VOL 39 NO 8 | FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

The Health Issue sponsored by

VOL 39 NO 8 FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020 FREE 38 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Asians at higher risk for Camera “skinny diabetes” project

scrapped

Should start screening at BMI of 23

By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Donors to receive refunds

“Asian Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as Caucasians at the same weight; so the rate is twice as high,” Dr. Michael Shannon, medical director and endocrinologist at Physicians of Southwest Washington in Olympia, said.

The University of Washington (UW) has done research on the Asian diabetes issue. Shannon said that Wilfred Fujimoto M.D., UW Professor Emeritus, in see DIABETES on 12

Photo by Han Bui

Unmasking the anxiety around COVID-19

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

On a blustery Seattle Friday, I found myself on a King County Metro bus out of downtown Seattle, smack in the middle of a conversation about coronavirus —recently named COVID-19.

Figures of the people affected and the number of lives it claimed flew fast. Our camaraderie, rare for a peak-hour Seattle bus ride, ground to an abrupt halt when a man wearing a face mask got on board.

In the sudden silence, I wondered if it was foolhardy not to wear a surgical mask myself.

A year after she announced the Seattle Chinatown Public Safety CCTV Community Project, Nora Chan is disappointed.

The founding president of Seniors in Action Foundation, a nonprofit that provides help to seniors living in the Chinatown-International District (ID) and throughout the city, raised $175,000 over the past year to install cameras in the outdoor areas of Chinatown.

Now, she is preparing to return all that money back to donors.

“I feel really sad, I really do.”

The goal of the cameras was to increase resident safety, reduce crime, and improve the business environment. But no organization or person has been willing to step up and take ownership of the cameras.

Benjamin Lee, board president of Greater China

see MASK on 4

Photo by Janice Nesamani

By Janice Nesamani NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Danny Li wearing a surgical mask on his way to work. State and county authorities do not currently recommend people wear masks as the virus is not spreading in Washington state or anywhere in the U.S., but understand if people choose to wear them if it makes them feel safer.

see CAMERAS on 15

Census Bureau seeks to count all Asian Americans in 2020 Census

By Alexander Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Starting in mid-March, every household in the United States will receive an invitation in the mail to complete the 2020 Census. The census will include questions about the race, sex, and age of every person in the household.

Mandated by the U.S. Constitution to count all persons, both citizens and non-citizens, every 10 years, the federal government uses the

■

information collected to make public policy decisions.

Toby Nelson, a media liaison for the U.S. Census Bureau in the Northwest, told Northwest Asian Weekly that “[f]ederal funds, grants, and support to states, counties, and communities are based on population totals and breakdowns by sex, age, race, and other factors. More than $675 billion per year in federal funds spent on schools, hospitals, roads, public works, and other vital programs is based on Census headcount data.” The

new data could also lead to dramatic changes in how congressional seats and Electoral College votes are allocated in each state.

Some data suggests that Asian Americans will most likely be undercounted.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, a professor at UC Riverside and founder of AAPI Data, and Janelle Wong, a professor at the University of Maryland and a research fellow at see CENSUS on 12

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

asianweekly northwest

2

38 YEARS

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Dr. Chun Yuan, a professor of radiology at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine, was honored by the American Heart Association on Jan. 29 for developing research that detects and predicts blocked arteries and cardiovascular risk with Dr. Chun Yuan knee MRI images.

Through his stint at the UW, Yuan has mentored 32 people who have moved on to become professors, chief research scientists, clinician-researchers, heads of departments, and other positions of responsibility in both private and government or public institutions in the United States, China, Germany, and around the world.

He received his B.S. in physics at Beijing Normal University and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Physics at the University of Utah. 

KABA Mentor of the Year

Judge Samuel Chung

The Korean American Bar Association (KABA) of Washington State announced Judge Samuel Chung as the recipient of its inaugural Mentor of the Year Award.

Chung was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench in 2014 by Gov. Jay Inslee.

He formed and served as

the founding president of KABA and continues to be an impactful mentor to the organization and its members.

Chung earned his bachelor’s degree in History from Columbia University and his law degree from George Washington University. 

Miss Chinatown U.S.A. Pageant

Samantha Yee of Newcastle came close this year to bringing home the Miss Chinatown U.S.A. title. Instead, she was named 1st Princess with the title Miss Chinese Chamber of Commerce at a pageant that took place on Feb. 1 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Lauren Yang, of Texas, the younger sister Miss Chinatown U.S.A. – Lauren of Miss Chinatown USA Yang 2017 Karen Yang, came away as the big winner.

She won the crown along with the titles of Miss Talent and Miss Community Service. 

Lifelong Recreation Specialist Nguyen

Anne Nguyen is a recreation specialist with the City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Department.

She’s with the Lifelong Recreation unit, which serves participants aged

Anne Nguyen

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Tacoma church sends masks to China

Photo by Rebecca Ip

UW professor Chun Yuan honored

Rev. and Mrs. Douglas Louie

The International Chinese Christian Church of Tacoma bought and collected over 8,500 face masks earlier this month. Rev. and Mrs. Douglas Louie and their congregation also raised funds to pay for the cost of shipping to mail the masks to China. So far, the church said it has mailed out to 31 locations, including Wuhan and other cities. 

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

asianweekly northwest

3

The believer

Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong

Photo provided by Mike Fong

Mike Fong’s great grandfather every year sent fruitcake along with a campaign contribution to Congressman Tom Foley. Foley had helped him sort out immigration issues. Fong grew up surrounded by letters between the two and photographs highlighting their friendship. While his mother worked as a seamstress and his father ran Chinese restaurants, Fong was exposed to his great grandfather’s ongoing gratitude, and the importance of never taking anything for granted, especially in personal relationships.

After 19 years in government, he still doesn’t.

“Everything here is totally built on what I do the day before and the day before that,” he said in his office in City Hall on a recent afternoon.

