VOL 40 NO 33 | AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

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VOL 40 NO 33 AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Quintana Roo

More than just Cancun

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

see QUINTANA ROO on 15

Photo provided by Ruth Bayang

When you hear “Cancun,” what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me, it was beaches, and warm and sunny weather.

Cancun is in the northeast part of Quintana Roo (QR), a Mexican state on the Yucatán Peninsula, known for its nightlife. I celebrated my birthday there in 2020, just before travel came to a standstill due to the coronavirus.

Coba ruins, Quint

ana Roo, Mexico

ic m e d n a p a g in The ethics and equity Traveling dur

questions of vaccine passports

Photo provided

by Jean Yang

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Jean Yang in

Napa Valley

By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “I’ve been going travel-crazy since I got vaccinated. Even when I wasn’t vaccinated, I was going to Hawaii once a quarter, but typically, during pre-covid, I would travel at least every other month,” avid traveler Jean Yang said.

Yang has traveled a few times during the pandemic and already has an international trip planned for later this year.

She started filling in her time with trips because she hadn’t been able to for so long. Her most recent trip was to Napa Valley with a former colleague.

It was a quick trip and there were plenty of things to do there besides drink wine. They signed up for a bike tour to try something new and different.

“We rode 10 miles on the bike, visited wineries, and it was a really nice way to see Napa in a different way that I’d never done before,” she

■

When Nancy Jecker was doing research as a visiting professor at the National University of Singapore on older adults needing care, she got to know migrant caregivers—young women who had traveled from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India. Now a professor at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, she recently published a paper arguing that vaccine passports raise health equity objections both domestically and internationally, at a time when humanity needs to come together. She was thinking, in part, of those migrant caregivers she had met in Singapore.

said.

Next up, she’s headed to Hawaii again with her son, and another friend and her son.

Part of Yang’s motivation to travel more is to get to MVP Gold status on Alaska Airlines.

They have been doing a lot of promotions, and she just needed an international trip to get her status. So she booked a trip to Phuket, Thailand this November.

“My anxiety has been higher lately because airports have been more crowded. Before people started traveling again, airports were so bare and they were blocking seats on the planes. But since my anxiety is there, I’m just going to do what I can to be safe.

Keep my mask on, wash my hands constantly, and really just try to minimize my exposure,” she said.

“Everybody should still be safe and considerate of others.” see TRAVELING on 13

see VACCINE PASSPORTS on 6

THE INSIDE STORY

THE LAYUP DRILL Olympics edition  8 AT THE MOVIES The Green Knight 9 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Disney’s First Indian American Movie ‘Spin’ 5

PUBLISHER’S BLOG Oldest Chinese restaurant in U.S.  10

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

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39 YEARS

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Ping pong at Hing Hay Park

International District (CID) welcomed visitors back to the area hit hard by the pandemic. The event, co-hosted

by CID leaders, the City of Seattle, King County, and the state of Washington, included lion and dragon dances, and Korean, Vietnamese, and Japanese dance performances, and restaurant promotions. 

Photo by Assunta Ng

Pham book funding Thach Nguyen

every dollar raised will be matched by RAVE and Sounders FC. To donate, go to https://bit.ly/3Cx1o4J  Sally (right) playing against a competitor.

Sally was the top finisher at a pop-up ping pong tournament at Hing Hay Park on Aug. 6. She won a $100 gift certificate to Uwajimaya. More tournaments are scheduled for Aug. 20 and Sept. 10. To register, go to facebook.com/pingpongpopup. 

Photo by Assunta Ng

CID celebration

Tuk Tuk Box

Julie Pham

Dr. Julie Pham of Northwest Vietnamese News announced that she received full funding for her upcoming book, 7 Forms of Respect, within 18 hours of launching a campaign on Indiegogo.

“This book will give you an understanding of what Forms of Respect™ you value and how to communicate that to others. The shared language I will teach you can help you collaborate with any group of people, from coworkers to volunteers,” Pham wrote.

The book is expected to be released in October. 

Thach match for RAVE

Crowds gathered for a welcome back celebration on Aug. 7 in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District

A celebration on Aug. 7 in Seattle’s Chinatown-

Local real estate developer Thach Nguyen has partnered with the Seattle Sounders FC’s philanthropic arm, RAVE Foundation, to build two, small-sided, turf soccer fields near where he grew up.

These fields in Seattle Housing Authority’s NewHolly neighborhood will be free, open for play, and unrentable by outside groups. The goal is to raise $400,000, and

Seattle native and founder Christy Innouvong-Thornton, and co-founder Beatriz Aurelio-Saguin, started a snack box business centering on Southeast Asian products.

They also launched a campaign, ‘Spread Asian Joy,’ in response to the signif- Christy Innouvong-Thornton icant surge in hate crimes and racism against Asians since the start of the pandemic.

Tuk Tuk Box’s mission is to share Southeast Asian culture and experiences through food. They offer curated subscription boxes and products, partnering with vetted small business owners and local farmers from Southeast Asian communities. 

YOUR VOICE

■ NATIONAL NEWS

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

asianweekly northwest

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Teenage Buddhist Lama For U.S. teen Buddhist lama, it’s faith, school, football

COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — In most ways, Jalue Dorje is a typical American teen— he grew up in a suburb of Minneapolis, loving football, Pokemon and rap music.

Yet a few years from now, he’s expecting to say goodbye to his family and homeland and join a monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas—from an early age, he was recognized by the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist leaders as a reincarnated lama.

Since that recognition, he’s spent much of his life training to become a monk, memorizing sacred scriptures (often rewarded by his dad with Pokemon cards), practicing calligraphy and learning the teachings of Buddha.

Now he’s 14 and entering his first year of high school. After graduation in 2025, he’ll head to northern India to join the Mindrolling Monastery, more than 7,200 miles from his home in Columbia Heights.

Following a period of contemplation and asceticism, he hopes to return to America to teach in the Minnesota Buddhist community. His goal? “To become a leader of peace,” he said. “Like the Dalai Lama or Gandhi or Nelson Mandela.”

On a recent day, he chanted ancient

(AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

By LUIS ANDRES HENAO ASSOCIATED PRESS

Jalue Dorje, recognized as the eighth reincarnation of the lama Terchen Taksham Rinpoche, recites prayers during a ceremony paying homage to Guru Rinpoche.

prayers for hours with his father and other monks who gathered in a prayer room in the family’s home to ring bells, bang drums and blow conch shells near an altar decorated with offerings of fruits, flowers and Torma ritual cakes.

The annual ceremony, which was suspended last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, pays homage to Guru Rinpoche, the Indian Buddhist master who brought Tantric Buddhism to Tibet. Over two days this year, the group

prayed for victims of natural disasters, war and COVID-19, and for the peace and happiness of beings worldwide.

On a break, Jalue sat for lunch in the yard under the summer sun, the youngest by far among the monks, and then walked upstairs in his maroon and gold robes to play the NBA 2K video game against Delek Topgyal, his 13-year-old cousin and best friend.

The young lama would lose with team

Kyrie Irving and later explain that team Lebron James “is practically unbeatable.”

The process of identifying a lama is based on spiritual signs and visions. Jalue was about 4 months old when he was identified by Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, a venerated master of Tibetan Buddhism who was the leader of the Nyingma lineage. He was later confirmed by several other lamas as the eighth Terchen Taksham Rinpoche—the first one of whom was born under the name Taksham Nuden Dorje in 1655.

After the Dalai Lama also recognized him at age 2 as the guru’s reincarnation, Jalue’s parents took him to meet the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism when he visited Wisconsin in 2010. The Dalai Lama cut a lock of Jalue’s hair in a ceremony. He also advised the parents to let their son stay in the U.S. so he could perfect his English and then send him to a monastery at age 10.

Jalue is now fluent in English and Tibetan and often gets A’s in class.

Although he was officially enthroned in a 2019 ceremony in India, he’s still living in Columbia Heights, where his parents decided he’ll stay until graduation.

