really all about what you need and me trying to get into your head. Writing is completely different, it’s totally egocentric. CM: It might be dangerous to take your own advice too much? CL: That’s true, because writing is about breaking rules. But breaking rules in a way that doesn’t feel like breaking rules. [Laughs.] CM: In Native Speaker Henry Park’s wife, who is a writer, said she hasn’t written something that wasn’t “half-embarrassing” in a long time. Is that a sentiment you sometimes feel? CL: I definitely have that feeling. When I hand in something, when I handed in this book, when I hand in a little piece for the New Yorker, I’ll be honest, there’s a part of me that wonders if they will come back and say, ‘Are you kidding?’ Because you never fully know. More and more I have faith that it will be OK, but there’s still this part of me that says, ‘No.’ And I think that’s helpful. The students who I work with who are the worst writers are the ones who think they write the best. They don’t actually read their writing. They have a conception of what they wrote and that’s the thing they think you are talking about. My best students are skeptical about their own writing because they know how hard it is, how delicate it is and how quickly it can go south. [Laughs.] I always like the writers who are very shy about their work. That, to me, is a sign of someone who has potential. Sometimes people who think they are really good, are really good. But most of the time people are pretty sheepish about their work because they compare their work to the giants. It’s like ‘Gosh, there’s Tolstoy and Joyce, Toni Morrison, and look at my work.’ CM: When you get writer’s block do you have something or someone that you go to? CL: No not really, I get writers block a lot. I think the best cure for me is to just sit there. I don’t go away until it comes back because I know that if I give up, it will be longer before I get it back. I’ve sat there for days with not much coming out. It’s hard to do, six hours a day with nothing coming out – it’s depressing, but it’s the only antidote. Other writers may go traveling or take a walk or drink themselves to death. [Laughs.] Everyone has their own way. I think every writer is afraid of not being able to write some day. But you’ve got to keep that away, because that’s a killing thought. www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2010
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entertainment
Yoko Miwa
YOKO
Japanese Jazz Musician Transcends Cultures
B
By John Black
orn in Kobe, Japan and living in the Boston area since 1997, Yoko Miwa is no stranger to the clashes that can occur when you live your life between two such diverse cultures. The talented jazz musicians was a bit surprised, though, when she started experiencing the different ways fans in Japan and fans in America reacted to her music. 16
MAGAZINE MAY 2010
For more information about Yoko Miwa, visit yokomiwa.com.
“Japanese audiences appreciate music so much that they sit and listen to every note you play. They’re very quiet and respectful. It’s great to play to people who listen that intensely, but the energy is missing which takes something out of the performance for me,” Miwa said. “American audiences are much more enthusiastic about listening to music. They let you know if they like what you are doing just by the energy they bring to the room. You can also feel it when they don’t like the music and I can change the set to capture them.” As anyone who has seen her live show can tell you, Miwa thrives on the energy she gets from the audience. “It’s not all about me, me, me. I’m not going to get up on stage and play some weird experimental piece for an hour and not care if nobody else wants to hear it,” she said with a laugh. “I’m always aware that if the people in the audience don’t like what they hear, they can always go someplace else. And I want them to stay.” The music Miwa makes is easy to like. The instrumentation is exciting and the interplay between her and the musicians she plays with is always interesting. More importantly, especially for those who are new to the idea of listening to live jazz music, Miwa has a terrific sense of rhythm and melody that helps her songs be likable to listen to from the start. “Everything I do is improvised,” Miwa said. “I don’t even put together a set list before the show because I don’t want to be tied down to anything specific. It’s much better to just start playing and see where the music takes me.” So far, the music has taken Miwa to steady gigs at two of Boston’s best live music spots: Saturday night at Les Zygomates (with Will Slater on acoustic bass and Scott Goulding on drums) and Sunday brunch at Ryles (with Greg Loughman on acoustic bass and Goulding on drums.) She also recently sold out a show at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston, and just released her fourth CD, Canopy of Stars. Next on her busy agenda is to bring her music to a new fan base in New York City. “There are so many great jazz clubs in New York, and such a rich history of music in the city that I can’t wait to play there,” Miwa said. “I definitely know they have the kind of audience I love to play for, the kind who lets you know what they think. I can’t wait to play for them.”