Fong responded to a request for an interview from Northwest Asian Weekly by offering a reporter the chance to shadow him for three hours.

“I have learned more and gotten more value out of the relationships I’ve built than anything,” he added.

When Fong walked into the main conference room on the 7th floor of City Hall, where his executive team was waiting to hear a presentation about reducing carbon emissions in large buildings in the city, everyone looked up in expectation. Fong took the second seat away from the corner of the table, leaving the power seat open for any latecomers.

During the meeting, the way he interacted with colleagues seemed indicative of the value he places on close relationships. But each interaction was followed by tactful questioning about potential worries. Fong listened carefully, read reports, cogitated by working his pen between two open palms, and asked relentlessly for careful clarification. When he responded, nearly every sentence was a bid for inclusion. Nearly every one began with the word, “Let’s.”

“Let’s drill down on that,” he said.

“Let’s get some cost information.”

Photo by Mahlon Meyer

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong in his office in City Hall

This ability to draw an emotional connection has been important in crises, say people that have worked with him.

“One of the things that really is impressive about Mike Fong is that he has a cool head under pressure,” said former deputy mayor Hyeok Kim. Kim recalled the Ride the Ducks crash on the Aurora Bridge in 2015, killing five people and injuring over 50. The mayor’s office had set up an emergency command center.

“It was a very chaotic day and half of it was really trying to sort out the scale of the injuries but also the outreach to families and the timing of that and being respectful,” she said.

“You had lots of different voices and interests and opinions, and one of the key attributes that Mike brings into situations is to command the room and say, ‘Wait a second, help me understand what is the critical and prioritized lead.’ He has the ability to do that in lots of different situations and contexts,” she said.

During the recent afternoon when a reporter shadowed him, Fong heard a second presentation about a program to

help marginalized students complete college. He was more forceful in challenging the presenters to produce numbers. He lingered specifically on how

many students didn’t make it through.

“I hate to dwell on this,” he said. But he did.

One reason for his adamancy was because of the pride he takes in having helped get the program passed. In a subsequent email, Fong said he felt proud of being part of a “great team” that made the education initiatives happen.

He had insisted that two separate levies—one for Pre–K, the other for marginalized students—come up for a vote at the same time. This maneuver “forced a policy discussion around what the city could reasonably fund and support from pre–K all the way to college,” he said.

The transparency and immediacy of the maneuver helped both measures pass in 2018, by a wider margin than anyone expected. But still Fong lamented, “We still aren’t close to universal pre-K.” One of Fong’s oldest acquaintances in government, Ben Noble, City Budget Director, said that Fong developed better skills and knowledge through practice than simply earning a specialized degree.

“Mike works with a lot of people who see FONG on 13

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4

asianweekly northwest

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

38 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Marguerite Luke Young and Maxine Loo: Best friends for 67 years

By Bettie Luke and Ron Chew

Marguerite “Marge” Luke Young and Maxine Loo were best friends for 67 years. The two met when they were assigned adjacent lockers at Washington Junior High School.

Marguerite was born on Sept. 13, 1940 and passed away Dec. 19, 2019. Maxine was born on May 14, 1940 and passed away on Feb. 10, 2020.

Both Marge and Maxine will be deeply missed by countless friends and associates in the Asian Pacific American and nonprofit communities.

As adults, their jobs took different paths, but they remained dear friends, sharing many community activities together. Both were enthusiastic supporters of the Wing Luke Museum, Jade Guild Chinese Women’s Club, International Community Health Services (ICHS), and the Seattle Chapter of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates.

Wing Luke Museum Director Beth Takekawa remarked, “I will light a candle for Maxine, and for Marge. I sure will miss Maxine walking through the museum with her twinkling eyes.”

Tagoipah Mathno, ICHS Foundation development coordinator, said, “Maxine Loo was the first major donor that I met and connected with. I was excited when I found out she used to work at Franklin High School, my alma mater. She was so kind and welcoming.”

Those who knew Marge remember her sweet smile and gentle demeanor. Behind that appearance was a fierce resolve to take care of her family and work. Marge was widowed with four children between the ages of 4 and 14—John, Joseph, James, and Jade. Initially without a job, Marge threw her energies into volunteering and PTSA work. This was hard. At one point, her children attended four different schools.

Marge later worked at the University of Washington’s Department of Medicine as a medical technologist, researching pediatric immunology.

MASK from 1 For many Asians, a face mask helps us breathe easier when air quality levels are low. The masks, however, also remind us of the peak of the SARS pandemic. When a quick Amazon search for surgical face masks threw up ‘Stocks Unavailable,’ I was a little worried, but there was no reason for my concern as health officials in the state and county convinced me.

While the number of surgical face masks on the streets of Seattle and on public transportation may have increased, the number of confirmed cases in Washington still stands at one. State and county health authorities underscore that the threat level in Washington is low and the disease isn’t spreading here.

Danny Li, a tech worker, takes the bus from Issaquah Highlands into Seattle every day. Li chooses to wear a surgical face mask, despite knowing the risk of contracting the illness in Seattle is low.

“I began wearing the mask around three weeks ago when reports of the coronavirus outbreak in China started coming in. It makes me feel safe. I’d rather wear the mask and protect myself,” he said.

Harborview Medical Center’s Associate Medical Director John Lynch has seen more than several people in Seattle wearing masks.

“There is no known benefit to wearing surgical masks (the simple mask most wear). These are good to prevent the transmission of colds and the flu,” Lynch said.

Lynch notices most people outside of hospitals touch the mask, then touch their faces (nose, mouth, and eyes).

“They end up transferring whatever is on the mask to their face. People also tend to take them on and off without good reason—the general public is not trained in risk assessment in this area,” he said.

A spokesperson from Washington State Department of Health said, “As of now, we are not recommending people wear masks when in public. There is currently no evidence that the virus is spreading in Washington or anywhere in the United States. The health risk is low.” However, he feels if anyone feels comfortable wearing a mask, it’s their right to wear one. “They can, but we are not recommending they do,” he said.

