NU Asian Magazine Winter 2012

an APAC publication Winter 2012 Issue 8, Vol. 1

LINING UP FOR

UNCLE SAM Asian-Americans and the warfront

PLUS: LGBT activist Lt. Dan Choi speaks on his experience in the army

Editor’s Note Dear readers,

Sincerely, Shirley Li Editor in Chief Interested in getting involved with NU Asian magazine? Please contact Shirley at xiaoyuli2013@u.northwestern.edu or nuasianeditor@gmail.com. Also check us out online: visit nuasian.wordpress.com for more!

Meet our staff Editor in Chief Shirley Li Managing Editors Cheryl Wang Wendi Gu Creative Director Erin Kim Photo and Art Director Nicky Nicholson-Klingerman Business Director Gladys Wu Web Editor Jia You APAC President & Assistant Editor Pavan Krishnamurthy

Writers Lauren Cervantes Jaeyoung Choi Emily Jan Martin Kim Hyerin Lee Alice Liu Nalin Natrajan Kerri Pang Carlin Sack Jeremy Seah Jia You Alan Yu Denise Zou Designers Hilary Fung Stephanie Kim KK Rebecca Lai Shirley Li Sarah Lowe Luke Siuty

Marketing Team Pavan Krishnamurthy Alison Liu Spencer Moon Jennifer Peiyi Tan Photographers Alice Liu Elena Westbrook

Published with support from Campus Progress, a division of the Center for American Progress. Online at CampusProgress.org

Adviser Louie Lainez Special thanks to: Asian American Studies Program, Asian and Middle East Studies Program, International Studies Program, Alumni Relations

NU Asian magazine is an APAC publication and is funded by the Student Activities Finance Board.

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ON THE COVER - UNCLE SAM: COURTESY OF AJ CANN / CREATIVE COMMONS | FLAGS: COURTESY OF ERICTEOH, JONATHAN O’DONNELL, RENE EHRHARDT AND PHILIP JAGENSTEDT / CREATIVE COMMONS

As college students, hardly any of us can imagine serving on the frontlines, gearing up thousands of miles away from loved ones. With our minds wrapped around endless exams and activities, how can we have time to think of those courageously fighting abroad?

Yet, as troops slowly trickle out of Iraq after the war officially ended in December, it’s more important than ever to salute our soldiers. Among them are Americans from all races and backgrounds, redefining the melting pot with which the U.S. prides itself. In particular, more and more Asian-Americans have dedicated their lives to the uniform in the past decade.

Our cover story (pg. 19-21) takes a look at the Asian-Americans who go above and beyond by choosing to serve for our country for numerous and sundry reasons. Despite their diverse backgrounds and cultural differences, these soldiers demonstrate the same patriotism and devotion as any other in the field. Following the cover story, LGBT rights activist and former officer Dan Choi discusses these challenges of being a stigmatized minority in our Q&A (pg. 22-23).

This issue also explores the efforts of Asian-Americans running Chicago’s Asian food trucks (pg. 15), as well as the award-winning Hyphen magazine, co-founded by a Medill alum (pg. 4). Plus, find what appeals to your taste buds with our guide to teas (pg. 11) and a look at one of Chicago’s favorite teahouses (pg. 12). Finally, our writers share their experiences abroad, from a trip to Kyrgyzstan (pg. 28) to life in Singapore (pg. 30).

I am tremendously proud of the hard work our new staff put into producing this winter issue. NU Asian is steadily growing, and we hope to continue to amplify the Asian-American voice.

As always, thank you for reading!

CONTENTS Campus 4 5 6 8

Alumni spotlight Club profile: Malaysian Club Studying Abroad in Asia “Non-Traditional” Majors

Chicago to Int’l Guide to Teas Chicago Teahouse Asian Food Trucks Koreatown Op-Ed Asian Americans in the Military 22 Dan Choi 24 Population 25 Japan: After the Earthquake BEIJING: COURTESY OF NAOMI NASON | BUBBLE TEA & KOREAN SIGN : S. LI / NU ASIAN | PARK: S. COURTESY OF EDWIN PARK | KYRGYZSTAN: C. WANG / NU ASIAN

11 12 15 16 18 19

6

Et cetera 26 27 28 30

Book Review Stir Fry vs. Sushi Kyrzgyzstan Singapore

12

8

28

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Punctuating The Asian-American Experience

Medill alum Melissa Hung talks founding award-winning Hyphen magazine

by Denise Zou

F

or young Asian individuals growing up in America, it may be hard to articulate their feelings on sensitive topics such as politics or race issues that strongly impact the AsianAmerican community because they do not know how to start such dialogue.

This is where Hyphen magazine comes in. A non-profit, volunteer-based effort, the publication pays tribute to the Asian-American arts community. Covering everything from politics to pop culture, Hyphen is decidedly nonmainstream. Its mission is to tell the stories which may not be told, and to represent the AsianAmerican population with accuracy, complexity and nuance, as well as showcase emerging Asian-American artists, singers and creators.

Hyphen’s success as a publication speaks of an existing demand for Asian-American journalism, and founding editor Melissa Hung, a graduate of Northwestern’s Class of 1999, understands this. Hung served as editor-in-chief for the first five years of the magazine’s life.

“Anything that’s been done at Hyphen, I’ve probably done it,” Hung said. “To this day, it’s still an all-volunteer effort, so people wear a lot of hats.”

While inspiring discussion, Hyphen never pushes issues or forces people to take sides.

“We wanted people to really enjoy the magazine, have fun with it, but also learn something. We hope they are learning about different issues with people in their community, and if you’re moved by this, you should take action in your personal life,” said Hung. She explained that it is important to Hyphen “to build a socially and politically aware community through dialogue,

through media and through our cultural events.”

Coming to Northwestern from Houston, Hung said she was alarmed by the lack of an AsianAmerican presence. The school did not offer an Asian-American Studies program, and though Hung worked in many Asian organizations with her good friend Bernice Yeung and wrote proposals to establish one, the response was slow.

In 2002, Hung and Yeung were working with the Asian-American arts community in California when the closing of national, Harvard-based a.Magazine, the once premier Asian-American magazine, created a new unfulfilled demand for Asian-American media. Immediately, Hung and Yeung started throwing around ideas for a new publication. Hung and Yeung’s cause attracted young journalists and artists from the surrounding San Francisco area, and Hyphen Magazine was born.

Growth as a publication has been 10 years in the making, and the magazine underwent plenty of trial and error.

“You know, you’re not just starting a publication but a business,” Hung said. “We didn’t know anything about business, so we really had to learn the industry from the ground up.”

Hung has dedicated a decade of her life to Hyphen. In return it’s given her a few gray hairs, but Hung has nothing but kind words for her and Yeung’s brainchild. “It’s been incredible being part of this community of people who are really passionate about expressing the Asian-American voice, passionate about politics, highlighting issues in our community, highlighting up-andcoming people in our community,” she said. “To see it going for 10 years on volunteer power and

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Hung currently directs WritersCorps, an award-winning program that brings creative writing to youth while providing jobs to artists.

Hyphen magazine is available in most major cities. Northwestern students can pick up a copy at Chicago-Main newsstand in Evanston.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MELISSA HUNG

In 2006, Hyphen won Best Cover award from Independent Press Association. Their Body Issue depicted Yusuke Miyashita immersed in a bathtub of edamame.

the passion of the people, that’s really inspiring.”

“We’re just doing what we did at Northwestern but in a slightly bigger context.”

campus

Meet Northwestern’s Malaysian Club The “Cilipadi” gives tips on experiencing Malaysian culture by Jeremy Seah

CLUB: PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA LOON | (BEACH) M. SOLMI | (TOWERS) C. SURYA | (SOUP) J. LAM / CREATIVE COMMONS

C

alling themselves “Cilipadi,” a small but extremely hot type of chili Malaysians often include in their food, Northwestern’s Malaysian Club serves to help Malaysian students adjust to life in the United States and also acts as an ambassador of Malaysian culture.

Interested in getting a taste of Malaysian cuisine in Evanston or Chicago? The members of Cilipadi recommend heading down to the Malaysian Students Department office in Downtown Evanston (820 Davis St.) to experience Malaysianstyle hospitality firsthand. The staff members there, Aunty and Kak or Abang (Kak means big sister and Abang means big brother in Malay), are all eager to feed students homemade Malaysian food.

Otherwise, one could also head down to Penang in Arlington Heights, which serves a wide variety of delicious and authentic home-styled dishes. Must-try Malaysian dishes include Asam Laksa, a dish with rice noodles served in spicy sour fish soup, topped with a variety of greens and thick sweet shrimp paste. In fact, it’s ranked seventh on CNN’s World’s 50 most delicious foods.

Penang also serves Nasi Lemak, a fragrant coconut-flavored dish with spicy shrimp chili paste, crispy fried anchovies, fresh cucumbers and a hard-boiled egg. Finally, another featured dish is Char Kuey Tiaw, or stir-fried flat noodle, traditionally cooked over a hot charcoal fire, usually with a generous portion of eggs, shrimp and cockles.