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Lifestyle
Wine Master Jeannie Cho Lee Discusses
Asia’s Burgeoning Wine Scene
A
By Trond Arne Undheim sians everywhere are drinking wine like never before. Overseas, the flow of wine is a sure
sign that burgeoning wealth and a growing middle class are kicking in on consumption. Hong Kong auctioned more fine wine than the entire United States in the first quarter of 2010. “The surge started post 2007, when media coverage raved about the then newly released 2005 vintage,” according to Beatrice Wong of Wine World Ltd., a Hong Kong based wine company. With 400 producers, China already ranks as the world’s sixth largest, ahead of Chile and South Africa. The wines are improving. Trade barriers are slowly disappearing. Foreign vintners are starting to invest in Asia.
Asian vintners are investing abroad. The cash, skill, and will to fight even harsh climates are there; at one vineyard they apparently remove each individual vine and store them inside every winter. Wine with Peking Duck, Teriyaki Chicken, Korean Kalbi or Indian Curry? Yes, thank you. The buying power of Asian Americans will increase from $509 billion in 2008, to $752 billion in 2013, a 47 percent growth rate, according to “The Multicultural Economy 2008” study by the Selig Center. Fuelling the trend, more and more winemakers and wine entrepreneurs are Asian born. Lee’s Discount
Liquor in Las Vegas, Nevada, run by Korean immigrant Mr. Lee is about to build the United State’s largest chain with 15 stores in total and an annual turnover of $100 million. On the East Coast, PJ wines in New York City, a very popular wine retail and wholesale company, is Korean owned, founded in 1991 by wine connoisseur, Peter Yi. “An increased number of Asians are attending wine tastings,” said Lee Miyamura, the Hawaiian-born Japanese American winemaker at Meridian Vineyards in Paso Robles, California. Regarded as one of Asia’s preeminent authorities on wine, Jeannie Cho Lee was the
first ethnic Asian to be awarded the coveted Master of Wine (MW) title, one of only 279 people in the world to have attained one of the industry’s highest standards of professional knowledge. Jeannie Cho Lee was born in Seoul, Korea, went to high school in NYC, and currently lives in Hong Kong. A graduate of Smith College and Harvard University, she started becoming interested in wine during her junior year at Oxford University, where wine with dinner is the norm. Her book Asian Palate (2009) is a tour de force. People living in the ten Asian capital cities she features, including Hong Kong, Beijing, and Mumbai, now know what wine to order. However, her efforts also benefit those who care for Asian clout, cuisine and culture. Jeannie Cho Lee’s take on wine is novel, refreshing and distinctly Asian. All her wine reviews are very visual and often include graphics: “I am not trying to dumb it down because I respect Asian people’s palate, but I am trying to find the right way to present it.” According to Lee, “Wine should help people slow down everyday flavors,” and to succeed with that aim, “wine with Asian food needs to be versatile.” Hence, she favors restrained wine styles from cool climates like Burgundy, Loire, Alsace, and Oregon, white grape varieties such as gruner veltliner, as well as sparkling wine. asianpalate.com, Cho
Trond’s Picks While I hope to present some homegrown Asian wines in the future, here are some wines that are guaranteed to match Asian cuisine.
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Biokult Gruner Veltliner Austria (2008, $16, 88/100)
Vinos de Mar y Sol Syrah Central Coast (2004, $13, 87/100)
Grown from The Michlits family’s organic grapes in lower Austria, aged for seven months in stainless steel, certified by Bio-Austria, Austria’s largest organic association, this exquisite wine is fresh, lightly perfumed, with a fruityspicy aroma reminiscent of freshly ground black peppercorn. Lemony citrus notes, straw yellow color, slight touch of minerals, firm, with elegant grapefruit aromas. A versatile wine with Asian cuisine, scallops or shrimp or as an aperitif. Simply fresh, pure, and clean.
This Californian wine from Hispanic vintner Violeta Barroso has a riveting and rough but not unpleasant bouquet, surprisingly powerful aromas of blackberry and cherry and is great with Mexican, Creole, or Asian food, provided there is meat involved. Regrettably, I cannot seem to find other vintages and I wonder what has happened to the production. Ms. Barroso is herself the daughter of Mexican vineyard laborers and won accolades for her Merlot as well when she entered the wine scene in the early 2000s. I have had no success reaching out to her. Vinosmarysol.com is down...
MAGAZINE MAY 2010
Domaine Lavigne Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc Loire Valley (2008, $19, 90/100)
This absolutely splendid wine was imported to the United States by Cynthia Hurley, but obviously first created by caring folks near the town of Saumur in France’s Loire Valley before it found its way to my dinner table. Distinct crowberry notes and what might be more easily recognized as raspberry accents were accompanied by unusual softness for a Loire Valley red wine. This wonderfully dark red wine would stand out with any ethnic food, grilled meats, lamb in particular, and was fantastic with matured French Brie cheese.