Backing him up, Heather Thomas of the Snohomish Health District said, “Right now, public health isn’t

Maxine Loo and Marguerite Luke Young

Upon retirement, Marge volunteered for 10 years in elementary schools, teaching in the Great Composers Program. Classical music caught her attention because her brother Wing Luke chose her name from an opera by Faust.

Marge also served for 10 years as corresponding secretary for Jade Guild Chinese Women’s Club and as “official/unofficial historian/photographer” of Jade guild events.

Entering Catholicism as an adult, Marge became active at St John’s Parrish on Phinney Ridge. Close friend Lynn Gough remarked, “Early on she became a Eucharistic minister at the 8:30 Sunday morning Mass. She was quick to volunteer for our church activities, an environment worker, and she participated in the jail ministry. “ Marge and her son John had the opportunity to travel.

Spain was their favorite destination. They also took part in organizing a tour of China to visit her father’s house in the Luke Family village in 2013. John recalled that Maxine went with them on the trip to China.

“The Loo village is only about 30 miles away from the Luke village as the crow flies,” he said. “I suppose their spirits were always meant to be close together.”

Like Marge, Maxine Loo also had a sweet smile and recommending or suggesting people wear masks in public unless they themselves are sick. If you are in a clinic or waiting room or if you are not feeling well, that’s when you should be wearing a mask. Rushing out and purchasing a mask is really not necessary right now.”

The Washington State Department of Health is aware that people are buying surgical masks and that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is keeping an eye on any shortages.

“They are aware of and are concerned that people buying these masks for personal use is putting a strain on the supply.

But it hasn’t come up as a serious problem for anything that we are dealing with at this time,” the spokesperson said.

Thomas thinks there is a lot we don’t know about the novel coronavirus and reading the news can seem distressing and unsettling.

“I can see that people purchasing masks might feel like something that they can do, that they have control over. So, I can see why people are doing it.”

While stressing that the novel coronavirus is not spreading in communities in the United States now, and that the risk to the public is low, James Apa, communications director at Public Health - Seattle and King County, said, “People wear masks for a variety of reasons, including to avoid pollen and air pollution, as a courtesy to others when they have the common cold, and for other cultural and even social reasons. Because mask use is customary in some cultures, it’s not appropriate to make assumptions about why someone is wearing a mask or to stigmatize or discriminate against people who choose to wear masks.”

Thomas emphasized that there was no need for masks in Seattle at the moment.

“The best thing you can do to prevent getting sick is to wash your hands frequently. Cover your cough, cover your sneezes, if you’re not feeling well stay home, sanitize door handles, faucets, and commonly used things like remote controls,” she said.

The spokesperson for Washington State Department of Health added, “If people have a mask and they feel better wearing it, that is fine.”

He understands that some people in the community have residual fears from past events (such as SARS). “We are trying our best to make sure we give them the most up-todate information. We have terrific information on the state website and the CDC has good preventative information so

cheery disposition. She was proud of her humble Chinatown roots. Her family’s pumpkin-colored house, one of the few single family residences still standing in the International District, sits on the corner of King Street South and 12th Avenue South.

Her father and uncle owned the Quong Wah Company, a live poultry shop on King Street next to Tai Tung Restaurant. Maxine worked there as a child. She attended Bailey Gatzert Elementary School, Washington Junior High, and Garfield High School.

After graduation, Maxine taught English as a Second Language in Central Area schools like Franklin High. She enjoyed supporting charities for low-income immigrants and refugees. Like Marge, Maxine also led tours of The Wing Luke Museum and spoke to students about Wing Luke.

“I don’t know anybody that loved life more than my aunt Maxine,” said Teresa Loo, Maxine’s niece. “I remember her traveling the world, making the most of everything. It wasn’t until she became ill and I started taking her to doctor’s visits that I began to realize how full her life was. She didn’t let anything stop her.”

“Our family has a tradition of getting together in Long Beach, Washington. This past year, Maxine had just turned 70. It was August. Several of us said, ‘Hey Maxine, some of us want to take you surfing.’ There was a wager on whether she would do it. She didn’t even flinch. She got in a wetsuit.

It was so much fun. The surf instructor said she was oldest student he had ever taught.”  A graveside service will be held on Feb. 22 from 10:30– 11:30 a.m. at the Lake View Cemetery (1554 15th Ave E, Seattle) for Loo. She is survived by her brothers, Sheldon, Wilbur, and Jerry.

Bettie Luke is the younger sister of Marge Young. Ron Chew is director of the ICHS Foundation. people can protect themselves,” he said.

As for masks that are effective against viruses, Lynch said, “We have masks, including what we call respirator masks, that are thicker and require testing to make sure they fit. There is also another type of respirator you may have read about in the newspapers, about the patient in Everett. These are hoods supplied with filtered air. Both types of respirators are ones recommended for healthcare workers if caring for a patient with COVID-19.”

Even though we’re at a low risk of contracting COVID–19, news of the spread of the pandemic can sometimes leave us anxious. Even then, it’s important to remember that at the time of this report, 12,681 people who were infected by the virus have recovered while 1,873 have succumbed to it. The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins Universtiy is tracking the virus and has a dashboard (systems.jhu.edu) to keep you updated about the changing scenario across the world.

T prevent the spread of respiratory viruses: 1. Stay home when you are sick.

2. Use good respiratory etiquette and hand hygiene in all community settings, including homes, childcare facilities, schools, workplaces, and other places where people gather.

3. Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and put the used tissue in a waste basket. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands.

4. Wash your hands often and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (with at least 60-95% alcohol).

5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

6. Practice other good health habits. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work, or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.  Recommended websites: doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus cdc.gov Janice can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

YOUR VOICE

asianweekly northwest

■ HEALTH February is American Heart Month: Eat to lower blood pressure

5

Photos provided by ICHS

By Aliya Haq, MS, RD, CD NUTRITION SERVICES SUPERVISOR, INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES (ICHS)

ICHS staff discuss nutrition with a patient.