If you’re heading down to Malaysia for vacation or work, Cilipadi also has recommendations. For beautiful beaches, cheap local food and religious diversity, head to the northwestern state and island of Penang. Alternatively, if you prefer more metropolitan surroundings, take a trip into the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur. There, you’ll be spoilt for choice with excellent shopping, and don’t forget to see the beautifully designed Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004.

Always keen to expand on the awareness of Malaysian culture on campus, Cilipadi warmly welcomes any student, Malaysian or not, to attend their meetings and events, starting with South East Asian Night in February, an annual show organized jointly by all the Southeast Asian cultural groups.

This year, it will feature delicious food as well as a catwalk showcasing traditional and contemporary costumes from each cultural group.

Top: Northwestern Malaysian club; Bottom left: Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur; Middle: Beach at Penang; Bottom right: Asam Laksa (soup)

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ON THIS PAGE — Top left: Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China; Top right: Badi Lake in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India; Bottom left: Fort in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, India; Bottom right: Tagong Monastery in Sichuan, China. ON THE RIGHT PAGE — Old City in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANIELLE LITTMAN AND NAOMI NASON

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campus

Challenging The Culture Comfort Zone

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DANIELLE LITTMAN AND NAOMI NASON

Study abroad students chase the extreme educational experience in Asia by Carlin Sack Interest in studying abroad in Asian countries is increasing among Northwestern students. According to International Program Development Study Abroad Coordinator Karey Fuhs, students who choose to study in Asia are not looking for a traditional study abroad experience.

Instead of the traditional study abroad experience of taking classes in Europe and visiting tourist attractions, many Northwestern students are now choosing to study abroad in emerging Asian countries. In the 2010 to 2011 school year, 12.6 percent of Northwestern students who studied abroad, or 95 students, did so in Asian countries.

Most students who choose to study in Asia are aware of the extreme cultural differences when they pick the program and are willing to deal with this challenge, according to Naomi Nason, a Medill junior who is currently studying in China for a Council on International Educational Exchange language intensive program.

“China’s not a place that you say, ‘Hey, I might as well go there, and we’ll see if I like it,’” Nason said. “I’m here because I speak the language, and I want to improve my language skills.”

Danielle Littman, a School of Communications junior who participated in Northwestern’s Global Engagement Summer Institute (GESI) program in India for two months this summer, said she was aware of the cultural differ-

ences when she enrolled in the program.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the culture and the food,” Littman said. “I knew that [studying in India] was something so incredibly different from my everyday life, and I think I wanted to put myself way out of my comfort zone. And I did. It was absolutely difficult.”

These differences in daily activities such as shopping and eating, as well as in community structure, like the smallness of the community Littman worked in, set Littman’s study abroad experience apart.

Nason also said her daily life as a student abroad differs significantly from her life as a student in America, and she thinks the extreme cultural differences are something a student studying in Europe would not find.

“It’s a lot harder to deal with day-to-day life here [in China],” Nason said. “There are times when I break down.

Being in China is really hard on an American student. I’m getting a much more in-depth cultural experience than someone who is in a European country where there’s a lot of similarities in the culture.”

Additionally, Littman’s experience was atypical. she participated in the GESI program, which placed her in a community to live and work with an organization six days a week.

GESI focuses on looking at a community’s assets

as a means to make progress and assigns two or three students to become completely immersed in that community for two months in the summer.

“You’re very vulnerable,” Littman said. “I think that being in [a] place where you’re living and working there gets you the closest you can to actually experiencing the culture.”

According to Fuhs, students who choose to study abroad in Asian countries like China tend to cite their future career goals as a reason for studying abroad. In her experience, students who study abroad in China are “students who are interested in business and economics and really many more fields [and] make an effort to learn Chinese to go to China to develop relationships with Chinese businesses.”

Because businesses based in Asian countries often have a large presence in the economy, Northwestern students take this into account and use the opportunity to study abroad as a way to learn about the cultural and economic history of countries like China.

“China is this economic power that has a very unique history in terms of economic development,” said Fuhs.

“It’s definitely becoming more and more of an investment partner.”

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Have Your Cake And Eat It Too A Asian-American students double up to pursue their interests by Kerri Pang

Edwin Park, sophomore RTVF major

s a Chinese-American, Lilly Liu’s political science major and dance minor inevitably draw skeptical judgments from the Asian-American community.

“While some people see the value in being interdisciplinary, others don’t,” Liu said. “Many think I’m just wasting time on my schedule.”

As an Asian-American, it is nearly impossible to completely abandon the pressures and expectations passed on from prior generations. For example, young AsianAmericans are seemingly obliged to take their parents’ opinions into consideration, and many find it challenging to veer from traditional career paths like medicine, engineering or law.

On first impression, Weinberg sophomore Liu’s choice of study seems to be far from the conventional career track that many Asian-Americans would pursue.

However, Liu is a student in Northwestern’s Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME), and is hence on a secured path to becoming a doctor as well as her degree.

“I don’t think I’ll ever have the balls to be just a dance major,” Liu said. “My parents don’t care about what I do as long as I don’t fail out of HPME.” Today’s young Asian-Americans seem to find ways to both appease their parents and also pursue their personal interests. Liu admits that she feels indebted to her parents for their struggles in providing her a good education and life in America.

“I think all Asian-Americans are subconsciously influenced by what their parents push them to do. If I weren’t born into an Asian-American family, pursuing dance would have been more of an option,” Liu said.

Admittedly, as young Asian-American students mature, they realize that beneath the harsh expectations and stern parenting is an honest desire for their child’s well -being. When Korean-American sophomore Edwin Park told his parents about his decision to pursue a film major, both were skeptical and expressed concern.

“No matter what an Asian parent works as, deep down they want their kid to go to an Ivy League school, get a great job and earn amazing money,” he said. “They just want the best for you, and they mark that with monetary value and not necessarily happiness because they live with such a utilitarian mindset.”

By understanding the struggles that his parents endured after immigrating to the United States, Park sees the genuine concern they have for him in his pursuit of a film major. Park, like Liu, is also on a premedical track with intents of eventually becoming a doctor. He said he chose film out of fear of “being a premed, a desk job lackey and of having a generic job.”

Although he takes his parents’ concerns into account, he remains persistent in his belief of pursuing what he’s truly passionate in: making film and helping people.

“I realized on my own that I wanted to help people, so I actually came to premed myself,” Park said. “You don’t have to be premedical to be successful. If you know

8 | NU ASIAN

PHOTOS COURTESY OF E. PARK AND L. HONG

Communication sophomore Lynn Hong majors in film studies

campus

PHOTOS COURTESY OF E. PARK AND L. HONG

Park on the set of a film shoot.

you’re good at something, don’t doubt yourself.”

The disjunction between each generation’s measures of a successful life is an apparent one. While the older generation marks success by income level, today’s Asian-American young adults have grown out of that mindset and are starting to live out the ever-popular saying of “following your heart.”

“I feel like my parents have devoted [so] much time and money and security into their jobs that they’ve lost certain things like intimacy in their marriage,” Park said. “They’ve lost simple basic human things that I believe counts for a successful life.”

Contrary to both Liu and Park, who paired unconventional interests with the more conventional premedical track, Communications sophomore Lynn Hong is one of the few AsianAmerican students who chooses to solely major in film studies.

“My parents told me that as much as I’m interested in pop culture industry, I can’t make a living out of it, and I have to do something practical, like go into business,” Hong said. “They do have a point. But why do something that you don’t enjoy?”

The fact that more Asian-American students

“I chose film because I was so afraid of being a pre-med, a desk job lackey, and of having a generic job.” are willing to venture out of the traditional areas of study is, perhaps, an earnest and hopeful step to breaking the stereotypes that they commonly face. In particular, Hong realized that the film industry is a world in which Asian-Americans evidently lack representation.

However, defying the norm is far from being an easy path. While one may be determined to pursue a specific field of study, it is inevitable that the individual will still have to face opinions and criticisms from family and peers alike.

“If I tell fellow Asian-American students, who are typically science majors, that I’m a film major, they tell me, ‘Oh! That’s nice,’” Hong said, laughing. “I don’t think they look down on me. It’s more of a, ‘good luck with that!’”

Without a doubt, not all Asian-Americans are on a premedical track. Not all Asian-American students lack diversity in their interests, and not all Asian-American students on the premedical track are doing it because they were pressured into doing so. Much depth and diversity still persist beyond the stereotyped surface of the Asian-American community on campus.

“Sometimes I wonder where I’m going with my film major,” Hong said. “But I like being different.

It would guile me if I were to do something I don’t enjoy. That’s what I fear the most.”

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6 campus

THINGS

SASA

YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

T

he 2000 census introduced new categories to better assess U. S. population dynamics, and one of those categories was AsianIndian American, to avoid confusion with American Indian (Native Americans). The term “Asian-American” as well as the community is highly contested, and this controversy stems from the imposition of a racial category to which many South Asians do not feel they belong.