“Seeing him growing up to a teenager is a lot of things to take in because he’s a Buddhist master, and at the same time, he’s a normal person as well,“ said his see BUDDHIST LAMA on 14

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asianweekly northwest

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR AUG

14, 21, 31 RAY PFORTNER PHOTO WORKSHOP Seattle Chinese Garden Aug. 14 and 21, 7-10 p.m.

Aug. 31, via Zoom seattlechinesegarden.org

39 YEARS

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24

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THE NORTHWEST NIKKEI MUSEUM SPEAKER SERIES, “ASIAN AMERICAN REPRESENTATION IN MEDIA” Via Zoom 7 p.m.

Register by 6 p.m. on August 19 to receive the Zoom link, https://bit.ly/3fN4acg

FILIPINO YOUTH GRIEF SUPPORT GATHERINGS ORGANIZED TO SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITY From ages 12-24 via Zoom 5-6:30 p.m.

Register at bit.ly/3efc65k

CID FOOD WALK SERIES Hing Hay Park 423 Maynard Ave. S, Seattle 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

NOW THROUGH

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SEATTLE’S NIHONMACHI BOASTS NEW BUSINESSES FOR THE FIFTH ANNUAL “HAI! JAPANTOWN” CELEBRATION Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle For details, please visit wingluke.org

■ NATIONAL NEWS

‘Flower Drum Song’ and screen star Alvin Ing dies at 89

Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

By MARK KENNEDY AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

Alvin Ing

NEW YORK (AP) — Actor and singer Alvin Ing, known for roles on Broadway and on tour in “Pacific Overtures” and “Flower Drum Song” as well as in films such as “The Gambler,” has died.

He was 89.

Ing died on July 31 at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center, in Burbank, California, of COVID-19 complications, according to his representatives at Mosaic PR.

“His voice was glorious and filled the room with its flawless sound, but beyond that, his sound was steeped in joy. Alvin was a joyful presence to be around at every rehearsal and performance,” said Lea Salonga who starred in “Flower Drum Song.”

Ing is believed to have performed in more productions of “Flower Drum Song” in the role of Wang Ta than any other actor.

He also portrayed the Shogun’s mother in the original Broadway production of “Pacific Overtures” in 1976, and reprised the role 28 years later in the 2004 revival. “Pacific Overtures”

playwright John Weidman hailed Ing’s “wit, his kindness, his gentleness, and most of all his extraordinary generosity of spirit.”

His film credits included “The Final Countdown,” “Stir Crazy,” “Troop Beverly Hills” and “Smilla’s Sens of Snow.” On TV, he had recurring roles on the soap operas “The Doctors” and “Falcon Crest” and guest spots on “Benson,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Quincy, M.E.,” “Fantasy Island,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” see ING on 14

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asianweekly northwest

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Disney’s SPIN mixes music, culture, and race, in an aspirational world Disney Channel’s TV movie, SPIN, releasing Aug. 13, is remarkable for what it doesn’t have, as much as for what it does.

The layered production showcases not only a storyline where the girl learns to follow her passion, but also, a world where we all actually get along, mostly.

The title is a peak at the plot, where we meet Rhea, an Indian American high schooler who, after her mother’s death, takes it upon herself to help her dad in the family restaurant while following a responsible path of STEM at school. She enjoys both but shuts off a creative side of her until romantic interest Max, a white exchange student, by way of a DJ contest, ignites a buried passion in her that turns out to be not for him but for mixing music.

Here’s something the movie doesn’t have. Racism. Avantika, who plays Rhea, calls SPIN “aspirational” because it shows us a world of how it could be. Conditioned by the incidents of hate that take place what seems constantly in our real world, I kept waiting for Max’s mom, for instance, to walk into the room and say something horrible. She never did. Nobody ever did. “The point of the film is to represent this ideal universe where people are respectful of each other’s cultures and we

Courtesy of the Disney Channel

By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Rhea (Avantika) competes in a DJ contest with a synthesis of Indian and western music.

as Indians—or whatever community you come from—are respectful of our own culture.” That’s why, Avantika says, SPIN does not include any negativity related to Rhea’s race. Rhea’s conflict is inside of her, and it’s not about that.

“I think her being Indian is something that’s very established within her and the

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Proposals will be received for KC000305, Engineering and Related Services for Transit System Electrification Planning; by King County Procurement and Payables Section until 12:00 PM on September 7, 2021.

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people around her.” To Avantika, this sort of film is as important as those that feature racism, so audiences can see what it might be like to not make a big deal out of a person’s color or ethnicity.

As Rhea discovers her musical affinity, she learns to combine her own culture and the things she loves, such as the sound of the ocean or the tinkling of bells on the ankles of traditional Indian clothing, with contemporary techno and dance music.

Everywhere in the movie is this synthesis of two worlds, in contrast to what we often see as a struggle, which is not present in SPIN. Aryan Simhadri, who plays Rhea’s younger brother, Rohan, found this absence refreshing.

“I know there’s this very common, overplayed stereotype, especially with South Asians, where it’s, ‘I’m Indian, but I’m also American. Now, I have to choose between my heritages. Oh, woe is me!’ In Simhadri’s view, one of the big takeaways of SPIN is that “you don’t always have to have all of ‘A’ or all of ‘B’—you can have a little bit of both [and] fuse them together.”

Aryan also enjoyed that Rhea and Rohan get along. Even though they are different, they support each other, and there is no sibling rivalry. Rohan, who is not as much in his father’s line of sight as Rhea, is more comfortable connecting to his passion, which for him is coming up with new menu items for the restaurant—but his distracted father, Arvind (Abhay Deol), brushes off

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his son’s innovations until, through his own journey in the movie, he comes to realize that his children have other needs. But before you start to think that Arvind must be the kind of overbearing conservative immigrant Indian dad, he’s not. He’s just busy and honestly thinks that his daughter enjoys working at the restaurant, because she keeps telling him that she does!

Here’s where one of the most delightful aspects of SPIN comes in, which is both a have and a don’t have. What we have is Rhea’s grandmother, Asha (Meera Syal), a Bollywood enthusiast who does dance numbers for restaurant customers and who is, hands down, the most supportive grandmother and mother-in-law in the history of the universe. What we don’t have is this grandmother insisting, for instance, that Rhea follow a traditional career or marriage path; or her widowed son-in-law, either; and although she wishes for a new life for Arvind, she is perfectly happy when he and her granddaughter bring home nonIndian paramours. It’s Asha who helps Rhea connect to her love of music, and who helps the father better connect to his children. (She might also help Rhea cheat a little bit on being grounded so that she can attend the DJ contest.)

What we also don’t have is a movie that’s too kidsy or panders too much to adults—it’s just a good story. Avantika told the Weekly that, while she was sure there would be many families that would balk at their child wanting to pursue a hobby as a DJ, the movie helps audiences envision a world where that’s okay.

“I think a lot of parents would be scared, and rightfully so. At the same time, it’s very possible to do what Rhea’s doing— which is having an academic career as well as pursuing DJ’ing. It’s possible to do both and one fuels the other. Her coding helps her master the technological aspects of DJ’ing and music opens up the pathways in her brain that will help her code more interesting things.”

At a time in the world where everyone seems divided, SPIN helps the audience realize all the “both’s” we can have in life.

We can cherish and nurture all sides of our heritages and all sides of our personalities.

We can have Indian music fused with western music. We can have interests in science and the arts. We can have people that are different, and also get along.  Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

VACCINE PASSPORTS from 1 “They were coming to live in homes and care for older Singaporeans. They had family sponsors, but now they can’t travel there because they don’t have access to vaccines in the countries they come from.

Rather than requiring a vaccine, why not just offer a flexible tool like a negative test 72 hours before travel?” Jecker said.

Eighty-five percent of vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus have gone into the arms of people living in rich countries, a statistic Jecker cites in her paper, “Vaccine passports and health disparities: a perilous journey,” published in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

“What message does that send to migrant workers who need to travel for work, but can’t access vaccines?” she asked.