Aliya Haq, MS, RD, CD

As a nutritionist at International Community Health Services (ICHS), a nonprofit health center, I see first-hand how a healthy diet can help avoid, delay, or reduce the need for medication for many chronic conditions, including high blood pressure.

One in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure. More than half don’t have it under control, putting them at risk of heart failure, kidney damage, stroke, and other serious health problems.

While we all love a quick fix, medication comes with potential side effects many people could do without. For example, a patient came to me and said, “I do not want to go on medication. Nutrition and exercise. That’s it.” Her blood pressure and cholesterol levels were high, and she fit the profile for future heart disease. She followed my advice and all of her labs came back normal. Her changes in diet and exercise provided huge benefits.

My first appointment will take the longest. I want to get to know you and how willing you are to make a change.

Who do you live with? What cultural practices and foods are important to you?

How accessible and affordable are healthy foods? How much time do you have to cook? Do you eat a lot of fast food?

I will also make sure you have a clear understanding of chronic disease.

Conditions like stroke, blood pressure, and blood sugar are what we call silent killers.

You don’t see the signs that something is wrong until there is already significant

damage.

Then, I help you set realistic goals and prioritize the lifestyle changes you will make, starting with the habits that are the most harmful. For example, if a patient is a smoker who is also overweight, that’s what we will work on first. Even cutting down on cigarettes will help lower blood pressure. Success depends on compliance and readiness, not touch-of-a-button expectations. I tell my patients to: Be consistent. We eat several times a day. Put time and effort into making healthy choices with each meal.

Be patient. The time it takes to see results depends on the number of changes.

Give each change a month to make.

Parents also need to make changes. I see more and more young children developing high blood pressure. Parents need to set practices for healthy eating that benefit the whole family.

Find support within a group. A support group can provide understanding and camaraderie to make lifestyle changes and living with a chronic condition easier.

The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, and reduces saturated fat and cholesterol. DASH provides lifelong control of high blood pressure with healthy eating.

It’s possible for anyone and everyone to eat healthier. If you have no time, make healthy fast food. If cost is an issue, purchase fresh fruits and vegetables when they are in season. Asian food traditions have many healthy options, but you can modify unhealthy dishes so they are better for you, like mixing some brown rice with white rice. Everyone has the capacity to change. My job is to help bring that change out of you. 

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Cooking with healthy foods.

ICHS Heart Healthy Recipe: Chinese Cabbage Tofu Soup This is a nourishing plant-based soup that is made with healthy fats and low sodium. It tastes even better the next day, after the flavors have mellowed and deepened.

Total prep and cook time: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients: • 1 Tbsp. olive or sunflower seed oil • 1 small onion, quartered and thinly sliced • 2 cups firmly packed, finely shredded Napa or Savoy cabbage • ¾ cup thinly sliced small white or brown button mushrooms • One 6 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, undrained • One 32 ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth • 1 Tbsp. lemon or lime juice OR 1 tsp. rice vinegar • 1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste • 1 cup snow peas or frozen peas • 8 ounces extra firm tofu, cut into ½ inch dice • 2 Tbsp. minced parsley Directions: 1. Heat the vegetable broth to boiling in a separate saucepan 2. Heat the oil on medium low in a large soup pot 3. Add the onion and sauté until transparent 4. Add the mushrooms and sauté another few minutes 5. Add the cabbage and snow peas (if using). Sauté just until wilted 6. Add the frozen peas (if using), tofu, broth, lemon or lime juice or vinegar, soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste 7. Cover and simmer over low heat for 5-10 minutes 8. Remove from heat. Add parsley and serve at once Cooking tip: It’s important not to overcook the veggies in this soup, so it doesn’t develop a strong boiled cabbage taste. Let the soup simmer just until the veggies are tender.

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asianweekly northwest

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

38 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR FEB 20

PREVIEW OF THE NEW EXHIBITION FORGOTTEN STORIES: NORTHWEST PUBLIC ART OF THE 1930S Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Ave., Tacoma 10 a.m.

20-23 SEATTLE ASIAN AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL Broadway Performance Hall & Northwest Film Forum seattleaaff.org

21-29 3RD ANNUAL SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL DIRECTED BY CYRUS KHAMBATTA, JAEWOO JUNG, AND KYOUNG-SHIN KIM Capitol Hill’s Erickson Theatre $18-$30 seattleIDF.org

22 VU’S VEGAN ROAST Seattle Aquarium 6:30 p.m. $125/person rvcseattle.org JAPANESE REMEMBRANCE TRAIL TOUR Wing Luke Museum 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

TIMELESS TAIWAN: TASTE OF YOUTH UW, Husky Union Building 3-8 p.m. https://squ.re/37ysWXC

23 LUNAR NEW YEAR 5K WALK AND RUN Shoreline Interurban Trail 8:30-11:30 a.m. runsignup.com TET NEW YEAR: A CELEBRATION OF SPRING Salishan Family Investment Center FIC 2:30-5:30 p.m.

ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BREAKFAST FUNDRAISER, SERVING ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT PANCAKES, EGGS, RICE, AND SAUSAGE Kawabe Memorial House, 221 18th Ave. S., Seattle 8 a.m.-1 p.m. $10/person Tickets available at the door COMMUNITY DISCUSSION WITH SEN. MONA DAS Cascade Hall, Green River Community College, 12401 SE 320th St, Auburn 1-3 p.m.