While 90 percent of Indian-Americans selfidentify as Asian Indian on U.S. census forms, many cannot be entirely sure of the identity politics in play. This type of soft identification allows for a shared identity to develop, but how permeable is identity for Asian-Indian Americans in regards to the Asian-American community at Northwestern University?

The South Asian Student Association (SASA) represents bifurcated politics at Northwestern that aims to promote culture, community, advocacy and service, and this multi-faceted mission is further complicated by ethnic rigidity among South Asians generally as well as differences that may hinder cooperation.

However, SASA seems to be striking a balance.

As SASA grows and expands, it will have to meet the growing needs of multi-faceting identity and better integrate into the broader AsianAmerican and multicultural community, not only for pragmatic reasons such as organizational ease, but to build stronger coalitions among a variety of advocacies.

by Pavan Krishnamurthy

SASA Fo

An end rmal celebrateof the year form Though the success of al to members mostly attendeSASA. event we of the group d by , lcomes a ll studen the ts.

Show The SASA but is

ed not limit nd s, e a d r lu c a g This in wn Su l gra, Bro n annua a to Bhan is , and s that V p A u H ro B g U y N n A of the ma estern showcase e broader Northw th se o comp unity. an comm South Asi

Devon Indian Association

SASA is working on partnering with the Devon Indian Association and establishing a studentmentor program with bus inessmen, engineers, physicians and any other professionals that are active in Devon’s Indian Association .

gement

ic Civic Enga

Multi-ethn

ice annual serv e ates in an ip ng ic ha rt C pa e SASA d By th sites cago calle day in Chi r at various sing ee nt lu vo ea cr in as where they jobs such lping performing ration or simply he st gi . re ns o voting donati h clothing sort throug

Coalition

of Colors SASA, alo ng with Fo r M Allianza, Asian Pa embers Only, cific Am Coalition erican a n d Mu Students Cu Associatio slim n (McSA), ltural the board sits on o a meta-org f the Coalition of C olors, anization th outlet for multi-cultu at acts as an ral advoca cy.

n McSA Collaboratiolon g history

have a r SASA and McSA , and whethe of cooperation an event or a g in co-sponsorin ent their commitm lecture series, anding is rst de un l ra ltu to cross-cu commendable.

The author would like to thank Preeya Goyal, copresident of NU SASA, for her time and insight.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PREEYA GOYAL

Photos from the 2011 SASA show

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chicago

What’s Your Cup Of Tea? Find the herbal alternative to your morning coffee

by Wendi Gu

Oolong Tea Not as popular as its counterparts, Oolong is still a favorite among Chinese and Japanese people. Oolong’s most unique quality is its slightly bitter taste and sweet aftertaste. Some people claim it tastes like cardboard, but its lower caffeine content makes it more soothing than the rest of its more heavily caffeinated friends.

Brands to try out:

Prince of Peace Organic Oolong Tea, $2.

Bigelow Tea, Chinese Oolong, $4.

Ginseng Tea Originally a health tea, Ginseng is known to boost the immune system and reduce stress. The only downside is, well, that it tastes like ginseng—with an interesting coppery and slightly sweet flavor. Add a little bit of rock sugar for a nice kick.

Brands to try out:

This is one of the best teas to consume during the summer, as chrysanthemum tea has amazing cooling properties. The taste is light, subtle and almost minty.

The “leaves” are actually small chrysanthemum flowers, so watch them unfold when submerged in hot water.

Brands to try out:

Health King Herbal Tea, $4.

Bigelow Tea Organic White Tea with Raspberry and Chrysanthemum, $3.

Jasmine Tea One of the best-smelling, most fragrant teas out there, jasmine is also known to boost metabolism and promote weight loss. The taste, however, depending on the brand and mix, can sometimes be a little bitter, and almost soapy.

Brands to try out:

Teavana Jasmine Tea, $12.50.

Twinings Jasmine Tea $6.

E. CHOW / NU ASIAN

Republic of Tea Honey Ginseng Green Tea, $9.

Dynasty Ginseng Tea, $2.

Chrysanthemum Tea

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Chicago teahouses

Just 15 years ago, only 200 teahouses existed in the United States. The New York-based Tea Association of the USA says that there are almost 3000 today.

E. JAN / NU ASIAN

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chicago

Bubble Tea Is

BLISS Visiting One Of Chinatown’s Favorite Teahouses

by Emily Jan

If you are craving some authentically Asian fare, look no further than Saint’s Alp Teahouse in Chinatown. A short walk from the Cermak-Chinatown stop on the Red line of the El, this vibrant and bustling tea emporium in the heart of Chinatown is open until midnight and boasts some of the most bona fide bubble tea in the Chicagoland area.

Raised by true Taiwanese parents (my mother had a threeyear stint opening and operating her very own bubble tea store), I’ve always been on the lookout for exceptional tea. Saint‘s Alp was a recommendation by a friend of a friend, and I had to give it a chance.

Based in Hong Kong, this prolific tea chain was established in 1994. Their concept was to bring the Taiwanese teahouse to China. It has now found a home in more than 40 locations in China and Malaysia, but there are only three in the United States. Narrow that to just one coveted shop in Chicago, and you’ve got Saint’s Alp at 2131 S. Archer Ave. While their menu is nowhere near as expansive as Joy Yee’s, the tea is certainly tastier, and around the same price. The small bubbles, more akin to tapioca found in pudding than other bubble tea dispensaries, are chewy and sweet. I ordered

a coconut milk tea, which had a deliciously strong tea flavor accented with a sweet coconut kick. My friend tried their mango green tea, which also had a very aromatic, almost-overwhelming green tea taste. Teas come in both hot and cold varieties, and you have the option to include tapioca bubbles in your drink.

The thing about Saint’s Alp is that it’s not just a teahouse.

You have to try their food too. My friend and I split an order of the Salt and Pepper Fried Chicken and Japanese Curry Rice. The chicken was nostalgically similar to the kind I’d buy in Taiwanese street markets, with a light breading and plenty of salt and pepper. The rice dish was enough to feed a small family. We ended up taking most of the dish, a curried blend of rice, chicken, peas, carrots and pineapple, home for a latenight snack.

It’s a bustling scene at Saint’s Alp on a weekday night, full of citrus-themed décor, indecipherable Asian background music and hoards of young Asians. Stopping by during their Tea Time special hours from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. will assure you their best deal on snacks and appetizers. Just don’t forget to upgrade your tea to a jumbo.

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Joy Yee’s

Multiple locations in Chicago and Evanston Imagine delicious smoothies, freezes, iced teas and juices of every imaginable fruit and flavor. Now pair that with Joy Yee’s soft and smooth tapioca pearls, and you’ll find yourself in bubble tea seventh heaven. Offering the widest variety of bubble tea flavors of any establishment in Chicago, from the exotic Taro Tapioca Crystal Jelly Freeze to traditional Milk Tea with Tapioca, there is a flavor to suit all tastes at Joy Yee’s. Together with a menu that boasts an impressive variety of Asian cuisine, Joy Yee’s offers perhaps the most comprehensive AsianAmerican dining experience in Chicago.

Java Bubble Tea House

5108 N. Broadway St. Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 944-0110 Quenching the bubble tea cravings of the residents of North Chicago, Java Bubble Tea House offers an array of milk tea and green tea flavored bubble teas plus its special “Asian-Style Smoothies,” which are heavenly concoctions made with fresh fruit, sugar, ice and sweetened condensed milk. Pair them up with some delightful fruit jelly for a burst of fruity flavor, or chewy tapioca pearls for something more conventional. While not offering the same variety as Joy Yee’s, their Asian-Style Smoothies are absolutely to die for. Make sure to order the mango or lychee flavored smoothies for best results.

It’s Tapioca Time!

Ranking the best bubble tea in Chicagoland

by Jeremy Seah

Chill Bubble Tea

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BUBBLE TEA: S. LI / NU ASIAN | MENU: PHOTO COURTESY OF R. DIESTERHEFT

7154 Carpenter Rd., Skokie, IL 60077 (847) 763-8888 Located in the Chicago suburbs of Skokie and Schaumburg, Chill Bubble Tea distinguishes itself from other joints by serving up a more luxurious mix of bubble tea. Boasting only high-quality imported teas in their drinks, order the standard milk tea with pearls to truly taste the difference. For all you sweet-tooths out there, sip on the Marshmallow Puff or Cotton Candy drinks for your daily sugar rush. Chocoholics—or those feeling some school pride—should definitely try the intriguingsounding Purple Oreo blend.

chicago

Chicago’s Asian food trucks struggle to survive by Martin Kim

C

hicago is a gustatory city. Whether it’s Chicago-style hot dogs or high-end restaurants, the city is filled with places to eat and experience eating. Influenced by both the atmosphere of Chicago and the example of cities like Los Angeles, Chicago chefs and entrepreneurs have started to bring fusion food onto the streets by using food trucks.