Such concerns reflect a struggle on the part of policy makers and their advisers, between the desire to roll out initiatives— such as vaccine passports—as quickly as possible in the face of the pandemic and the understanding that until the most vulnerable are cared for, such measures could be ultimately ineffective.

“I just take an alternate view that equity concerns don’t inherently disqualify a policy. At different times since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been concerns about equity in lockdowns, vaccine rollouts, and covid relief. But should those concerns have stopped us from implementing those policies at all?” said Josh Liao, a physician and director of the Value and Systems Science Lab at the UW. Liao contends that a multi-pronged approach can also be more pragmatic.

Different countries can implement different measures—and do so already.

Some, with full access to vaccines, might use vaccine passports. Those, such as countries from which caregivers that need to fly for work like the women Jecker interviewed, could be subject to less intrusive measures, such as COVID testing and a masking mandate.

“What we’ve seen in the last year is that different countries, either in concert with each other or alone, will implement their own measures about how to protect the public, their populations,” said Liao.

In one sense, the approaches are not

too dissimilar. Jecker calls for “flex passes” instead of vaccine passports— these could be the masking and testing that Liao calls for. But for Liao, vaccine passports are simply another tool that should be implemented along with others.

“Even if you are vaccinated and get a passport, does that mean the end of masking? Does that mean the end of testing? Does that mean the end of quarantine if you or a close contact develops symptoms? If you believe in variants, breakthrough cases, and the need to adjust policy to both, then you would use vaccine passports alongside other measures,” he said. “It’s not an either-or situation.”

Jecker bases her argument on health equity, applying it both globally and domestically. Domestically, vaccine passports should not be used until vaccines are widely available and equitably distributed, she said. Even then, Jecker worries about policing and the possibility of racial profiling. In her article, Jecker points to China’s practice of forced testing of African nationals as an ominous sign.

“It’s easy to think this wouldn’t happen here. But the Black Lives Matter protests remind us how entrenched and widespread racism is, especially in the area of policing, so I worry about who’s going to be charged with enforcement and what impact this might have in the long run on societal trust,” she said.

Equity ought to be a concern before policy makers and experts even begin to focus on any specific policy, agreed Dr. Tracy M. Hilliard, director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Engagement at Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI), a nonprofit. Hilliard is also a clinical assistant professor of Child, Family, and Population Health in the UW School of Nursing.

“It’s important for the people with power and decision-making authority to not only ask experts, so to speak, in medicine, in policy, or in public health, but to ask those folks that are furthest from justice and most impacted by inequities in our country, to ask them what their perspectives are, ask them what they feel should happen,” she said.

“That way we can ensure that those who are most impacted, that their needs

39 YEARS

and perspectives are considered and prioritized.”

One area of agreement is that the pandemic creates a “moving target” with changing messaging from the government and scientific uncertainty about mutations and the efficacy of the vaccines.

For Jecker, this is all the more reason to disavow vaccine passports. In fact, Jecker argues that a vaccine passport could lead people to let down their guard and mingle, leading to more viral spread.

She cited the fact that vaccinated people can transmit the Delta variant.

The contrast between the pandemic in the U.S. and poorer parts of the world underscores catastrophic differences in equity, said Dr. Stella Gran-O’Donnell, associate director of the Center for Culturally Responsive Engagement at MPHI. Gran-O’Donnell is also a lecturer and field instructor in the UW School of Social Work.

“Here, getting a vaccine is a choice. In comparison, developing countries such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India with limited or no access to vaccines, hospitals, and medical infrastructure continue to be plagued with the surging tide of new cases and deaths,” said GranO’Donnell. “While the U.S. remains wellresourced with a surplus of vaccinations in some locales, India broke the world record of over 400,000 new cases in early May, along with an increase of over 3,500 deaths.”

As a result of such disparities, said Gran-O’Donnell, vaccine passports will serve as a disincentive to vaccination, both domestically and globally.

“The issue of vaccine passports will disproportionately burden those who have been most vulnerable to contracting and dying from COVID-19, Black and brown individuals, and communities of color in the U.S., along with their counterparts of those living in poverty and oppressed individuals and groups around the world,” she said. “Eligibility for these types of passports and fear of government by communities of color, along with deportation most common among Mexican and other Latino immigrants, contributes to lower vaccination rates and ongoing disparities and inequities.”

Jecker, who is a Fulbright U.S. Scholar for South Africa, further argues that it is currently estimated that it won’t be until 2023 or 2024 that some low- and middleincome countries have vaccine access.

Imposing a vaccine requirement for travel before being able to fly will create a “rich person’s club” and make the skies “unfriendly,” she contends.

“While the conversation in places like the U.S. is that vaccine passports are unfair to vaccine refusers, in poorer nations, the concern is that there is no vaccine access at all,” she said.

But Liao said that it makes sense to recognize the realities of different distributions of vaccines and for residents of countries that have access to vaccines to get vaccinated first. Such an approach will contribute to the global good, he said.

Still, said Jecker, vaccine passports could contribute to the hardening of divisions between the rich and poor.

Marginalized groups in the U.S., for instance, had less access to vaccinations when they were first rolled out, she said.

More privileged counties—areas “with less social vulnerability”—received them first. Vaccine passports could further alienate groups already “cautious” about vaccines, she said, further dividing people.

Liao clarified that his argument was not contrary to Jecker’s position. If anything, he would only emphasize that policy makers have had to think about equity issues in every part of the pandemic, from lockdown regulations, to vaccine rollout, to COVID relief.

“The point is that many aspects of COVID policy have had equity concerns.

But those concerns are not reasons not to implement policy at all—they are reasons to implement policy with equity front and center,” said Liao. “One of the abiding things we take away from the pandemic, when it comes to public health, is that our health is not fully in our own hands.”  This health series is made possible by funding from the Washington Department of Health, which has no editorial input or oversight of this content.

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WE ARE MUCKLESHOOT WE ARE RIGHTFUL DESCENDANTS OF THE DUWAMISH PEOPLE

Chief Seattle, whose mother was from a Duwamish village near present day Kent ancestral to the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, and whose father was Suquamish.

In 1855, Chief Seattle signed the Treaty of Point Elliott.

In exchange for thousands of acres of land, the Duwamish people left their ancestral villages in the watersheds around Seattle and moved to reservations expressly established for them at Port Madison and the Muckleshoot Prairie, as well as other reservations.

Though it came at terrible cost in hardship and suffering, our ancestors persevered to preserve their heritage, sovereignty and treaty rights.

Today, more than 95 percent of Muckleshoot Tribal members are descendants of the Duwamish people including Chief Seattle, as are many members of the Suquamish, Puyallup, Tulalip and Lummi Tribes.

Together, we continue the sacred endeavor of our ancestors.

But a small group calling itself the Duwamish Tribal Organization is deceptively using the name of our ancestors in an effort to appropriate everything we have fought so hard to preserve.

They continue despite multiple federal court and Interior Department rulings that the group is not a tribe, and not a legal successor to the Duwamish Tribe that signed the Treaty of Point Elliott.

The group, headquartered in a longhouse built on our traditional territory, has even convinced many well-intentioned people in Seattle to call for their recognition.

This kind of uncritical support by individuals with little knowledge of local native history undermines our sovereignty and devalues the tribal identity we have given so much to protect and preserve.

OUR HERITAGE IS NOT ANYONE’S TO TAKE LEARN THE FACTS AT TheRealDuwamish.org

Artwork by Muckleshoot tribal member Sam Obrovac.

Paid for by the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

7

8

asianweekly northwest

■ SPORTS

39 YEARS

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

THE LAYUP DRILL

Olympic Games edition

By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

People gathered near the National Stadium watch the firework display launched during the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 8. (AP Photo/Kantaro Komiya)

The Tokyo Olympics, christened with “2020'” but held in mid-2021 after being interrupted for a year by the coronavirus, glided to their conclusion in a COVIDemptied stadium on the night of Aug. 8.