Lee’s multilingual website, went online in April 2010 and aims to “democratize the appreciation of wine in Asia.” At present, virtually no Asian wine gets imported to the United States. However, Jeannie Cho Lee has wine recommendations for visitors to Asia: “Dragon Seal or Chang Yu in China, Grace winery in Japan, the sparkling wine Omarkayan from Chateau Indage in India, Siam winery in Thailand,” but warned, “don’t expect to get the full dollar value just yet.” Beyond being Asian, Cho Lee is also an attractive, young woman stereotypically fighting a crowd of more average looking, old white men. Hence, the question, are there particular challenges to being an Asian woman in the wine industry? “The Master of Wine (MW) changes the perception. If people don’t know my MW background, say, in Europe, they look at me and say; what could she possibly know? She is Asian. She is young. Once a year on aver-
age I am in a restaurant and meet a sommelier that talks down at me. For instance, at a famous restaurant in Hong Kong, a waiter came, opened, and poured a wine. I immediately told him it was corked, but he refused to smell it. Instead, he asked me abruptly to get another wine if I did not like it,” she explained enthusiastically. Nothing seems to deter this MW. The Asian wine scene is flourishing. Hong Kong leads, mainland China is coming, Asian Americans are getting on board, and my advice is, whether you are Asian or not, let Jeannie Cho Lee be your Master of Wine.
The Asian Wine Scene Aficionado of Asian food? Getting ready for your next trip to Asia? Supporting ethnic vintners? Explore the Asian wine scene domestically and abroad with these links to wineries, merchants and associations who cater to the Asian palate. Stay tuned for more stories and links in another issue.
l l l l l
Asian Palate (website): www.asianpalate.com l Chang Yu winery (China): www.changyu.com.cn Dragon Seal (China): www.dragonseal.com l Grace Vineyards (China): www.grace-vineyard.com Grace Winery (Japan): www.grace-wine.co.jp l Lee’s Discount Liquor (Las Vegas): leesdisliquor.com Meridian Vineyards (California): www.meridianvineyards.com l PJ Wines (NYC): www.pjwine.com Siam winery (Thailand): www.siamwinery.com l Wine World Ltd. (Hong Kong): www.wineworld.com.hk
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Lifestyle
Apgujung by Aaron A. Arzu
A
pgujung is a Korean-Japanese style establishment,
serving Korean dishes, barbeque, and Japanese cuisine and sushi. It is an outpost of ethnic food in a mostly beige landscape. Taking advantage of its suburban locale, the restaurant is large and spacious; it has two separate dining rooms, a bar and a sushi bar. With ample parking and ample seating, there is rarely a wait to get a table.
Having previously dined there for dinner, (the table-side barbeque grilling experience is fabulous), I decided to try the lunch menu on this trip. I was led to the small dining room (almost empty during the late lunch time), presented with the lunch menu, and waited. And waited. When my server arrived, she was rushed, disappeared quickly and did not return for some time. I was surprised by the spotty service, as on my previous visits, I found the staff to be attentive and helpful. The long pauses between visits gave me plenty of time to study the dĂŠcor and the ambiance. The small dining room is airy, with plenty of windows, and high ceilings. I was taken aback by the soft rock playing through the sound system,
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MAGAZINE MAY 2010
but made allowance for the fact that they were serving a lunch crowd. As is customary of Korean restaurants, I was presented with banchan; small side dishes that accompany your main order. Here, the server brought me a nicely piquant pickled string bean, a strangely appealing potato salad, with pickled carrot cubes adding a welcome textural contrast to the mealy potatoes, and, of course, the ubiquitous kimchee. I was surprised at how mediocre the kimchee was; it was flat, more sour than sharp, and had very little heat compared to past experience with the dish. Alas, this hint of unevenness in quality was a harbinger of the rest of my meal. From the Japanese side of the menu, I ordered nigiri sushi; hamachi and tamago (egg omelet), as well as an inari roll. A recent sushi convert, I was looking forward to trying their offering, and I was not disappointed. The hamachi was very fresh-tasting and surprisingly delicate of flavor; it was much better on its own than covered in ginger and wasabi soy
Apgujung
Apgujung is located at 1114 Beacon Street, Newton, MA 02461. For reservations, call 61-527-7888, or check out their website: www. apgujungrestaurant.com.