Food trucks—mobile restaurants that require less capital than their brick and mortar counterparts—are nothing new. The streets of LA are swarmed with trucks selling everything from cupcakes to macaroni and cheese, but this is a relatively new phenomenon in Chicago. The city’s ordinances forbid the operation of food trucks that cook on board, but that hasn’t stopped people from rolling out onto the streets.

Amy Le, the 32-year-old owner of DuckNRoll food trucks, specializes in banh mi, a Vietnamese sandwich typically consisting of a French baguette, meat and pickled daikon. “There is definitely a banh mi boom going on—in LA there is a banh mi sandwich shop on every corner,” she said.

However, she notes that outside of Argyle, it is hard to find banh mi. Le started DuckNRoll with a partner, putting a modern spin on the banh mi and borrowing flavors from all over Asia. The advantage of food trucks, according to Le, lies in the ability to bring unique tastes to the streets.

“People are trying new things when they buy from us on the street,” said Le. “That’s what Chicago is all about. We are a food town and food trucks are helping us build a culinary community.”

Thirty-three-year-old Michael Maloney started Homage Street Food with his wife Elaine after originally planning to open a restaurant. When it became clear that they had insufficient funding, they decided to start a food truck instead. The concept behind Homage Street Food, which serves a mixture of Korean, Peruvian, African and Brazilian dishes, is to “pay homage to these cuisines,” according to Maloney. “But we don’t want to compete with or replace anyone’s childhood dishes.”

Still, Chicago doesn’t make it easy for food truck owners. Perhaps spurred by the negative

stereotype of food trucks as “roach coaches,” unhygienic carriers of disease and bad food, Chicago has yet to repeal the ban on food trucks that cook on board. Instead, Maloney and others have to prepare their food before selling it.

The resulting compromise is frustrating for Maloney. “We lose so much about what we can do.

We can’t cook what we want to,” he said. Because of these limitations, Homage Street Food’s menu is smaller than its catering menu.

Wagyu Wagon chef and owner Aaron Crumbaugh, 32, doesn’t mince words. “Without a doubt the ordinance is ridiculous and stupid,” said Crumbaugh. “I cook in my truck. I go out and break the

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AMY LE

“People are trying new things when they buy from us on the street. That’s what Chicago is all about.” law. That’s a risk I take.”

Though he is sure that the ordinance will be repealed, Crumbaugh said that the only opposition comes from Chicago officials who have ties to restaurants. “They think we’ll take business away.

Well, if they don’t want that, they should cook better food and provide better service,” he said.

Despite the restrictions, food trucks continue to operate in Chicago.

“The food truck movement is filled with these young aspiring chefs that want to experiment and create new food,” said Le. Le went to great lengths to perfect her banh mi sandwiches, going as far as spending a week in LA looking for the right kind of bread, as well as replacing the traditional pickled daikon with a concoction of red cabbage and Fuji apples tossed in a vinaigrette. She slow cooks the meat, usually up to eight hours, and puts it all together into something that captures the essence of the traditional “sweet, sour and spicy” trifecta of Asian food.

WINTER 2012 | 15

chicago

Welcome to

Seoul Drive Devolution of Chicago’s Koreatown creates diversity by Shirley Li

16 | NU ASIAN

S. LI/ NU ASIAN

Along West Lawrence Avenue, signs hanging from street lamps say “Albany Park: Gateway to the World.” Officially designated as “Seoul Drive” by Chicago, the neighborhood’s slogan is appropriate. After all, Albany Park is considered Chicago’s Koreatown.

S. LI/ NU ASIAN

chicago

But don’t be fooled by this nickname. Despite it, Chicago’s Koreatown is nothing like other immigrant communities and stretches just a few blocks between Kedzie and Pulaski, near the end of the Brown Line. According to KoreAm Magazine, the Albany Park neighborhood had been called Chicago’s Koreatown since at least the 1980s, when predominantly Korean immigrants arrived.

As the years passed, Koreatown became less of a commercial hub for Korean businesses.

Take a stroll along the avenue now, and you’ll see the Korean shop signs blend in with those of Mexican restaurants, Italian pizza places, Middle Eastern bakeries and a Dunkin’ Donuts here and there. What was once the heart of Korean culture in Chicago has since dissipated.

For Sik Son, the executive director of Chicago’s Korean American Resource and Cultural Center, the devolution of Koreatown began around 1995 when Koreans moved away from the city center and into the northern suburbs.

“I think they are searching for better opportunities for their kids,” he said. “I think they are looking for good schools. There were a lot of Korean businesses in the area but not anymore.”

In fact, “Koreatown” can nowadays be considered a misnomer for the neighborhood.

What was once the area with the highest single Korean population in the city at 11.6 percent, according to the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission, has become one of many “miniKoreatowns” in Illinois. As Koreans dispersed, they created new, smaller communities in the state, unlike other immigrant communities, such as the densely-populated Chinatown or the

popular Greektown.

But with the emigration of its community came the influx of other immigrants. Son said the area grew more diverse after its principal culture moved away.

“I think that area has a very diverse population right now,” he said. “That’s a good thing. I’ve heard a lot of languages, all different languages. I see Mexican, Italian and Middle Eastern stores and I think it’s good to have that kind of diversity.”

Still, it’s easy to spot remnants of the flourishing Koreatown from decades ago. The Korean flavor emanates from Korean-owned bakeries and restaurants, while the Korean businesses that stayed behind open their doors to new populations.

One restaurant tucked toward the end of Seoul Drive has continued to prosper generation after generation. Located on the corner of West Lawrence Ave. at 4201, the Ssyal Ginseng House has been passed down the family and continues to serve traditional samgaetang, or ginseng chicken soup. According to various signs hanging throughout the restaurant, the soup can “overcome fatigue, lower stress level and improve appetites.”

For fresh Korean groceries, visit the Arirang Supermarket on 4017 West Lawrence Ave. or stop by the Lawrence Fish Market a few blocks down at 3914 West Lawrence Ave. Korean video stores and bakeries also line Seoul Drive, each offering a delicious slice of Korean culture.

Ultimately, the dispersed population has created new communities around the state but also makes it hard for Korean-Americans to

unite. Unlike the Koreatown in Los Angeles, the largest in the United States, the various miniKoreatowns created in the last decade in Illinois hurt the unity of Korean-Americans.

“Right now, we have a Korean population that’s spread thin around the state,” Son said.

“That’s one of the challenges our organization is facing. People are everywhere.”

The KRCC, Son explained, is an advocacy and service organization based in Chicago that aims to empower the Korean-American community through different activities and educational programs. Hoping to assimilate Korean immigrants into American culture, the KRCC offers social services and tries to “help the Korean people become active citizens of the state.”

Son’s job has gotten harder over the years and in a way, has demonstrated the changes in Albany Park.

“If you had a Koreatown with a dense population, it would be better. It would be more visible, and we could work together to make it better,” he said. “The KRCC program reflects the changing demography in the area.”

But Son says he is optimistic about the diversity in the area and the progression of the neighborhood. Not all immigrant hubs are like Chinatown, and with as diverse a city as Chicago, it’s only natural to see the evolution in demographics in these neighborhoods.

“It used to be only Koreans who attended our programs, but not anymore,” Son said. “We are a very diverse population. The Korean-Americans in the suburbs, that’s our challenge. We’re trying to get resources to work in suburbs, too.”

WINTER 2012 | 17

national Op-ed: What Is The Future Of Asian-American Studies? by Pavan Krishnamurthy As I wrap up my senior year at Northwestern, I have developed certain opinions I never thought I would hold. Before starting my undergraduate studies, I considered color-blindness as the solution to racism and I believed that drawing distinctions between races reinforced stereotypes. But I became more involved in the Asian-American community at Northwestern through the Asian Pacific American Coalition, and when I was elected president, I thought it was about time I declare a minor in Asian-American studies to investigate Asian-American academia and politics. Through the last four years, I believe I have found how to make this scholarship academically sustainable.

Consolidating the meaning of Asian-American Growing up in Dallas with so few Indians and East Asians, I was lumped into what I perceived as an innocuous Asian-American identity. At Northwestern, I saw Indians reject their Asian identity, Chinese-Americans dividing on ethnic lines, and Muslim South Asians aligning with Islamic culture over race. While I respected their decisions, I was confused, because I have always been a firm believer in multi-faceted identity.

These problems of identity have been noted

by Asian-American scholars for quite some time.

The self-imposed limits established by AsianAmerican activists from the 70s emphasized the fact that Asian-American is not a cultural entity but rather one that arises from the exigencies posed by racialization in the United States. The movement now builds solidarity around the very category that has been used to racialize,

homogenize and oppress those within it. This pragmatic understanding has been the very thing that has allowed for some progress in AsianAmerican civil rights, but academia can do more.

Coalitions in the academy The growth of ethnic studies and scholarship concerning intersectionality has led to the decentralization of academia of race relations.

Though many methods and comparisons can be derived between African-American, LatinAmerican and Asian-American studies, these disciplines remain relatively isolated.