A rollicking closing ceremony with the theme “Worlds We Share”— an optimistic but ironic notion at this human moment— featured everything from stunt bikes to intricate light shows as it tried to convey a “celebratory and liberating atmosphere'” for athletes after a tense two weeks.

Among the highlights…

Sunisa “Suni” Lee shines

Sunisa Lee, center, waves from a fire truck with her mom Yeev Thoj, left, and sister Shyenne Lee as fans cheer for her during a parade on Aug. 8 in St. Paul, Minn. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via AP)

Simone Biles was unable to compete for the United States Gymnastics team as she focused on her mental wellness. Her pulling out of the team competition and then all but one of the individual disciplines cast a blow for the U.S. However, while Biles was sidelined, it allowed for another to shine.

Enter teammate Suni Lee. The Hmong American shocked the world by taking the gold medal in the all-around competition and then receiving the silver medal in the vault and bronze in the uneven bars.

The 18-year-old St. Paul, Minnesota native became the first Asian American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics and the first Hmong American-ever to medal in the Summer Olympics. St. Paul hosted a celebratory parade for Lee on Aug. 8.

Lee is a decorated gymnast that was a part of the 2016 Olympic team and the 2019 World Championship team. However, she never earned an individual medal in Olympic competition, let alone the gold in the all-around.

Lee has gone through some personal tragedies. In August 2019, her father fell out of a tree while helping a friend, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. In 2020, Lee’s aunt and uncle died from COVID-19.

Philippines finally wins gold

Hidilyn Diaz of Philippines celebrates as she competes and sets new world record and won the gold medal in the women’s 55kg weightlifting event on July 26. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

bring home a boxing medal. The 29-yearold took a silver medal after losing to Sena Ire from Japan.

Arguably, the fight for the gold was tight with many supporters believing that she should have defeated Ire. It was the country’s first boxing medal since 1996 when Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco won silver at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.

After the fight, Petecio dedicated her medal to the LGBTQ community.

The Philippines will earn two more medals in boxing in Tokyo as two other Filipino boxers have made the semifinals of their events.

Adopted Chinese swimmer Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made history wins gold for Canada

when she won the first gold medal for the Philippines ever. The country sent its first Olympic delegation to Paris for the 1924 games, but never had the opportunity to hear its national anthem played. It all changed when the 30-year-old Diaz, who serves in the Philippine Air Force, narrowly defeated China’s Liao Qiuyun for the top spot.

Diaz won the silver medal in weightlifting in Rio in 2016 (she was the first woman medalist for the Philippines) and many supporters believed that she was the best hope for a gold medal in Tokyo.

She has been to 4 Olympics in total, as she first made an appearance at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Diaz started out lifting as a youth using homemade dumbbells. At age 11, she was given a barbell to train with after a local weightlifting competition. She says that she practiced so hard that she wore it out and the bar broke due to overuse. This ingenuity helped her during the pandemic as she had to use makeshift weights with many gyms closed.

Dedicating her time to winning a gold, Diaz focused on training and was unable to see her mother or father for many months.

There is an asterisk to the Philippines gold medal victory as Arianne Cerdena earned a Gold Medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in bowling. However, her gold medal did not count as bowling was a demonstration sport. Thus, Diaz’s victory made winning gold official for the Philippines.

Petecio earns silver for the Philippines

The Philippines’s Nesthy Petecio holds up her silver medal after losing to Japan’s Sena Irie in the women’s featherweight 60-kg final boxing match on Aug. 3. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Nesthy Petecio made history as she became the first Filipino female boxer to

Maggie MacNeil earned gold for Canada as she won the 100m butterfly in swimming.

MacNeil was adopted by Canadian parents after she was abandoned at just a few months old. The London, Ontario native started swimming at the age of 2 and started to compete in the pool at age 8.

MacNeil earned a silver medal in the 4x100 freestyle and a bronze in the 4x100 medley. She earned her gold in the butterfly

Margaret MacNeil, of Canada (right), reacts after winning the final of the women’s 100-meter butterfly as Sarah Sjoestroem, of Sweden, looks on at the 2020 Summer Olympics on July 26. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

as she beat the favorite, Zhang Yufei from China. MacNeil’s victory was considered an upset.

MacNeil continues to swim for the University of Michigan, where she broke the NCAA 100 yard butterfly record.

Former Dawg wins bronze, edges British Open winner

C.T. Pan, the former University of Washington golfer, won the bronze medal see OLYMPIC GAMES on 14

YOUR VOICE

■ AT THE MOVIES

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

asianweekly northwest

9

Dev Patel is so epic in ‘The Green Knight’!

By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

I usually like to watch movies without knowing much context. I like going into the movie theater pretty ignorant so that I can be delighted by every twist and turn that unfolds, so I can be like, “Oh, that’s what the movie is about?” Unfortunately, “The Green Knight” doesn’t benefit from this practice.

And it’s still a fantastic movie! I still left the theater in awe—but also in slight confusion.

See, to understand “The Green Knight,” you’d have to clearly remember the stuff you read in your college Medieval English literature classes.

And if you didn’t take a Medieval English literature class, it is even harder to grasp all of the details in “The Green Knight.” I definitely recommend reading a Wikipedia entry or two before seeing this movie.

“The Green Knight” is a cinematic retelling of a 14th century Middle English poem, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” and covers themes of honor, heroism, and spirituality. “The Green Knight” is directed by an American, David Lowery (whose work is so impressive in “The Green Knight” that I feel compelled to check out

all of his other films now), and stars English actor Dev Patel as the eponymous Gawain.

Gawain is the nephew of King Arthur and during Christmas, as they are chilling with the other Knights of the Round Table, an uninvited guest called the Green Knight shows up all scary and challenges a brave knight to a ‘game.’

Gawain self-selects because he’s brash and perhaps arrogant. The Green Knight tells him that whatever blow Gawain deals to him, the Green Knight will pay Gawain back with the same blow in exactly one year.

For some reason, instead of a tap on the shoulder, Gawain decides to behead the Green Knight, not realizing this dude is fricking magic, which is nuts because the dude looks like a tree.

So the Green Knight comes back to life after the beheading to everyone’s astonishment. And then Gawain spends the rest of the movie in dread and resignation, because he realizes he’s slated to be beheaded in a year’s time. And of course, he has to go through with it because this is like, Arthurian times and they are serious about honor and didn’t yet adopt ‘just kidding!’ as a cultural practice.

See, this is the stuff I wish I had known going into the movie. The movie is told so subtly and beautifully—and everyone is speaking in an English accent of some sort—that it was kind of see THE GREEN KNIGHT on 11

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

Exploring the U.S.A. during the pandemic

Horseshoe Lake at Denali National Park.

(Credit: Leo Yeung)

The oldest Chinese restaurant in the U.S., in Butte, Montana.

Jackie (daughter-in-law), Lawson, Allison and Edison, James Wong’s children, swim in Hawaii.

Hello Kitty Cafe Truck (Photo by George Liu) Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas (Photo by George Liu)

Jerry Tam of Montana’s Pekin Noodle and Harry Chan of Tai Tung at Pekin

Weekly Specials Prices Valid August 11-17, 2021

Cool Treats to Beat the Heat!

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

The nation’s older Chinese restaurant vs. Seattle’s Tai Tung Recently, Harry Chan, owner of Tai Tung Restaurant with 86 years of history, attended his grandson’s graduation ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his family drove over 2,000 miles for the event.

But what made his trip more special was he met a fellow restaurateur, who owns the oldest Chinese restaurant in the U.S.—Pekin Noodle Parlor in Montana. It is 110 years old. Curiosity was the reason Chan wanted to meet the Pekin owner on his way back to Seattle. Both have carried the fame as the oldest Chinese restaurants in their respective cities. Do they have anything in common?

“I heard about Pekin on CBS News,” Chan said. His son-in-law called for

reservations before they arrived. “No need to make reservations,” a Pekin staff member told them. “Just come before 8 p.m.” That’s the similarity right there.

You don’t need to make reservations at Tai Tung. You just walk right in. Since the pandemic, Tai Tung also closes at 8 p.m.