24 HOSPITALITY TRAINING TO SEATTLE-KING COUNTY LIMITED-ENGLISHSPEAKING JOB SEEKERS ACRS, 3639 MLK Jr. Way S., Seattle 3 p.m. acrs.org

■ OBIT

25 API CHAYA’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY GALA: SURVIVE EMPOWER THRIVE The Westin Seattle, 1900 5th Ave., Seattle 5:30-9:30 p.m. apichaya.org

27 ICHS COMMUNITY KITCHEN C-ID Community Center, 719 8th Ave. S., Seattle 11 a.m.

28

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DOCUMENTARY FILM BY LANE NISHIKAWA NVC Memorial Hall, 1212 S. King St., Seattle 1:30 p.m.

JAPANESE IKEBANA HEADMASTER HIROKI OHARA AT NW FLOWER & GARDEN FESTIVAL 2020 Washington State Convention Center, 705 Pike St., Seattle 11:45 a.m. on the DIY Stage Tickets at gardenshow.com

THE GUAN YIN PRAYER SERVICE TO EASE THE SUFFERING CAUSED BY CORONAVIRUS Aegis Gardens, 13056 SE 76th St., Newcastle 10 a.m.-12 p.m. seattle.ddmusa.org

MAR 1

A service will be held Feb. 22, at 11 a.m. for William Nygon Lee who passed away on Jan. 26 in Seattle.

Lee grew up in the University District, graduated from the University of Washington, and worked for 30 years at Boeing.

He is survived by his wife Sue of 61 years; daughter Linda; son David and daughter-in-law Jane; grandsons Matthew and Geoffrey; siblings Jane German (Tom), Howard (Lay), May (d. Milton), Mary Hoy (Richard); and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

His service will be at Columbia Funeral Home on 4567 Rainier Avenue South in Seattle, followed by his burial at Lake View Cemetery. 

TACOMA BUDDHIST TEMPLE TRADITIONAL JAPANESE SUKIYAKI LUNCH Tacoma Buddhist Temple, 1717 Fawcett Ave., Tacoma 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

View the solution on page 14

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

YOUR VOICE

■ PICTORIAL

northwest

APCC’s 22nd Annual New Year Celebration featuring VIETNAM on Feb. 8 at the Tacoma Dome

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1. Executive Director Lua Pritchard presents awards to honor individuals who have contributed to the APCC. 2. The many attires of different countries in Asia represented on stage.

3. APCC President and Founder Patsy Surh O’Connell (3rd from left) 4. Laos and Cambodian representatives 5. Attendees watching the show.

6. This year’s focus was on Vietnam and these are some dresses that reflect the eras of growth and change for Vietnam.

asianweekly

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6 PHOTOS BY NUK SUWANCHOTE

NAME OUR HOUSING

DEVELOPMENT

THOMAS DAUSGAARD, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Celebrate Asia SUNDAY, MARCH 8, AT 4PM Tianyi Lu conductor Lori Matsukawa host Conrad Tao piano Adeliia Faizullina soprano Seattle Symphony

PRE-CONCERT | 2:30–4PM SAMUEL & ALTHEA STROUM GRAND LOBBY

WIN $500!*

Homestead Community Land Trust and Edge Developers are building homes in the Leschi neighborhood, of which 10 will be permanently affordable for ownership by low- and moderate-income people (community land trust homes).

Help us find a name for this housing development that celebrates the history and rich traditions that represent this neighborhood.

Deadline for entries is March 6, 2020.

Full details at http://www.homesteadclt.org/about-home stead/yakima-avenue-naming *$500 will be awarded to a non-profit of your choice.

Homestead Community Land Trust

Aleksa Manila emcee Children’s Choir Filippino Youth Drill Team Oolleemm Seattle International Lion Dance Team

CELEBRATE ASIA CONCERT | 4PM S. MARK TAPER FOUNDATION AUDITORIUM Huang Ruo Folk Songs for Orchestra Adeliia Faizullina Tatar Folk Tales: “Sak and Sok” and “Arba” Conrad Tao The Oneiroi in New York Chen Yi Si Ji (“Four Seasons”) George Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue

POST-CONCERT | 6PM SAMUEL & ALTHEA STROUM GRAND LOBBY CHIKIRI and The School of TAIKO Rhythms of India Conrad Tao’s performance is generously underwritten by Eric and Margaret Rothchild.

Celebrate Asia is sponsored by the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation.

Celebrate Asia Composition Competition generously underwitten by Yoshi and Naomi Minegishi.

TICKETS:

206.215.4747 | seattlesymphony.org

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asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

■ AT THE MOVIES

‘Come As You Are,’ a delightful roadtrip-to-a-brothel dramedy!

By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

“Come As You Are” is about three young men with physical disabilities.

Scotty (Grant Rosenmeyer) is a paraplegic, Matt (Hayden Szeto) has use of his arms but is also restricted to a wheelchair, and Mo (Ravi Patel) is partially blind—to the point where he has to use a magnifying glass to read and cannot drive a car. The three men are virgins—and are pretty determined to change this fact. Spearheaded by Scotty, the three hire Sam (Gabourey Sidibe) as their driver and nurse, and embark on a roadtrip to visit a brothel that proclaims that they ‘come as they are.’

What ensues follows real archetypal bro-road trip movie notes. For instance, Scotty is threatened by new guy Matt because Matt is handsome, so Scotty bullies and is just a complete ass to Matt—until they start overcoming their personality differences and start becoming real friends over beer glasses that Matt has to hold up for Scotty to sip from. We get

to watch really solid chemistry between the characters. We get to laugh over zippy and sometimes-harsh dialogue, stuff like, “Goddammit, Mom! How hard is it to aim for my mouth!”

We see a clothed boner at one point. We also see boobs. If your

WE’RE HERE.

mom is anything like my mom, she would probably hate this movie.

And that’s what makes it so great!