Academia needs to be restructured. As different diasporas overlap, fuse and rearticulate, nuances of ethnic and American studies must be resolved, and the current decentralized American studies academia will not be effective when dealing with the plethora of research topics in the years to come. I hope as multiculturalism is further established in the United States, ethnic and racial studies coalesce in a manner that allows for more efficient research distribution, as well as comparative studies grounded in transferable frameworks and methodology.

Engaging the sleeping giant Civic engagement among Asian-Americans is rising, even though there are significant differences across various Asian national-origin groups. When Asian-Americans do participate, they are not significantly recognized and thus are viewed as less influential by policymakers.

Asian-Americans are a sleeping giant in political terms. I am not sure if there is a stigma around Asian-American scholars engaged politics, but

the community needs activists. Asian-American scholars should understand their role in activism, and aggressively engage in politics.

A forgotten history Unfortunately, Asian-American activism is often forgotten or dismissed. Many are unaware of the Asian-American protests at Northwestern that drew media attention during the mid-90s hunger strikes, when Asian-Americans and other minority groups demanded an Asian-American studies program. After many failed compromises from the Northwestern administration, one was established. These activists from Northwestern and other institutions are now the professors teaching and passing on Asian-American history.

However, the movement has been placated. As I see classes in the Asian-American studies at Northwestern getting cut and in some cases professors being asked to leave, I have to ask myself: Where is the outrage? I cannot speak from an administrative standpoint, but I assume this is a product of supply and demand.

Ultimately, if not enough people are signing up, Asian-American studies programs will lose resources. Students must become re-engaged.

If every Asian-American student took just one Asian-American studies class at Northwestern, this wouldn’t be a problem. Twenty-first century Asian-American politics represent the fastest growing political demographic. If we stand idly by, discussions of the model minority myth and perpetual foreignness will be the sole crux of our scholarship for another decade, and I for one am yearning for more.

chicago

Gearing Up

Asian-American military enlistment is on the rise

by Jaeyoung Choi

19 | NU ASIAN

ILLUSTRATION BY E. KKCHOW R. LAI / / NU NU ASIAN ASIAN

The U.S. military has noticed an unusual phenomenon. In the past several years, there has been a dramatic surge in Asian-American recruits, with the Los Angeles Battalion witnessing an astounding 80 percent increase in 2009 from the previous year. In several Asian countries, such as South Korea and Singapore, military service of nearly two years is mandatory for all able males over the age of 18. Some try to find ways to evade the service, others to mitigate their terms, but most grudgingly go to fulfill their duties.

NATIONAL

"One thing remains certain: The U.S. military is increasingly becoming more reflective of the true demographics of the country."

20 | NU ASIAN

the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. Army can help pay for college in up to $80,000 in tuition aid. The Army also offers training in more than 150 job programs and career disciplines and provides salary, retirement pay, health care and housing benefits. In the recent economic downturn, many Asian-Americans are choosing to serve in the Army to avoid college debt. The U.S. military appears to be actively promoting its educational benefits to potential recruits.

Samuel Jang, a junior pre-med student at Northwestern, states that after taking the MCATs he received an email from the Air Force. It very temptingly read: "Are you planning on going to Medical school? If so, consider an Air Force Health Professions Scholarship…

It pays for tuition, books and most fees.

The HPSP also gives students a monthly stipend for living expenses while you attend the school of your choice. This arrangement takes a huge financial worry off students’ minds and allows them to dedicate time for learning. Through the Air Force, these scholarships are offered for three, and four-year terms.

In exchange for the scholarship, your commitment to the Air Force is to serve as an active-duty member with a yearfor-year repayment, with a minimum obligation of three years."

Ken Mochizuki, co-author of Heroes, a book about Asians in the military, suggests that another reason for the recent increase in Asian-American recruitment is that the United States

PHOTOS COURTESY OF WARREN CHOI

And who can blame them for their reluctance? Imagine leaving Northwestern, family and friends for almost two years to train in an environment that is both physically and mentally demanding. What then explains this dramatic increase of Asian-American recruits in the all-volunteer U.S. Army?

Throughout history, AsianAmericans have consistently remained one of the ethnicities with the lowest rates of military volunteerism. Asian families tended to emphasize the pursuit of higher education or white-collar jobs over service in the military.

The trend, however, has been changing. The Los Angeles Times, for example, reported that Asian-Americans made up 22 percent of all active-duty recruits in Los Angeles County in 2009, almost twice the percentage of the AsianAmerican population in the county. The Southern California Recruiting Battalion also reported the biggest recruiting year in two decades with a 33 percent increase in Asian recruits. Even in New York, Voice of America reported in 2010 that Asian-Americans made up 14 percent of army recruits, though they comprised only 10 percent of New York City’s population. Perhaps most astoundingly, the Los Angeles Battalion recorded an 80 percent increase in Asian-American recruits from its previous year.

What are some possible explanations for this phenomenon? One chief reason appears to be the military’s enhanced education benefits, particularly its college fund assistance. According to

NATIONAL

Warren Choi and his friends at the Naval Aademy

is no longer at war with Asian countries. In previous generations, the United States was fighting the Japanese in World War II and then the Koreans and Vietnamese. Because the United States is no longer fighting Asian countries, the current generation of AsianAmericans is less apprehensive about joining the military.

The U.S. Army also offers a unique benefit that appeals to many Asians: American citizenship. A new program of the Army offers citizenship to candidates with health care specialties and language expertise. Many Asians are in America through student visas which prohibit them from working in the United States. Those who want to remain and work need to obtain green cards or citizenship, both quite difficult to attain. The Army provides a unique solution in which Koreans have particularly shown interest. The Los Angeles Times reported that in Los Angeles, 266 Koreans applied for 48 available slots in the Korean language category, making it the second fastest category to close.

Warren Choi, an Asian-American in the Naval Academy, provided further insight into why Asian-Americans are increasingly joining the armed forces. Choi a senior at the academy who has decided to become a marine officer, needs five years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps after graduation.

Choi initially chose this path, starting with

enrolling in a federal service academy rather than the typical college or university, because of several reasons, with one specific to his ethnicity. He explained that Asian-Americans, whether from their distinctive looks or their native culture, face a unique obstacle in American society: They are often not entirely accepted or perceived as being American, even if they were born and bred in the United States. This gap, Choi states, can often be overcome by military service. There is prestige and honor associated with the uniform that is unique to the United States. Those who serve are seen unequivocally as loyal and patriotic, as American. The uniform, he explains, opens the door for Asian-Americans to enter mainstream society. Powerful people in the United States, including CEOs and politicians, often have backgrounds in the military.

More Asian-American recruitment, however, does not necessarily translate into more Asian-Americans in the front lines. Voice of America writes that most Asian-Americans are found in non-combat jobs than as frontline combatants. Many non-combat jobs exist for military recruits including technical, computer service and medical support. These jobs have the additional advantage of later carrying over to civilian life after the end of their military term.

As explored, many reasons exist for the recent influx of Asian-American recruits in the

U.S. military, but all motives are not strictly for the benefits.

For some Asian-Americans, their decision to join the armed forces stemmed from their appreciation of the United States. Nikkei View, an Asian-American blog which describes a man who went into the army to repay the United States for helping his family after the Vietnam War. The sentiment, he states, is a common one among younger AsianAmericans who underwent the Vietnam War experience. Kim also explains that there are many Korean-Americans in the U.S. military because they appreciate the influential role the United States played in the Korean War. Therefore, the recent surge in AsianAmerican recruits in the U.S. army can be attributed to many factors. For some, it is the education and financial benefits, U.S. citizenship, or the honor and prestige of the uniform. For others, it is a way to overcome the gap of being a minority and thus, gain acceptance and otherwise elusive opportunities. And still for others, it is a way to give thanks to the United States. Although the chief reason for the surge cannot be ascertained, one thing remains certain: The U.S. military is increasingly becoming more reflective of the true demographics of the country, including the more than 17 million Americans of Asian decent.

WINTER 2012 | 21

national

Solitary Soldier Activist Lt. Dan Choi talks being Asian and gay in the military by Alan Yu

D

an Choi was never a G.I. Joe fan. The child of a veteran and a war orphan, he decided to enlist because he wanted to serve a greater cause, and because he saw Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. He served in Iraq from 2006 to 2007, but was discharged after revealing his sexual orientation.

Choi is now a full-time activist and plans to re-enlist.

How was the military different for an Asian-American soldier?

My brother warned me right before [I enlisted] that I would face racism. In elementary school, I was sometimes the only Asian in my entire class, and it was the same at West Point. I was the only Asian in my entire dorm, in academic classes, and especially when I did sports like rugby. There aren’t many Asians who become infantry, but my friends were very diverse in high school and they were very diverse in the military. That wasn’t the main concern.

I knew I was gay since fourth grade, but I was still hiding it. I was afraid people would find out, and I thought the military would be a great way to hide.