A small town of 30,000 with its own charm, Butte was once a bustling mining town. Pekin’s owner, Jerry Tam, was born into the restaurant business. Tam returned from New York to help his father, Danny Wong (who had changed his last name from Tam to his aunt’s last name Wong, a more recognizable Chinese last name). That’s another similarity right there. Harry’s brother, Tommy Quan, has a different last name, too. In addition to being the oldest restaurants, both have served celebrities and politicians.

A tour of Pekin, including the kitchen, showed the Chan family the contrast. see BLOG on 12

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YOUR VOICE

■ LETTER TO EDITOR

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

asianweekly northwest

11

New shelter concerns

The City of Seattle, in partnership with the Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT), will open a new 125room, 24/7 “enhanced shelter” at the former Keiro nursing home site.

The City will be opening new 24/7 shelter options throughout the City, according to The Seattle Medium.

In addition, King County and the City of Seattle are investing $15 million to continue the JustCARE program in Pioneer Square and Chinatown-International District (CID), with particular focus on City Hall Park.

We can see and understand that the City must be under enormous pressure to get unhoused, high-risk folks off the sidewalks and public parks. We know that City Hall Park has been the scene of overdoses, attacks, and the potential source of a sex offender who recently attacked a female employee in the restroom of the Courthouse.

Amazingly, he was not booked or held after arrest, but that is another story.

There are troubling questions that arise out of these projects, specifically the 24/7 “enhanced shelter” for the Keiro site.

How much is the CID expected to absorb out of this current and future expansion of 24/7 shelter options?

Are other parts of the City being designated so that the CID is not disproportionately burdened?

Where is Africatown, our new neighbor in the designated 24/7 “enhanced shelter” proposed for the Keiro site? I belong to a community group—Wisteria Community Association—and to my knowledge, ACLT has never approached us nor other community associations by holding any kind of public meeting to introduce themselves, get to know us, or to introduce their use of Keiro. This lack of communication is very troubling.

THE GREEN KNIGHT from 9 hard to pick up the different nuances of what was going on. Like, Gawain has some mommy issues that took me so long to figure out, simply because I didn’t know who his mom is (from the Arthurian legends).

Okay, we need to talk about Dev Patel and how much of a glow up he’s undergone over the past few years—since his “Slumdog Millionaire” days. Dude, he’s so hot now. He smolders! He has such luscious hair! He looks super kingly and does an incredible job in this film. As engrossing as the film was for me, sometimes I got mentally pulled out of it because I had fleeting thoughts like, “Dude, Dev Patel looks so handsome! WTF!” This bit of casting is very interesting. More and more nowadays, I think filmmakers have been casting more people of color in roles that are not originally meant for people of color, and rather than change the story to include an explanation of like, why a super good-looking man of Indian ethnicity is playing a character who was undoubtedly super duper white, Lowery just treated it as normal, in-universe, and continued going about and telling his story.

I used to be a bit more bothered when API characters were just injected into a story without proper character-building ‘cause it’s like, hey, casting APIs isn’t enough.

Obviously there’s no API writer on staff writing these characters, and that’s troubling.

But in this case, the sense of it is different. It feels different when

“This project will serve single adults and will be the first shelter project operated by Africatown. The program will be a 24/7, enhanced shelter that will offer culturally responsive services, case management, housing navigation services, and behavioral health support. The shelter is expected to open October 2021,” according to The Seattle Medium.

What experience—this is Africatown’s first shelter project—does the ACLT have in shelter management?

Given the Keiro site’s proximity to Bailey-Gatzert Elementary School (a drug-free zone), will the “enhanced shelter” admit folks with ongoing substance addiction/ use? I speak up as well for the users of Pratt Park—also a drug free zone—where previous injection drug use has been occurring.

Given the Keiro site’s proximity to senior housing— Kawabe Memorial House, Wisteria Terrace, and Midori Condominiums—what measures and precautions will the ACLT take to ensure their 24/7 non-congregate “enhanced shelter” does not contribute to community transmission of COVID-19, particularly in light of a new, highly infectious Delta variant?

Will the “enhanced shelter” screen for sex offenders?

We have all heard of the recent sexual assault on a female employee at the King County Courthouse. The alleged offender was associated with the City Hall Park tent encampment.

The DESC Navigation Center on 12th and Weller, which the CID questioned before it was located here, has not fared well—raising the question of why the City thinks the CID is their go-to for all their failed social experiments. The mess at 12th and Jackson— trafficking in stolen merchandise, violence, and drug sales, to mention a few issues—is directly related to the

the character is a freaking English legend— Gawain. So casting a legend with a non-white actor and then going on as if it’s business-asusual is a real boss move.

Also, when people of color are cast in significant roles, what ends up happening is the people around them who are related to them in the story also end up being embodied by non-white actors. Like Gawain’s mom. She is played by—yes, you’ve seen her before, she’s everywhere!—Sarita Choudhury. It was cool to see (more than) two people of color prominently in a movie that’s based on an Arthurian legend. Like, wow!

Navigation Center.

Further, the City knew that permanent stable housing was not available at the time of the location of the Navigation Center, I heard a City Councilmember admit as much. So are the folks in these “enhanced shelters” in limbo, semi-permanent residents of a shelter? The Navigation Center looks terrible and has been plagued with tents on the grounds. The City’s track record with enhanced shelters is not good. Ongoing accountability and results are questionable. “Enhanced shelter” is a comical euphemism if I ever heard one.

The folks being moved out of City Hall Park and many, undoubtedly off Third Avenue near the Courthouse into enhanced shelters, are high-risk folks. I do not condemn nor judge them.

I question why the City and Africatown think that their proposed 24/7 “enhanced shelter” (it’s a done deal) for the Keiro site is a good fit in a dense urban neighborhood, with populations that are also at high-risk and therefore vulnerable.

I question the City’s pattern of making the CID its de facto repository for high-risk populations.

One other thing: if ACRS wants to be so helpful, why not address the horrible problem of graffiti and trash buildup in the CID? Given the lack of communication on both the City’s and Africatown’s part, the City’s track record of failed social experiments, as well as its penchant for making the city’s only living immigrant community the de facto repository for high-risk populations, one might well wonder who in their mind is “vulnerable.” 

I give this movie four stars! Though as someone who has a hard time watching stuff without cars exploding, I have to tell you that zero cars explode in this movie. So if you’re a person that needs that, this might not be for you. This movie is also a thinker—it has many notes of ambiguity and it lingers after you leave the theater. I know ambiguity sometimes drives certain movie-goers bananas.

Lastly, the mood—the cinematography, the set design, the costuming, the score—is just beyond. It is such a gorgeous and gritty-dirty (in a good way) version of a kind of story that is often told with a lot more glamour. “The

Sincerely, — Patty Fong

Green Knight” is simultaneously lush and stripped down. It’s just beautiful.  “The Green Knight” was widely released and is playing at a theater near you.

If you are not comfortable going to a theater just yet, it is streaming online for one night only, next Wednesday, Aug. 18, starting at 6 p.m. our time. Tickets can be purchased for $20 at the A24 Screening Room website.

Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

BLOG from 10 Chan’s whole kitchen crew is Chinese, whereas Pekin has three Caucasian helpers and one Chinese chef, said Chan.

Tam even showed an old room his father used to live in as a young man, with lots of old stuff. Pekin donated much of that old stuff to a New York Museum featuring the food industry.

Both restaurants are known as “chop suey” eateries, a term for Americanized Chinese food. However, Chan noted that his restaurant has been remodeled a few times, including a major renovation seven years ago, and several menu items have evolved over the years. For Pekin, which started in 1911, it has stayed true to its chop suey taste, including egg foo young and chow mein, serving typical Americans for over a century.

“It’s the old atmosphere,” said Chan.

Pekin’s owner treated the Chan family of four to dinner and drinks, even though they were meeting for the first time. The generosity of two restaurants is also alike.