“Come As You Are” is inspired by a true story and also is a remake of the original

2011 Belgian film, “Hasta la Vista.” Like its predecessor, it makes the compelling decision to tell a mostly light-hearted romp of a story with disabled individuals as protagonists. It has this “Hangover” sensibility to it, but instead of boring-ass Bradley Cooper centering the movie, there is weight. There is Scotty, a wannabe misanthrope who is so caustic because he is lonely and doesn’t want to feel vulnerable emotionally because every day, he is reminded that his body is vulnerable. There is Matt, whose dodgy answers around his disability and his body creates this uneasy tension in us nearly the entire time we are watching him. And there is Mo, who is so sweet, so shy, and so skittish and scared of the world that it feels really rewarding to watch him gradually come out of his shell.

Easily with another crew and another creative team, this movie could have gone really sentimental and really hokey because oftentimes, disabled people in movies and on TV are portrayed as impossibly noble, impossibly asexual, and completely invisible. That is—they don’t often get to be fully fledged human beings.

If they do get to be fleshed out

human beings, then stories often revolve around the suffering that their disability causes and how disability is a hard grind that people must overcome.

In “Come As You Are,” these men’s disabilities feel more like an identity, an aspect of who they are versus the entirety of who they are.

I do appreciate how sex is handled in this movie. Sex is sometimes basic and sometimes funny and also sometimes just a rite of passage for any young man. I appreciated how strongly this movie’s script came down on these dudes just simply wanting to get laid. It made the spectre of sex hanging over all of our heads for the duration of this film feel very familiar and very ordinary.

It didn’t feel weird, sad, pathetic —or stigmatized.

(By the way, it should be noted that all of the actors portraying disabled characters are ablebodied, which may cause some viewers and critics to disagree with me on the complexity of the portrayal.)

“Come As You Are” director Richard Wong’s primary film credits previously were mostly in cinematography (on noteworthy see COME AS YOU ARE on 14

WE COUNT.

CENSUS

Complete the census.

2020 2020census.gov

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

YOUR VOICE

asianweekly northwest

■ AT THE MOVIES Review – “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You”

By Vivian Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY To start this review, I’d like to be clear: If I were in high school and the five love letters I wrote to my secret crushes got delivered to them, there’s no chance any of them would’ve returned my affections.

Not only would I face immediate rejection (times five), I’d probably be ridiculed by the student body until the day I graduated.

For Lara Jean Covey, the beloved protagonist in Netflix’s teen rom-com “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before: P.S. I Still Love You,” (“P.S. I Still Love You”) that isn’t the case. Even with her secret love letters out in the world, she has not one but two secret crushes-turned-suitors vying for her affections in the sequel to last year’s hit “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.” (Side note: this franchise loves its long titles.)

The sequel picks up where its predecessor left off and sees Lara Jean, played by actor Lana Condor, officially in a relationship with her boyfriend Peter Kavinsky (played by the internet’s favorite boyfriend, actor Noah Centineo).

Despite finally getting together, it’s clear that this is an opposites-attract situation. Lara Jean bakes Peter’s favorite cupcakes for their first Valentine’s Day

while Peter, who tries to be as effortlessly romantic, reads her an Edgar Allen Poe poem that he tries to pass off as his own.

Lara Jean prefers a quiet night in, while Peter would rather be out playing flip cup at a raging party. She’s basically Pinterest and perfect manners personified and Peter comes across as a quintessential, uncouth jock.

Then, to throw a wrench into their burgeoning relationship, an old crush named John Ambrose (played by actor Jordan Fisher) re-enters Lara Jean’s life— and it’s clear he’s into her. John Ambrose is everything Peter isn’t. He’s artsy,

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cultured, thoughtful, and just as much of a dork as Lara Jean. She subconsciously starts to indulge in her developing feelings for John Ambrose. Meanwhile, I wonder if Peter’s just straight up wrong for her.

I’ve always been a sucker for relationship angst—those “will-theywon’t-they” feels—and a love triangle is the perfect formula for it. But it’s the actual love triangle that sets the rest of the film on a path of recycled storylines.

While the first film delivered something original with its concept of five love letters and the hijinks that ensue, the love

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triangle in “P.S. I Still Love You” isn’t delivering anything that we haven’t seen before.

My biggest critique was Lara Jean’s obsession with romance, which has become a rom-com trope in itself. She believes in a “happily ever after,” and it’s something she expects when she and Peter finally become an item. What Lara Jean doesn’t anticipate is doubt and jealousy. It’s frustrating, and at times slow, to watch her insecurities play out on-screen and how she quickly jumps to conclusions. But maybe that’s the point.

Maybe we’re supposed to watch her struggle with the naivety and lows that come with first love.

Also, I remain unconvinced that (spoiler alert!) Peter is who she should’ve ended up with. After sharing a kiss with John Ambrose, Lara Jean realizes that her heart lies with the jock and not the sensitive, caring heartthrob. The film did such a good job of painting John Ambrose as Lara Jean’s perfect intellectual and emotional match that it feels like a ploy to see her return to Peter.

Lara Jean finally acknowledges that ‘happily ever after’ doesn’t exist and cites this realization as growth: “But I see TO ALL THE BOYS on 14

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asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

New vs. old food perspectives How to adapt for your health

Photo by Assunta Ng

Beware of sauces

Asian sauces, such as fish and soy, are full of sodium especially oyster sauce, according to Haq. It explains why Asians can easily be affected with high blood pressure — the overconsumption of salt.

Whole milk vs. skim milk

For years, I looked for food with low-fat labels.

Take 2% milk for instance — it was my daily beverage for decades. Then, I watched Dr. Oz on a television show say, “Skim milk has less nutrients than whole milk.”

I started researching. To my surprise, skim milk is processed. What! I have been fooled for decades. Like white rice, nonfat milk’s nutrients have been separated.

What’s wrong with drinking milk directly from the cow to our body? It’s fresh and

(sunflower seeds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds).

Now I learn that it is important to distinguish between good and bad fats. All kinds of animals’ fat, such as beef, lamb, chicken, and lard contain saturated fats.

Animal fats would line your arterial wall and increase your risk of heart disease.

Butter, a natural fat from milk, is better than the hydro-generated vegetable oils, meaning transformed and processed to become solid at room temperature.