Somebody said during rifle marksmanship, “You imagine there’s this chinky-eyed, black-faced North Korean that pops up and wants to kill you, you better shoot him back!” I understand he was trying to dehumanize the enemy, but I don’t think he understood exactly what that meant, and I suppose he thought he could get away with it because there were so few Asians in the military. He would never say such things about black people or Jewish people, and the more overt racism was directed toward Muslims or people of Middle Eastern descent.

When you are a stigmatized minority in the military, you put yourself in a mindset that says, “I’m going to just show everybody that I’m the best at this.” This was the biggest contribution I could make towards educating people, and the comments didn’t bother me as much. I got used to joking about my race, and later my orientation to put people at ease. Everybody jokes about everything in the military, from sex to race to what you do on the weekends, and strangely, as uncomfortable [as] it is for people who start off and certainly for civilians who peer into military culture, through those differences and laughing about them, the unit becomes stronger.

22 | NU ASIAN

“When you are a stigmatized minority in the military, you put yourself in a mindset that says, ‘I’m going to show everybody that I’m the best at this.’”

national

“I’m going to continue fighting for justice. When I see the kids that get bullied, those who are alone, I feel exactly the same way...

Now I know otherwise.”

Did you ever think about leaving the military?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAN CHOI / LTDANCHOI.COM

Left: Choi demonstrating for LGBT rights; Top Right: Choi in Iraq; Bottom Right: Choi at West Point

We had the most dangerous area in the Middle East at the time, certainly the most dangerous in Iraq. Every time a soldier dies, they put up an official photograph, and pretty soon our wall was covered. And it became more and more difficult to keep going outside the base, knowing that every day, you could die, and seeing the car right next to you explode and wondering if you were next. I wondered many times, being gay in the military: All of this death is happening,why am I so afraid to come out? And many times I ignored the fact that I was gay.

I wondered, what if I had a fake marriage?

It was more than just having somebody help you with the dry cleaning and the chores of the military; you want to confide in somebody, to trust somebody and know that they’ll love you and support you, and that was not available to me unless I lied. I wondered how I could go on, and many times I was suicidal because of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” and it takes an enormous amount of energy to know that who you are deep down inside is not accepted by a matter of law.

What plans do you have for the future?

I’m going to continue fighting for justice. When I see the kids that get bullied, those who are alone, I feel exactly the same way. When I was in the military, I felt so helpless; in fact, at many times I thought I was the only person in the military who was gay. Now I know otherwise.

WINTER 2012 | 23

2050, projected

Population Power Source: United Nations Population Division

24 | NU ASIAN

Strength In Numbers India’s population growth over China may have large implications on the world labor market by Jia You The world’s population hit 7 billion on Oct. 31, and one country in particular caught media attention. India, with a current population of 1.2 billion, is projected to surpass China as the world’s most populous country in 2025, according to the United Nations Population Division.

The U.N. estimates that by 2050, India’s population will reach 1.6 billion and will continue to rise. China, on the other hand, will see its population begin to decline in 2014.

The reason behind the projected demographic change lies in the two countries’ different population policies. India boasts one of the earliest governmentsponsored family planning efforts in the developing world, which began in the 1950s. Over the years, the Indian government has provided financial incentives for sterilization, and made contraceptive measures more available by building health centers in rural areas. These measures have halved India’s birth rate in 35 years, from 5.7 children per woman in the mid-1960s to 2.7 in 2010.

However, India’s current birth rate is still above the replacement level of 2.1, the number of children a woman must have to ensure the population replaces itself. The cultural preference for sons means that many families choose contraception only after securing two sons.

Furthermore, women are pressured to marry young.

According to a May 2011 report by The Times of India, 47 percent of Indian girls marry before they turn 18.

In contrast, China has practiced a one-child policy since the 1970s. The government encourages women to marry after age 23. As a result, China now has a birth rate of 1.61.

The diverging population trends of China and India have sparked new interests in the tiger versus dragon

debate long surrounding the two Asian giants. Some, like The Economist, argue that with a large young workforce, India’s economy will outperform China’s in the long term.

The country is already a world leader in outsourcing, reaping more than 40 percent of global outsourcing revenues in the fiscal year 2010.

China, on the other hand, might see its population get old before it gets rich. Like India, China’s economy relies on labor-intensive industries, especially outsourcing from America and other developed countries. However, with a birth rate well below the replacement rate, the number of Chinese aged over 60 is expected to double in the next 20 years to make up one fourth of the population. Labor shortages already plague factories and drive up wages, especially in the more industrialized coastal provinces.

Others, however, argue this picture of population boom and doom is too simplistic. For example, the authors of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, point out in a blog post that the percentage of women in the workplace in China is two times higher than in India. They also argue that China boasts high literacy rates, better health care and infrastructure.

But both sides agree on one thing: India and China both need to address the problem of gender imbalance.

In both countries, the cultural preference for sons has led to prevalent sex-selective abortions and infanticides.

As a result, India now sees 108 boys born for every 100 girls. For China, the figure is 120 to 100. The population of lifelong bachelors in China is expected to equal the population size of Texas by 2020.

Without any effective measures to address the gender imbalance, neither country will go very far in their path to economic prosperity.

ILLUSTRATION AND GRAPH BY H. FUNG / NU ASIAN

2010

China: 1.30 billion

India: 1.22 billion

China: 1.34 billion

India: 1.69 billion

INTERNATIONAL

national

Still Struggling

M

onths after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami hit Japan, the country remains devastated with a high number of casualties and a power plant meltdown. The recovery process has been slow and painful, with more than 3,000 people reportedly still missing and more than 40,000 people without homes or jobs.

The earthquake has also affected many of Japan’s strongest industries with a halt in both domestic and international demand.

The cesium contamination of seafood has singlehandedly uprooted the seafood market.

The word “Fukushima” has virtually vanished from the seafood market, and seafood products must now show their radioactive contamination level. Because Japan holds the

Japan’s industries continue to fight for recovery by Hyerin Lee

highest consumption level of seafood in the world, the suffering seafood industry is sure to detriment the nation’s overall economic repair. In addition, the public’s growing mistrust of the government has been prevalent since the government’s poor management of the meltdown.

Japan’s seafood industry, however, is not the only one suffering from the aftermath. In July, the Japanese government distributed contaminated beef from the Fukushima region, and the sales rate for the world-famous, high quality Kobe beef from the nearby Wagyu region decreased immensely. In response to this situation, the Japanese government is banning all shipments of cattle from the Fukushima region.

Japan’s internationally respected automobile industry has not only suffered from Japan’s tsunami flooding, but Thailand’s as well. Since March, domestic car production dropped by 57 percent. The floods in Thailand have thwarted nearly all plans of recovery as many of Japan’s automobile plants located around Bangkok have been destroyed. The flood is expected to impair the already suffering industry.

The nation’s recovery is not only impaired by industrial decline, but 30,000 children have also been exposed to radiation. With suffering industries and hurt citizens, Japan’s road to recovery will likely be long and strenuous.

The Smoking Section Examining the Asian smoking rate by Lauren Cervantes

PHOTO COURTESY OF KASPER NYBO / CREATIVE COMMONS

I

n the United States, smoking has greatly decreased over the years. With high taxes on cigarettes and a largely smoke-free society, it may be surprising that there are higher rates of smoking for Asian-Amvericans in the United States.

China’s smoking rate is among the highest in the world; in fact, 33 percent of the population smokes compared to only 24 percent of the U.S. population, a 2007 Gallup Poll reported. Because of this, it makes sense that smoking is much more culturally accepted in Asian countries.

However, while smoking is more prevalent within the Asian community, there are significant variations in smoking rates among various subgroups in the AsianAmerican population, according to studies done by the American Legacy Foundation and the American Lung Association.

People from Southeast Asia as well as

Korean men tend to have much higher rates of smoking. Population groups from other Asian countries such as the Philippines, Japan and China smoke less. Koreans are supposedly some of the heaviest smokers, the American Legacy Foundation said.

Northwestern students have definitely observed these findings. MJ Kim, a Weinberg freshman from South Korea who started smoking at age 15, said he started smoking simply because “it looked ‘cool.’”

He said he has noticed that Koreans tend to smoke more, but “smoking is ingrained in Korean culture as a good time for people to talk about things while relieving their stress.”

“I am somewhat surprised when a Korean male says he doesn’t smoke,” said Kevin Guo, a Weinberg sophomore.

More than 300 million men in China, slightly less than the entire U.S. population,

are smokers, according to the American Lung Association, and Asian-American men smoke more than Asian-American women.

Studies have shown that Southeast Asians who had a higher English languageproficiency and who had lived in the United States longer were less likely to be smokers. In contrast, the average number of cigarettes smoked per day by Chinese men increases with the time they live in the United States, according to the American Lung Association.

“Where I come from, smoking is pretty common, mostly because it is cheap and because it is easy to get,” said Allisha Azlan, a Medill freshman from Malaysia.

“Yes, there are warning labels on cigarette packets, but smokers, over time, get indifferent about the consequences because they’re addicted.”