Tai Tung has supported many community causes, and often treats their long-time customers and friends. In remarkable ways, both Pekin and Tai Tung are unique family businesses and pillars of the economy, simultaneously reflecting the triumph of Asian immigrants achieving the American Dream.

Alaska is great for a family trip

Leo Yeung went on a family trip to Alaska in July. The family of eight flew from California to Anchorage, then drove around to see Denali National Park. The family also took a cruise to see SewardKenai Fjords National Park. When asked about the best part of his trip, Yeung said,

“Being with my three grandchildren.”

But the little grandkids said seeing the animals was the fun part. They saw sea lions, moose, foxes, whales, birds, bears, and many more.

Las Vegas isn’t just for gamblers

IL Bellagio Italian Restaurant’s cuisine

“Do you gamble?” my friend asked when she learned that I was in Las Vegas last May. The notion that Vegas is only for gamblers is false. Both my husband and I don’t gamble, we don’t even play the slot machines. I find no joy or fun in throwing money away.

Some argue if you are lucky, you can win some money. The taxi driver we met in Vegas during our trip, a gambler, confessed that he has paid the piper off and on.

Winning through gambling doesn’t exist in my world. I am not saying I have been unlucky. In fact, I consider myself and my family pretty fortunate this year, during the pandemic. My luck has always been earned through relentless hard work and the ability to see possibilities.

So why Vegas?

Covid has created challenges for us seniors to travel. We don’t want to go out

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Sealed bids will be received for KC000266, Harbor Island Dock Demolition; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via the E-Procurement system, until 1:30 pm on August 26, 2021. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted on-line following the Bid Close Date and Time; see Section 00 10 00 for details.

There is a 15% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

There is a 20% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Brief Scope: The King County Solid Waste Division (KCSWD) is proposing to demolish a derelict, creosotetreated timber dock located along the western shoreline of Harbor Island, at the mouth of the Duwamish River. The dock is is approximately 72,700 square feet.

Estimated contract price: $4,350,636 Mandatory Pre-Bid(s)/Site Tour(s): 08/18/21 at 9am and 10am.

Prospective bidders can view more details at: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/solicitations Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://kingcounty.gov/ procurement/supplierportal

39 YEARS of the country. Traveling far is risky. Our days of being bold adventurers belong in the past. We didn’t have much time to do research or plan an exotic trip so choosing a familiar place would minimize Covid risk. We have been working so hard during these unprecedented times, we needed a break, to get out of our apartment, and do something new for a few days. An essential criteria for the destination is great food.

Vegas seemed to be the obvious choice. We flew to Vegas the week before Memorial Day weekend. We thought the weather would be hot. Surprisingly, it was chilly and windy during our stay.

There were crowds, but getting around was manageable. Most people were unmasked, as President Biden said then, “If you are vaccinated, you don’t need to wear masks.” There were a few shows as the Strip began to open up. We saw one variety show, limited to about 130 people out of a seating capacity of over 800. It’s not the best show I’ve seen. But I like to support artists who were unemployed during the pandemic.

How did the city manage to keep the homeless away from the Strip? I did see a few hanging around in the old town (downtown). Yet, they were not aggressive panhandlers.

Vegas is full of happy faces. It is not just the gambling capital of our country, but a recreational town for families and kids. It was enjoyable to see kids at M&M’s World and lining up at the Hello Kitty Cafe food truck for its sweet treats.

The food truck is a smart idea, requiring much less operational expense and investment. I was glad to see an Asian franchise owner who planned to add one more truck soon. Vegas also built a new and amazing football stadium, revealing its wealth and vision.

The last time I visited Vegas was about eight years ago to watch Celine Dion perform. Vegas has earned its name as a food paradise with lower prices. The prices have increased quite a bit as it had suffered months of lockdown and high labor costs. We loved every meal, from French to Italian, Chinese to Japanese, they were all superb and creative.

However, if you are looking for Vegas’ fabulous buffets, they are gone due to Covid.

his family immigrated to Hawaii when he was 9 years old. Last January, he took his three American-born kids to Hawaii for the holidays.

Wong showed his kids the apartment building where he used to live when his family first set foot in America. It was a small studio designed for one or two people.

Now, Wong is able to afford to travel to Hawaii on vacation, and stay in a luxurious hotel where his father once worked as a restaurant worker. He wanted his kids to know what he, their grandparents, and great grandparents went through to be able to let them stay in hotels. Although his kids’ childhoods were much better than his, Wong shared on Facebook that he wanted his kids to “stay humble, kind, generous, eager to learn…and love…their fellow human beings.”

A watershed moment in Hawaii

Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

James Wong, Vibrant Cities CEO, and

Other U.S. adventures

New York City Lelian Solip: Despite the attacks on Asians we heard about in the news recently, I felt pretty safe [in New York’s Chinatown]. We took the subways everywhere, including taking the trains from Newark Airport to Penn Station and to JFK Airport. Thanks to the NYPD who were visibly present in the streets and many subway stations.

Napa, California Henna Makol: I’ve been wanting to go to Napa for as long as I can remember.

It was a spontaneous trip that I’m glad I made! Had such a great time visiting the Castello di Amorosa, Korbel, and Kendall Jackson wineries. Flying into Santa Rosa via Horizon Air from Seattle was such a breeze.

Michigan Ruth Bayang: We took a ferry from Mackinaw City (a four-hour drive from Detroit) to Mackinac Island. Spent a day there enjoying the sights and sampling fudge, and rented a tandem bike to explore the island, where only horses and non-motorized vehicles are allowed.

The next day, we drove over the Mackinac bridge to see part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Almost as beautiful as Washington state! 

AUGUST 14 – AUGUST 20, 2021

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

asianweekly northwest

13

Predictions and advice for the week of August 14–20, 2021

By Sun Lee Chang Rat—You don’t like to be without backup options, but those alternatives need to be viable to be of any use.

Dragon—Despite the uncertainty that awaits, that alone is not enough to dissuade you from going ahead.

Monkey—While one should try to learn from a mistake, avoid second guessing yourself based on a minor misstep.

Ox—If something is not working out for you, then you have no qualms about leaving it behind you.

Snake—A disappointing showing is ample motivation for you to redouble your efforts and come back stronger.

Rooster—Although you are flattered to be asked to play an expanded role, consider the commitment involved before agreeing.

Tiger—Why waste time fretting over things you cannot change? Direct your energies in a more productive direction.

Horse—Your persistence has put you in a good position. This is the time to solidify your resolve.

Dog—Concerned about a lack of progress on an issue you care about? Don’t hesitate to jump in, if necessary.

Rabbit —Rather than making a hasty decision, let the dust settle before figuring out your next move.

Goat—When a substitute is better than the original, there is no reason to hold out for the latter.

Pig—Certainly not one who is prone to rash displays, you pride yourself on your decidedly measured responses.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

TAITUNG

TRAVELING from 1

Traveling around North America

R E S TA U R A N T

Photo provided by Brian Luong

Brian Luong has been traveling almost every month since getting vaccinated.

He’s been traveling with the same group of friends, and last year, they got tested a lot. Like Yang, he and his friends also visited Hawaii and they require a negative COVID test 72 hours in advance. Hawaii now allows vaccinated visitors without restrictions. To be safe, Luong would get tested after returning from a trip, too.

In addition to Hawaii, he’s visited Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Austin, and a local trip to Leavenworth. Most recently, he traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico in July.

In Mexico, the whole group was vaccinated and they spent most of their time at an all-inclusive resort. The city of Cabo San Lucas implemented a 10 p.m. curfew so they mostly did activities during the day like snorkeling and renting an ATV. He wasn’t too worried about the pandemic as the town was pretty quiet for the most part.

His next trip is to San Diego over Labor Day weekend because he didn’t want to go too far, but wanted to go somewhere he hadn’t visited recently.

In deciding which cities to visit, Luong and his friends based it on which restaurants were open. Los Angeles has a lot of outdoor dining, so that worked in their favor.