sauce. The tamago was well prepared, and elegantly presented with a band of nori and pickled ginger on top. My favorite, however, was the inari roll; fried tofu with a honey ginger glaze, the sweetness was perfectly balanced by the vinegary rice. On the other hand, the gyoza, which I had enjoyed on my earlier visits, was slightly overcooked, and came out cold. For pure Korean fare, bibimbap, a mixture of meat, vegetables, and rice is standard in every kitchen; however, the way to go is to order this dish okdol-style. Marinated vegetables, beef, and rice are served in a sizzling-hot stone bowl, which cooks them before your eyes. An egg on top completes this masterpiece. The bowl cooks the eggs and warms the vegetables, while imparting a delightful crispy texture to the rice. The aromas released by the cooking vegetables and meat were heavenly, and rendered the spicy chili-flake vinaigrette provided on the side completely unnecessary. The savory vegetables, the unctuous silkiness of the egg and the crispy texture of the rice made this the dish hearty and satisfying and the clear winner of the meal. An interesting fusion of the two cuisines, Apgujung serves bento lunch boxes with both Korean and Japanese elements. Unfortunately, this approach was the perfect illustration of the dangers of trying to be all things — a series of hits and misses. The galbi, beef short ribs marinated in ginger, garlic, and soy, was a hit; it was wonderfully garlicky and tender, and well caramelized. The fresh green salad with a savory ginger dressing was also a hit. On the downside, the watery and bland miso soup, frankly, could have been omitted; in contrast to the sushi I had earlier, the avo-kyo (avocado and cucumber) roll was ordinary at best. Finally, the chef’s special, deep fried salmon meatballs, was the perfect metaphor for the uneven meal which I had just experienced; the outside of the meatball was tough and over-cooked; however, once you reached the interior, it was delicious, with savory onion and a creamy texture that was intensely satisfying. And that sums up Apgujung; you have to dig through some errors to find the treasures. What the restaurant does well, it does very well: authentic, enticing Korean cuisine and barbeque, and beautifully fresh sushi. Stick to those dishes, and you can have a meal of mostly hits.
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Beauty
Taking It All Off with Shiseido Shiseido’s long and illustrious history began more than one hundred years ago in the Ginza district of Tokyo. My humble association with the company began when my mother dutifully introduced me as a teenager, lecturing me on skin care. When I tried the Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Water recently, it brought back the memories: it has always been so convenient to use! Used with a round of cotton, you can easily remove foundation or pressed powder to give your skin a breather. It’s also great for removing those early morning, eye-liner miscalculations – just a deft touch erases any wayward lines. The Skincare Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover took just a few seconds to remove all evidence of my eye make-up and lip stick. The lack of tugging, pulling and leftover grease on my lids was the real prize. The male tester for the Moisturizing Emulsion remarked that the lotion left a smooth finish, the light scent was not overbearing and the product had an “unspoken Japanese elegance.” - J o a n n e M . Ch o i
For more information visit www.shiseido.com.
SHISEIDO Puerness Refreshing Cleansing Water
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MAGAZINE MAY 2010
SHISEIDO Moisturizing Emulsion
SHISEIDO The Skincare Instant Eye and Lip Makeup Remover
Staying Supple with Yu-Be Yu-Be products are available at www.yu-be.com or www.sephora.com.
YU-BE Moisturizing Body Lotion
YU-BE Foaming Skin Polish
YU-BE Lip Therapy Stick
YU-BE Moisturizing Skin Cream
Lots of beauty articles do seem to point out that Japanese women age rather gracefully. How much of it is due to a strict avoidance of sun and a diet rich in soy and seafood diet remains unknown, but I noticed some truth to it when I lived in Osaka, Japan. So, when Yu-Be came onto my radar, I was eager to try a new line. The Moisturizing Body Lotion that spread onto my hands surprised me, as did the slightly medicinal smell. But after 30 seconds the smell evaporated, and my skin was left supple. The body lotion didn’t cure the eczema on my right thumb (I didn’t expect it to), but it did help with the overall dryness. Yu-Be’s Moisturizing Skin Cream also had the smell at first and seemed to spread a bit greasy, but the next morning the result was, again, well-hydrated skin. They advertise that the lotion could be used on lips and I found, if needed, it could be an adequate lip balm substitute. The Foaming Skin Polish, which contains rice bran and bamboo and can be used on the face and body, effectively removed dead skin. Best of all, the polish is paraben and sulfate free. My second male tester tried out the Lip Therapy stick. (He even applied it before his training runs for the Boston Marathon.) The effects “lasted for about 30 minutes after an application” and he noted that his lips were soft and smooth. There was no smell and the stick contained no artificial colors or fragrances. - J o a n n e M . Ch o i www.colormagazineusa.com MAY 2010
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