WINTER 2012 | 25

etcetera

Book Review: Story Of Survival Nami Mun’s Miles from Nowhere confronts teen homelessness by Wendi Gu

A

lthough Nami Mun claims that only 1 percent of her debut novel is based on her own life, it’s difficult to imagine that such a raw and visceral story was constructed mostly out of imagination. As beautiful as it is spare, Miles from Nowhere reminds us that there is no such thing as rock bottom, that building yourself back from the ground up is possible even in the face of complete and utter defeat.

“This is a story of survival, where hope permeats all the inevitable chaos in the nittygritty labyrinth of New York City streets.”

26 | NU ASIAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF NALIN NATRAJAN AND THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Nami Mun at the American Library Association’s Many Voices One Nation program in 2009,. The Korean-American author holds her book, Miles from Nowhere.

Miles from Nowhere tells the story of Joon, a 13-year-old Korean girl who runs away from home in the Bronx after her father leaves for good and her mother succumbs to mental illness. On the streets, she deals with the inner workings of homeless shelters, prostitution, drug abuse, sex, pregnancy, the cacophony of street life and the sheer cruelty and unexpected kindness of human beings.

But Joon remains naively and perhaps strategically accepting and optimistic. This is a story of survival, where hope permeates all the inevitable chaos in the nitty-gritty labyrinth of New York City streets.

But before deciding that this book will be too much of a downer to take on, think again. There are clever moments of humor, self-deprecation, lucid wit and retrospective genius. You will smile and laugh while reading. Joon molds and forms into an unforgettable character, one that you want to protect, blame and hate all at the same time. It is impossible not to hate Joon for her self-destruction, and it is impossible not to love her for her beautiful vulnerability and unimaginable strength. Chicago Public Radio calls Joon a new Holden Caulfield and Mun’s novel a “work of lacerating honesty and cauterizing compassion.”

Mun’s writing style, “bare bones” in its simplicity, is absolutely striking; she says so much in her straightforward, frugal word usage. She masterfully makes you think without trying too hard. Although it is a dense compilation of five years in 13 small, disparate stories about Joon, Mun’s spare writing style makes Miles from Nowhere a surprisingly fast read that you’ll never want to end, because it really is that good. It is evocative prose at its best.

etcetera

Stir Fry vs. Sushi

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTIN CATHRAE

Comparing two popular Asian cuisines by Alice Liu Chinese cuisine in America has long been packaged in the flimsy, white takeout boxes which have essentially represented Chinese food in the United States. They are the boxes stacked on the coffee table and in the corners of the refrigerator because the food is cheap and the delivery is fast. However, Japanese food in America is often held to a higher standard. Though both cuisines are considered to be northeastern Asian food, in the United States they seem to be vastly different in price, quality and taste. But to better understand their differences, it’s important to look back into history.

Both the Chinese and the Japanese came to the United States. around the late 1800s, looking for better financial opportunities. The first large-scale immigration of Asians was marked by the Chinese, who arrived in America eager to take advantage of the California Gold Rush. They worked as shopkeepers, "coolies" (unskilled laborers mining or building the railroads) and, of course, cooks. The first Chinese restaurants, or "chow chows," opened to serve Chinese laborers, but because certain ingredients used in Chinese cuisine were not native to America, cooks made dishes such as stir-fried buffalo.

Cooks also began incorporating American cuisine into their own with entrees such as Roast California Chicken with Currant Jelly and Fine Cut Chicken Chop Suey. The Chinese wanted Americans to try their food, so it was a way to appeal to the masses. As Chinese immigrants began to spread throughout the United States, Chinatowns began popping up where the Chinese formed ethnic communities. These communities spread Chinese food all over the country.

The Japanese, on the other hand, went to Hawaii and caught the booming sugar industry. Until the early 1900s, most of the Japanese stayed in Hawaii because some had become extremely successful, and racial relations were better. Thus, Japanese food did not become as integrated into mainstream American culture as quickly as Chinese food did. Slowly leading up to the 1940s, the

Japanese had immigrated into mainland America.

Then, Pearl Harbor was attacked and World War II began. This prevented the spread of Japanese food as Japanese people, including restaurant owners, were confined in internment camps. Throughout the United States, the Japanese faced resentment. It was not until after World War II that Japanese food gained popularity.

Though Chinese food was Americanized and popularized earlier than Japanese food, Chinese food was attacked as alien and was not as fully accepted until the 1965 liberalization of immigration laws passed. The decades of morphed Chinese food developed chain restaurants that spread cheap Chinese cuisine to all corners of America. The Japanese caught the drift and started opening sushi restaurants and inventing rolls that suited American taste. Cream cheese made its way into sushi, and California Rolls were invented in the 1960s when raw tuna was substituted with avocado.

The only difference is that Chinese food became simplified enough to mass produce while Japanese food was still cuisine that took more time and skill to make.

Because of this, Japanese restaurants often take longer to prepare the food, have higher prices and consequently have smaller restaurants. With the use of raw meat, Japanese restaurants must keep up the quality and keep quantity to a minimum.

As the 1990s rolled around and technology grew, people all around the world started to realize the importance of eating healthy. Japanese cuisine really gained momentum because it uses many healthy foods such as edamame, tofu, seaweed, miso and so forth. In addition, the food is not cooked in excessive oils and sauces. For these reasons, Japanese cuisine is seen to have higher quality than Chinese cuisine in the United States.

Still, both Asian cuisines have found their footing in the country, catering to the American taste. As Chinese and Japanese foods continue to be popular, the cuisines will keep evolving.

WINTER 2012 | 27

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“As a country only 20 years into its independence from the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan is in a state of major transition.”

28 | NU ASIAN

PHOTO COURTESY OF S. IDE

ON THIS PAGE - Top (clockwise): Scene of Kyrgyzstan’s mountainous terrain; local children posing for a picture; Erkindik in Ala-Too Square, commemorating Kyrgyzstan’s eighth year of independence.

ON THE RIGHT PAGE - Looking down into a valley.

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My Summer In Kyrgyzstan One Northwestern student gets her “-stans” in order by Cheryl Wang mix of Asian and European influences.

After being a part of the Soviet Union for so long, the Kyrgyz people mostly speak Russian, even though the government is doing its best to promote the official language, Kyrgyz. However, they still cherish the traditions and culture of their nomadic history. They really love their yurts, which are the traditional portable tent structures they made their homes in the days when they lived on horseback. Everywhere I went there was a model or picture of a yurt somewhere. Another thing people in Kyrgyzstan love is their teatime. It is the Kyrgyz way of being hospitable, to enjoy conversation with

absolutely delicious but also very heavy. It’s a lot of meat and starch and animal fat, and after a while you really start to feel it, as there are only so many days you can spend in food coma before you go into actual coma. As a predominantly Muslim nation, Kyrgyz people really know how to cook their mutton. A lot of the food struck me as very similar to East Asian cuisine, with foods like manty, which are delicious fist-sized pockets of ground mutton and onions—the spitting image of the Chinese steamed bun, and lagman, a chewy noodle dish reminiscent of East Asian pulled noodles.

I am slightly regretful that I never had the

“If one could ever imagine oneself living off the back of a galloping horse, it would have to be in this place.” guests over steaming cups of tea surrounded by dishes of cookies or chocolates.

The Kyrgyz have a rich tradition in their legends and folklore. I got to climb this intricately bricked tower standing in a wideopen stretch of land in which an ancient Kyrgyz king once supposedly kept and raised his daughter for sixteen years. It had been prophesied that she would meet an untimely death by the age of 16, and her father had locked her high away to keep her far from harm. On her 16th birthday, to celebrate the clearly inaccurate prediction, the king brought her some fresh grapes. Unbeknownst to him, a spider (or a scorpion, depending on who you ask) lurked in the bunches and stung the girl as she reached to pluck off a grape, resulting in her unfortunate demise.

What I got to try of Kyrgyz cuisine was

opportunity to try Kymyz, the traditional Kyrgyz drink made of fermented mare’s milk.

The scenery of the country, especially in the more rural areas, is incredibly beautiful, with smooth, rolling, snowcapped mountains rising up to meet flat, grassy plains marked by flowing streams of water. The crisp dry air is invigorating, and if one could ever imagine living off the back of a galloping horse, it would have to be in this place.

I left the country after a short week, wishing for a longer stay. My trip to Kyrgyzstan was very eye opening and reminded me that my cultural horizons are still in want of some broadening and not to write off the more obscure and seemingly less glamorous parts of the world.

There’s a lot of rich culture in such places, waiting for those of the road-less-traveled-by persuasion.

PHOTO COURTESY OF S. IDE

This summer a chance came out of the blue to go to a part of the world that I’d pretty much forgotten about, a little place called Central Asia. If you have a hard time keeping all the “– stans” hanging out next to Russia straight and the only reason you know Kazakhstan exists is because of the movie Borat, you’re about as informed as I was then.