“With all of our trips prior to Cabo, we were diligent about wearing masks. We’d make sure we’d sanitize the airplane seats and trays and we still do that now. We were definitely much more diligent about wearing masks,” Luong said.

But with the heat in the summer in Austin, he said that a lot of people weren’t wearing masks so they didn’t wear it as often. However, they did wear them when riding in Ubers since it was required.

“Austin was pretty busy and outdoor bars were open and it was crowded, but we weren’t too concerned because the Delta variant wasn’t as serious yet,” he said.

Luong plans on waiting for other international cities to re-open, before visiting.

Brian Luong ATV’ing in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Celebrating milestones

Amy Nguyen and her fiance traveled several times during the pandemic, but mostly to visit family and friends for important milestones.

Last July, during the peak of COVID, they drove 20 hours to go back home to Denver, Colorado for a friend’s wedding.

They wanted to avoid any interaction with people, stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks. They also packed groceries and ate sandwiches in the car. They stayed in Montana for one night and then just drove straight through to minimize interacting with other people.

After they attended their best friend’s small wedding that only had 25 guests, they drove right back to Seattle without seeing family.

Then last November, Nguyen had to fly back home because her dad was sick.

Things had gotten a little better, but it was still before the majority of people were eligible for the vaccine.

“It was more stressful because I was going home to see my dad who was sick, but it was an emergency situation. He needed surgery,” she said.

Nguyen was very terrified about flying and was feeling guilty about possibly getting her parents sick.

On the plane home, Nguyen took extra precautions. She wore two masks, a face shield, carried wipes, hand sanitizer, and didn’t eat or drink on the plane so that she didn’t have to go to the bathroom.

She got tested after landing and waited at least 24 hours when she knew she was in the clear to go home to her family.

Nguyen stayed in Denver for two months with family and then flew back to Seattle.

They took a few more trips over the summer after getting vaccinated; a few trips back to Denver for family stuff, including her sister’s baby shower, and a trip to Austin for a friend’s baby’s first birthday.

Over the next few months, Nguyen will be going back to Denver again, as well as Tennessee and California for more weddings.

“With the pandemic looming, we don’t want to do unnecessary travel. All the traveling we’re doing now is for a specific reason like big milestones and important family stuff.”

Nguyen and her fiance are avid cyclists and they just bought a new tandem. They want to visit Portugal and do a bike tour.

Originally they were hoping to go this fall, but they might have to wait until things are safer.

Right before the pandemic hit last March, they were supposed to visit Japan, but the trip was canceled. They plan to rebook their flights, as soon as those countries open up again.  Nina can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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ING from 4 “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Hawaii Five-0.”

Ing was a Honolulu native and a U.S. Army veteran who was an advocate for the Asian American Pacific Islander community in the entertainment industry,

OLYMPIC GAMES from 8

C.T. Pan, of Taiwan, is doused with water after winning the bronze medal at the men’s golf event on Aug. 1, at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Japan. (AP Photo/ Matt York)

in golf as he beat out five others in a playoff for third place. Pan, who represented Chinese Taipei, gave the country its fourth bronze medal and eighth overall medal for the Tokyo games.

Notably, Pan edged out Collin Morikawa

12-year-old skateboarder wins silver

Kokona “Coconut” Hiraki won a silver medal in the women’s park event in Tokyo and became the youngest Japanese athlete on record to win a medal and to participate in the Summer Olympics.

The women’s park skateboarding competition was won by 19-year-old

uncle, Tashi Lama. “We get to see the two sides of it.”

In Jalue’s room, a photo of the Dalai Lama rests above DVD collections of “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “South Park,” next to volumes of “Buddha.” That’s a graphic novel series by Osamu Tezuka, a master of the Japanese comic art form known as manga.

On his bedside table, Jalue keeps a journal where he diagrams football strategies that he’d like to try on the field playing as a defensive tackle and offensive guard with his school team.

He loves sports, especially Atlanta teams.

“You’ll always see me outside wearing this hat,” he said about his favorite Falcons cap. “Unless I’m wearing my robes.” Would it be easier if he was just a regular teen? “Nothing like that crosses my mind,” he said, laughing. “It’s always been religion first.”

Growing up he had a deal with his dad, who would give him the Pokemon cards in return for committing Buddhist scriptures to memory. He collected hundreds and would sometimes sneak them in his robes at ceremonies.

Every morning he wakes up to recite sacred texts. He then attends school, followed by football practice, and returns home for tutoring lessons on Tibetan history and Buddhism. Late at night he might practice his

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including being an active member of the American Asian Performing Arts Theatre. He had a master’s degree in music education from Columbia.

Broadway star Telly Leung, who performed alongside Ing, said in a tweet that “a generation of Asian performers would not be where they are today without his leadership

in the playoff to earn the bronze. Morikawa, who won the British Open earlier in the month, could not match Pan’s par on the fourth extra hole which decided the tiebreaker.

The win was that much more special considering Pan’s wife, Michelle, was his golf caddie.

Pan played collegiate golf at the University of Washington from 2011-2015.

He currently plays on the PGA Tour.

BUDDHIST LAMA from 3

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and courage.”

Actor’s Equity Association tweeted in his honor: “Not only was Alvin Ing a trailblazer, but he was also an inspiration to a generation of performers. He will be missed.” 

Sakura Yosuzumi. Notably, 13-year-old Sky Brown won the bronze medal. Brown grew up in Japan, lives in California, but competed for Britain in Tokyo.

The park competition has the skateboarders performing a numerous amount of tricks within a time span within what looks like an empty outdoor pool.

Hiraki, who began skateboarding at the age of 5, hails from Kutchan, Japan.

She was influenced to skateboard by her mom who was a fan of the sport. She has competed globally, having won the 2019 World Pro Tour in France.

Hiraki is nicknamed “Coconut” after her mother’s love for warmer, tropical countries.  Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

calligraphy or run on a treadmill in the basement while listening to rappers like Drake and Polo G. “He’s naturally very open-minded, and he’s also very genuinely interested in the world. ... He doesn’t have these preconceived notions of who he is,” said Kate Thomas, one of his tutors and the teachings coordinator at

Kokona Hiraki of Japan takes part in a women’s park skateboarding practice session on Aug. 2. She won the silver medal at the women’s park skateboarding finals on Aug. 4.

(AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Minneapolis’ Bodhicitta Sangha Heart of Enlightenment Institute.

“He knows he’s Tibetan. He also knows he’s American,“ Thomas said. “But like the youth of today, he is a global citizen as well. And he started out that way due to his age, his generation.” 

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

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Photos provided by Ruth Bayang

YOUR VOICE

El Castillo, a temple as well as a fortress, overlooks the sea at the Mayan ruiins in Tulum.

QUINTANA ROO from 1

Tulum

More than a year later, I was eager to explore other parts of QR that offered a different experience. So in late March, I flew into Cancun International Airport on a direct Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle. I arrived just after 7 p.m. local time and aside from the other passengers on the same flight, the airport was deserted.

I had only a carry-on and after clearing immigration, I was among the first to exit the building.

A private shuttle driver took me to Naala hotel in Tulum, almost two hours south of the airport.

I chose that particular hotel for its location along Avenida Coba—the road to the beach (there’s only one!)—between the pueblo (downtown) and playa (beach). I decided against renting a car as I didn’t feel comfortable driving alone in an unfamiliar place, so my modes of transportation were walking, bicycling, or colectivo—little white vans that go up and down Highway 307 from Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum.

Bicycling is an extremely popular way to get around town and it was a bit unnerving at first, sharing the road with pedestrians, ringing the bell to warn other people that I was coming up from behind them, and braking and stopping when necessary. A good portion of the sidewalk was also uneven. A scooter rental would have been better, but I don’t know how to ride one.

I rented my bicycle from Ola Bike Tulum, which was literally steps away from my hotel. It cost 150 pesos ($1 ≈ 20 pesos) for 24 hours, with proof of ID (I gave them my Washington driver’s license), and a refundable deposit of 500 pesos. They are very busy and you need to make a reservation ahead of time, sometimes a day or two in advance. I wasn’t able to get a bicycle until two days after I first arrived in town.