However, too much butter is not advisable either as it would mean extra calories.

Fat or no fat

Egg or no egg

Photo by Assunta Ng

“Asian diet favors lots of veggies, just don’t add sauces.” My late mother and grandmother would have a fit if I told them to forget soy sauce.

It won’t be easy for us to change overnight. But you can.

“Don’t keep a bottle of salt at your dinner table,” said Haq. Her advice is, if you buy sauces, choose low sodium sauce.

However, even the low sodium soy has lots of salt. Her other observation is that people tend to add more sauces than plain salt.

Season your foods with spices instead.

Chili powder, whole chili, onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, and coriander seeds (their stems and leaves are called Chinese parsley) are taste-enhancing spices with different functions—some being antiinflammatory.

You can even mix veggies with tomatoes or green onions, which can give great taste, too, Haq said.

Sauces are processed food. To add taste and shelf life, manufacturers use flavor enhancers and preservatives. “Whatever smells good, looks good, makes you want to buy,” Haq said. But “all things added, are bad for you.”

Check the label before you buy your Asian sauces. Compare different brands, made in China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan. Some of them contain as high as 40% sodium. Even Asian immigrants’ popular Maggi sauce is made in two different countries, China and Switzerland.

organic. So I have been drinking organic whole milk in the last four years.

Have I gained weight after drinking whole milk? Yes, I have gained two pounds, it’s not a big deal. It would be illogical to attribute that to drinking whole milk. There are way too many variables in weight increase.

Photo by Han Bui

“Brown rice is for the poor, white rice for the rich,” said my mom. Then, when I became a working mom myself, I fed my sons Chinese sausage and hot dogs, stir-fry vegetables often, and takeout food for the sake of saving time. How wrong was my mom! How inadequate was my knowledge then when I relied on convenient processed food for my family! What terrible habits I had, choosing food simply for taste! And how wrong were our doctors then!

In the old days, rice milled and stripped of its bran and germ, and then pounded, resulting in a tiny white seed, was considered to be good rice. The seed is smooth and sweet to the palate. My mother’s worst memories of World War II was the fact that she and her family were forced to escape from her Chinese village, hiding in a mountain. Out of hunger, they were forced to eat rice picked up from the fields — unprocessed. Little did my mother’s family know that brown and unprocessed rice is better and healthier for us. Regrettably, I have eaten white rice most of my life, and only recently switched to organic quinoa and brown rice six years ago.

Removing the rice coat (brown skin) is “removing wonderful things,” said Aliya Haq, nutrition services supervisor of International Community Health Services.

“Because white rice is white and shiny,” she explained, “some think ‘it’s more expensive and better.’ The misconception comes from high pricing. White rice has had the bran and germ removed and these are the most nutritious parts of the grain.

Though white rice has some of the nutrients lost added to it in processing, it still lacks some others especially antioxidants, minerals, fat, some protein, and fiber.

White rice’s “carbs convert more quickly into blood sugar than brown rice,” according to healthline.com. “Higher intake of white rice may result in a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.”

However, white rice is not the only misconception many have towards what is healthy.

But I grew up with soy sauce. It has been a part of me since I was a baby, and part of my family’s culture and cooking history.

Other Asian ethnic groups have a similar experience. How could we not marinate our food with soy sauce? How could we not dip our food with fish sauce?

“When you decrease your salt intake, it not only helps control your blood pressure, but also helps your medications work better and you may even have to take less medication” said Haq. She added that this is something your doctor will decide and you should never change the dose of your medication without your doctor’s advice.

Photo by Assunta Ng

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Many women who are weight conscious avoid fatty foods completely. In my younger days, fats only meant calories. Although my weight is not an issue, I seldom touch fatty foods. Simply stated, it’s vanity.

Research has found that our brain needs fat. Sixty percent of our brain is made up of fat. We need good fats, such as avocados, butter, extra virgin olive oil, fatty fish (salmon, sea bass, etc), and oils from nuts

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YOUR VOICE

■ EDITORIAL

asianweekly northwest

11

The Yang effect

He’s no longer in the race. But Andrew Yang’s run for president will have a lasting impact on the Asian American community, especially those with aspirations for political office.

He dropped out after the New Hampshire primary earlier this month, but no other presidential candidate of Chinese descent has gotten as far or lasted as long as Yang. He even outlasted a political veteran like fellow candidate of Asian descent, Sen. Kamala Harris of California. The only remaining candidate of Asian descent is Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii.

Anthony Ocampo, a sociologist who focuses on race, immigration, and LGBTQ issues, told NBC News, “The optics of an Asian American candidate commanding such widespread support, both in rallies and on social media, signals to aspiring Asian American politicians that there is a pathway for them—that they can legitimately aim for the highest office in the nation.”

Ergo: it’s possible. No one had reached the top of Mount Everest until 1953. Since then, more than 4,000 people have done it.

It’s possible.

Asian Americans have historically been stereotyped as good workers, good followers, not leaders. Yang changed all that.

“We can actually be seen as those who are politically active and are looking to run for office,” said Christine Chen, director of the nonprofit Asian and Pacific Islander

Andrew Yang’s message on his Twitter account

American Vote, in a recent interview with NPR. “In addition, [Yang] was able to galvanize a new segment of the Asian American population to actually become donors, as well as to actually get involved in canvassing operations and getting involved.” Chen also gives Yang credit for galvanizing a new segment of a population

of donors, young donors specifically, who have never participated in the past.

But he didn’t win, naysayers might say.

Correct. But he definitely increased the visibility of Asian Americans, and again, planted the seed in the minds of voters that an Asian American can be president.

We can be leaders, not just followers.

And the point isn’t to win. I don’t think anybody really thought that Andrew Yang could win this election cycle.

Perhaps in a future one.

Yang also brought artificial intelligence (AI) into American politics.