The country I visited was actually Kazakhstan’s lesser-known neighbor, Kyrgyzstan. As a country only 20 years into its independence from the Soviet Union, Kyrgyzstan is struggling to deal with some major transitional difficulties. Corruption is one such issue that has arisen, and my first half hour in the country found me getting my car pulled over by a cop looking for bribes for a nonexistent traffic violation. It’s a good thing I don’t put much stock in first impressions.

The country is strikingly diverse. As a woman living there explained to me, ethnic Kyrgyz make up about 70 percent of the population, and the rest is a mishmash of 80 other different ethnicities, the largest being Russians and Uzbeks. There has also been so much intermarriage that a lot of people “are a little bit of everything,” she said.

The really interesting thing about this part of the world is that it has a long history of bridging the gap between Europe and East Asia both culturally and economically. One of the routes of the Silk Road ran right through Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan’s largest lake and one of the largest lakes in the world. In fact, many historians believe this lake to be one of the origin points for the black plague. While Kyrgyzstan doesn’t resemble the Asia that most people think of as being Asia (as in the far east, i.e. China, Japan and South Korea), it was a good reminder that Asia is a big place and Asians come in all different shapes and sizes. It was amazing to be in a place that had such a

WINTER 2012 | 29

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Home Sweet Singapore

The world’s glitziest island nation can also be called home by Jeremy Seah and Nalin Natrajan

I

30 | NU ASIAN

infinitely more valuable, something in this meticulously crafted nation that I can truly identify with as home.

It’s a well-known truth that the people, rather than the physical features of a place, make home, well, home. But after being away from Singapore for an extended period of time, this statement has never resounded truer. Whenever I think of my hometown, it’s not the glitzy shopping malls, thrilling theme parks or extravagant casinos that flash through my mind’s eye.

Rather, I recollect memories of the good and bad times that I’ve spent with my friends and family.

Sometimes in a country as small as Singapore (it takes just 40 minutes to drive from the east end of the island to the west end), it’s easy to forget that there still are hidden gems lurking.

Sometimes, they’re just around the corner.

I see the corner 24-hour roti prata (Indian flatbread) joint my friends and I used to frequent.

We would go there for supper and stay until two in the morning just laughing and sharing. I remember that old rusted street soccer court behind my apartment block where neighbors and I would play Sunday afternoon games. I recall that grimy old bar my friends and I patronized merely for the incredulously cheap beer, so cheap that we often questioned its contents.

It dawns on me that despite all of its new-age modernity, the best memories of my hometown originate away from these much-publicized shopping or entertainment districts. They were spent in areas that Singaporeans appropriately branded, “The Heartlands.” Sure it’s fun and exciting to shop along Orchard Road (where there are three Prada stores within a block of each other) or hop onto the Battlestar Galactica ride at Universal Studios Singapore, but for a more down-to-earth taste of Singaporean life, head into the heartlands.

Looking back now, I will forever remember the Bugis Junction McDonald’s as the place I spent an entire afternoon looking for my friend’s contact lens, only for a complete stranger to point out that it was on his shirt all along. If I were never to return to Singapore, I would not remember the casinos for all their over-the-top glory but for the time my friend accidentally fell into the canal running through the main complex.

I love my friends and the good times we had in Singapore. The memories created there and the people who I formed bonds with serve as my definition of home. And that, no matter how powerful it may be, is something the Singapore government can never create.

- Jeremy Seah

PHOTO COURTESY OF NALIN NATRAJAN

magine the stifling concoction of 33 degrees Celsius (92 degrees Fahrenheit) heat, countless carbon monoxide-spewing cars and near 100 percent humidity every single day of the year. Yep, fall, winter and spring have collectively turned their backs on Singapore. One thing Singapore makes you realize is the hugely understated value of air-conditioning. Without it, this island-nation would truly cease to function.

Undoubtedly, Singapore’s most famous, or should I say infamous, trait is its ban on chewing gum. No really, I’m not kidding. It’s the handiwork of the strict, quasi-socialist, meddlesome and overbearing government: the PAP, the People’s Action Party. Indeed if Starship could sing, “We built this city on rock and roll,” Singaporeans too can loudly declare, “We built this city on the PAP.” From putting up reminders on postcards telling its citizens to brush their teeth twice a day to its role in carefully “managing” media, or even the—quite honestly—laughable state-sponsored dating campaigns in a bid to raise Singapore’s low birth rate, the government, or “gah-men” as local Singaporeans say, keeps its hand in just about every single facet of Singaporean life. But taking a moment to look beyond the hypermodern, glittering skyscrapers of the carefully assembled Singapore skyline, I find something

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I

’m often asked about my home when I first introduce myself to people. The questions are, for the most part, the usual ones I would expect from people asking about Singapore. They range from the innocently curious to the less ordinary, from “Do they speak English” to “Is it true that they have corporal punishment?” and “Do you get a fine for chewing gum?” as well as my personal favorite from freshman year: “What exactly does Captain Jack Sparrow mean in Pirates of the Caribbean when he says ‘Clearly

PHOTO COURTESY OF NALIN NATRAJAN

“To the naysayers, I say, ‘Clearly you’ve never been to Singapore.’”

buy our overpriced drinks but conclude that the view was worth it; at around 280 meters above sea level and a clear night, we have an unobstructed view of the entire island of Singapore, along with parts of neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia, collectively glowing with light from office blocks, casinos, hotels and residences. My friends, both local and foreign, muse about how much Singapore has changed. Just a year ago this bar did not exist, and the Marina Bay Sands’ signature Skypark was only just built. As we sip our drinks and take in the view, we exchange stories of Northwestern, Cambridge and McGill.

We all wonder how we ended up back home together for our break, despite the opportunities to travel elsewhere.

My friends and I will probably have to con-

clude that Singapore somehow ends up drawing you in with an odd charm that makes you want to stay. Singapore has its idiosyncrasies and its humidity, but it woos you with the food, the ability to walk around at 2 a.m. on your own with total safety and the unique merging of cultures giving us street names ranging from Windsor Park to Eng Kong Garden, with an equally diverse mix of people, food and cultures. Evidently, my home is so much more than that little Southeast Asian nanny-state you read about in political science classes.

And while Singapore today is a far cry from what Jack Sparrow will have experienced, it will forever be home. To the naysayers, I say, “Clearly you’ve never been to Singapore.”

- Nalin Natrajan

you’ve never been to Singapore’?”

Now, it’s quite easy to give you the answers to those questions, along with a history lesson on Singapore, but all that is useless if you want to know what it’s like to live on this tropical island.

So tour-brochure propaganda aside, here I am, walking around Marina Bay with my friend and former colleague from the job I held for two years in the Singapore Police Force as part of my mandatory National Service. I am on my summer break after my first year at Northwestern, and he is not working today – we both decide to be tourists in our own country and wander around to take pictures.

As we walk around the bay, it is a reasonable 28 degrees Celsius and a very unreasonable near-100 percent humidity. Compared to Chicago, I feel as if I am inhaling water and standing in a sauna. Thankfully, my friend concludes that we have sampled the DSLR sufficiently and that we should retreat indoors, which is almost always climate-controlled in Singapore.

As we catch up and reminisce about our time in National Service, my friend asks me what I miss most about home. I do miss several things, like tree-lined streets, orchids, palm trees and blazingly fast mobile internet, but I conclude that the ability to eat good quality food of any cuisine at any time of day probably tops my list.

If I want Japanese or Middle Eastern at 3 a.m., I can easily get it in Singapore – a far cry indeed from the Burger King or Papa John ‘s runs to which the deprived souls at Northwestern subject themselves.

After a while of me ranting about Evanston’s food-related shortcomings, my friend is equally amused and shocked. He then asks what my American friends think of Singapore. Obviously I have to share the view that some people hold: that the country is oppressive and akin to something out of Orwell’s 1984 or Huxley’s Brave New World. My friend and I break into laughter at the absurdity of the claim; while the country is strict, 1984 is a little out there. Later, we say our goodbyes and part in opposite directions.

Though we know that we’re both traveling halfway across the country, it will not take us more than an hour, as Singapore is one-fifth the size of Rhode Island.

My next activity takes me to the bar on the roof of One Raffles Place, the highest alfresco bar in the world. Upon arrival, my friends and I WINTER 2012 | 31

Have you stayed up all night reading the latest manga?

Were you inspired by the Arab Spring?

Curious about the politics of underground film in China or the legacy of Satyagraha Have you stayed upinalltoday’s nightIndia? reading the latest manga?

Were you inspired by the Arab Spring?

Then, you may want to think about the Program in Curious aboutAsian the politics of underground film in China or the legacy of and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES) Satyagraha in today's India?

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Studies

AMES offers two majors, 1) Asian Languages and Civilizations and Middle Eastern and Civilizations, For2)more information, go toLanguages asianandmiddleast.northwestern.edu as well as adjunct majors and minors in Asian Studies and Middle Eastern Studies.

For more information, go to www.asianandmiddleeast.northwestern.edu