It took me about 30 minutes to pedal from my hotel to the entrance of the Tulum Archaeological Zone. My recommendation is to go first thing in the morning (I was the first one at the gate!), so you can avoid most of the crowds and the hot sun. Bring water, a hat, sunscreen, and exact change for the entry fee (80 pesos) as they don’t give you change.

You have the option of walking around by yourself or to go with a tour group. There were also tour guides standing at the entrance, offering their services. One man wanted 2,000 pesos for a 90-minute long guided tour and I declined. I believe I could have negotiated a better price, but I wasn’t willing to expend the energy to do so.

Tulum is quite different from other Mayan sites in that the ruins are situated on stunning cliffs overlooking the ocean. I felt like I got enough from walking around sans guide, and reading the informational plaques, written in English and Spanish, in front of each structure that detailed the history and how each building was used.

The Tulum ruins include sacrificial temples, a castle, watch towers, and trading posts.

I am a sun lover so, of course, I had to visit a beach club or two to bask in the sun, near the Caribbean Sea. Taquería La Eufemia, along the Hotel Zone, was a gem I learned about through several travel groups—there was no club fee nor a minimum spend amount, and they served cheap (and tasty!) tacos and drinks. Their cabanas are still open, but it appears their beachfront bar is now closed and they will be relocating, according to their Facebook page.

Overall, I spent an average of $10 for dinners—with tips and non-alcoholic drinks included. I chose local mom and pop restaurants over chains, and grew to love a variety of tacos with fresh, local ingredients. I rarely eat Mexican food when I’m at home.

Most of the pueblo’s hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, and the ADO bus station were within a two square

Fine dining in a cave, at Alux Restaurant.

mile section of town—everything I needed was within walking or bicycling distance. The Chedraui supermarket was a short walk from my hotel—that’s where I bought water, food, fruit, and snacks for my breakfast and lunches, and kept the perishable items in the fridge in my hotel room. Chedraui also had ATMs where I could withdraw pesos—I highly recommend carrying small denominations of pesos (instead of U.S. Bicycles are a popular mode of transportation in Tulum.

dollars) for tipping and also to buy goods from small, local businesses. If you absolutely must pay or tip with USD, use bills that are pristine, and don’t use coins. Here in the U.S., we can draw all over our bills and still use them as legal currency. That’s not the case in Mexico.

I found the Mexican people to be friendly, kind, and courteous to a fault, and they will accept your payment without complaint. But in short, it can be a pain in the butt and costly for them to exchange your USD for pesos.

Wifi was an important consideration for me when booking, as I wanted to work. The rooftop restaurant and pool area of my hotel had a decent wifi signal—I mostly worked poolside or on the balcony outside my room overlooking a lush courtyard with trees and a water feature, and made phone calls over wifi using WhatsApp or Google Voice.

Tulum has grown in popularity for digital nomads, so there is an abundance of co-working spaces and internet cafes if your hotel wifi is lacking. While it was adequate for casual browsing, I found the wifi on the beach to be spotty and unreliable for things like Zoom calls.

Using “Airbnb Experiences,” I booked a snorkeling excursion in Akumal Bay (use reef-safe sunscreen!), and a cenotes (naturally occuring undersea caverns) tour in Chemuyil—both were about a half hour drive north of Tulum. Each time, I rode the colectivo (catch it just outside 7-Eleven, at the corner of Avenida Coba and Highway 307), which costs 40 pesos each way. A taxi would have cost at least 500 pesos, one way.

I met a family of five from North Carolina on the cenotes tour and they told me they had to get two taxis for all five people to get to Chemuyil. They rode back to Tulum with me on the colectivo, as there were no taxis around for a return ride. They were thrilled to spend a fraction of the amount they had spent to get there.

Playa Del Carmen

I made a second trip to QR a couple of weeks after my time in Tulum—-this time to Playa Del Carmen (PDC).

There were some differences I noticed this time around.

At SeaTac Airport before departure—Alaska Airlines required all passengers to complete a health declaration form and scan a QR code while waiting at the gate. This flight was more full.

Upon arrival, I noticed that Cancun Airport was a bit more crowded.

PDC is an hour south of Cancun, and again, I opted for a private shuttle to take me to my hotel, which was a stone’s throw from the main drag, Quinta Avenida, and only 50 feet from the beach.

The sargassum (seaweed) issue was considerably worse. Crews did their best to clean it up, but at times, there were piles of it baking in the sun, and it smelled.

One of the highlights of my PDC trip included dinner at Alux Restaurant—which was inside a cave with a cenote! Reservations were required, and I didn’t know that, and the bar was not open due to COVID. But my boyfriend and I walked in and were seated almost immediately after agreeing to spend at least 5,000 pesos—well worth it, in my opinion, for a special date night.

It was warm and humid—you’re in a cave after all—and thankfully, there were massive fans placed

strategically among stalactites and stalagmites, to circulate and cool the air.

The restaurant even had a Mayan ceremonial hall for weddings or vow renewals, a wine cellar, and private vaults if you wanted a more intimate and private setting.

Other culinary delights included La Cochi Loka (open 24 hours) where I satisfied a 5 a.m. hunger pang with three delicious tacos for 130 pesos; El Fogon, where my boyfriend ate what he described as “the best burrito in the world,” ceviche at El Doctorcito; and Aldea Corazon in a jungle-like setting on Quinta Avenida, where we ate grilled tikin xic fish with pickled onion, avocado salad, and roasted plantain.

We also enjoyed an hour-long, beachside massage near our hotel for 500 pesos each. In Tulum, I found a massage for a similar price, just down the beach from La Eufemia.

More Mayan ruins

I didn’t have time to visit the Coba ruins during my Tulum trip, so it was a must-do this time around. I rented a car for one day and we drove for an hour and a half to Coba. The entrance fee is 75 pesos (they do give change unlike Tulum), and this time, I hired a guide once I walked past the turnstile. I don’t remember what the cost was, but it was half of what the guide outside the gates wanted to charge.

Also unlike the ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza, the Coba ruins are more spread out. Instead of walking, we opted for a “bicycle limousine”—a sort of cart with two seats in the front while the driver, who has to pedal, sits behind—for 150 pesos. Regular bicycle rentals were 50 pesos.

I was eager to climb the Ixmoja or Nohoch Mul pyramid but my guide said that was off-limits, due to COVID restrictions. So a return trip is in my future!

This pyramid has seven levels and each level was built every 52 years, so the Mayans built Ixmoja over 364 years.

Other important information

You will need a negative COVID test result, taken 72 hours or less before your flight back to the United States. Antigen (rapid) tests are accepted, and cost less than PCR tests. I paid $40 in Tulum and $50 in PDC. There are many testing sites in the touristy areas, and no appointment is needed. There is a testing site at Cancun Airport, but the Mexican government urges you to use that only as a last resort, in case you don’t get your results back in time, for example.

You need to fill out a health declaration form (Alaska Airlines provided a link to all passengers) prior to departure, and show that form as you go through the security line, along with your boarding pass. I noticed a lot of people skipped this or weren’t aware, and had to step aside to complete this step.

I strongly urge that you buy travel insurance, in addition to any trip insurance you get from your flight and hotel booking. It is fairly inexpensive and be sure to include COVID medical coverage and medical evacuation, in case you do test positive and need to quarantine. A number of resorts will also provide free lodging if you have to quarantine (beyond your original booking), and free COVID tests before your return flight.

As of Aug. 5, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) listed Mexico’s travel advisory rating at level 3—“high” risk. Level 4 is “very high” risk. The CDC advises travelers to be fully vaccinated before traveling to Mexico.  Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

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kingcounty.gov/vaccine Visit the website for information in 24 languages The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, effective, and free. Everyone over age 12 is eligible regardless of citizenship, immigration, or medical insurance status. Many vaccine sites do not require an appointment and transportation and childcare services are available. Get vaccinated and protect your community!

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