“We stood on the debate stage and shifted our national conversation to include the fourth industrial revolution, a topic no one wanted to touch until we made it happen here with this campaign,” Yang said in a speech announcing his departure. “We highlighted the real problems in our communities as our economy is being transformed before our eyes by technology and automation, and Americans know now that when you go to a factory in Michigan, you do not find wall-to-wall immigrants doing work. You find wall-to-wall robot arms and machines doing the work that people used to do.”

Thank you, Andrew Yang, for your humanity first campaign, and the focus on solutions, not problems.

Maybe we’ll see you again in 2024. 

■ COMMENTARY

Addressing the child care and pre-school staffing crisis helps our kids get a fair start

By Janice Deguchi EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSE

Janice Deguchi

The first five years of life are critical to a child’s development. Children go from being immobile, spending most of their time sleeping, eating, peeing and pooping into miniature people that can walk, talk, play, and share—critical life skills. They can’t do this alone. Stable families and caring early learning professionals help children develop by ensuring they feel safe, responding to their needs, creating an environment for exploration and play, and providing positive interactions.

Washington families are struggling to find and keep

this kind of quality early care and education. For immigrant families with language barriers, and for people with limited income, it is even harder. The Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP) which provides free, culturally responsive pre-school, health, and family support services to over 13,000 low income families, has a long waiting list. The Working Connections Child Care Program (WCCC), which provides 130,000 families childcare vouchers they can use at any licensed center, reimburses providers at such a low rate, many quality early learning programs do not participate or limit the number of WCCC children they accept.

While Washington state has expanded ECEAP and done several studies demonstrating the importance and need for early learning investment, many families still do not have access to high quality early learning opportunities.

In response, several visionary lawmakers have sponsored bills in the state Legislature to re-imagine our current early learning system and substantially increase investment in a child’s earliest years. This investment

is long overdue. Like many other industries, the early learning field is experiencing a workforce crisis. Unlike other industries, however, our lack of consistency in the classroom hurts our future and children like Emily (name changed to protect their privacy).

Emily was 3 years old when she entered Neighborhood House’s ECEAP classroom. She had undiagnosed developmental and speech delays. It took a full year for our teacher to build enough trust with Emily’s mother, a single parent and immigrant, for her to agree to a development screening. This screening would give Emily access to speech therapy and specialized services. She was scheduled to have her screening this fall. Unfortunately, Emily’s teacher left Neighborhood House for a higher paying job as an administrative assistant at a marketing firm. Emily started the school year with all new teachers and ended up leaving our program within the first few weeks. We are unsure if she ever got the early intervention services she needs.

At Neighborhood House, preschool teachers earn $39,000 on average, still higher than

other programs in the area. The average kindergarten teacher in the Seattle Public Schools earns $63,000. This fall, we had 27 vacancies and had to postpone the start of school twice because we didn’t have qualified applicants. Right now, we still have 10 vacancies.

Neighborhood House is not alone. The field of early learning is facing a state-wide staffing crisis that is getting worse.

One of the proposals in the Legislature funds the career and wage ladder to help ease this crisis with higher pay and professional development.

It can take many months before a child with special needs like Emily is screened, referred, assessed, an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is written and services are provided. Once a child is qualified for services, a therapist visits a classroom once or twice a week. The early learning bills create a complex needs fund, a first step in ensuring adequate classroom staffing so that all children are safe and receive the support and instruction they need and deserve.

The early learning bills will also increase the number of eligible families that qualify for

ECEAP, opening more doors for children from hard-working families struggling to make ends meet. ECEAP helps children develop the social and emotional skills to navigate a kindergarten classroom, including providing critical care and support services for children with developmental delays or who have experienced trauma. ECEAP also works with families to connect them to resources so they can provide a stable home. These services are life changing for Washington children and families.

At Neighborhood House, we’re in the business of relationships.

We let Emily down because we could not keep a trusted teacher in this field. That’s why I support The Fair Start For Kids and the Early Care and Education Acts which prioritize stabilizing the early childhood workforce, supporting children with special needs, and expanding the program to more hard-working families. We must act now to invest in Washington’s future.

Please join me in supporting early learning investments by calling or writing your legislators today. 

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asianweekly northwest

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

CENSUS from 1 AAPI Data, highlighted a 2019 report from the Census Bureau as a reason to be concerned about a potential Asian American undercount in the 2020 Census.

This report revealed the results of a survey conducted with over 17,000 participants, including 1,023 Asian Americans.

Ramakrishnan and Wong said the survey found that “Asian Americans were the least likely of any racial group to report that they intended to complete the [census]” and that “Asian Americans were also the least likely to express familiarity with the census.”

Additionally, over two-fifths of the Asian American respondents expressed concern that their answers to the census “will be used against them” and that only a bare majority ”believed that the census information would benefit them personally.”

Asian Americans may be less likely than other demographic groups to complete the census because according to Ramakrishnan and Wong, they are the

DIABETES from 1 Seattle did some pivotal research on Japanese American diabetes and heart disease.

“The big finding is that Japanese Americans carry intra-abdominal obesity.

They don’t have the same fat you can see in other ethnic groups, but if you do a CT scan across their abdomen, they have a lot of fat tissue in the area that causes diabetes and cholesterol problems,” Shannon said.

Shannon went to medical school at the University of California in San Diego and went to the UW for his residency and to study endocrinology. He’s been in endocrinology for 13 years. He also serves the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as a board member in Washington plus several national committees.

Intra-abdominal obesity is when you cannot physically see the fat because it’s invisible from the outside, which doesn’t make you think one is overweight.

According to the National Institute of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, Asian Americans have the highest rates of undiagnosed diabetes, and more than half of Asian Americans don’t know they have diabetes, which is the highest for any ethnic group.

Most people get screened when their body mass index (BMI) is 25 because that’s considered overweight, 30 is obese.

Shannon explained that there’s a big campaign for “Screen at 23” because of the potential for Asians to be diagnosed with diabetes with a lower BMI than whites.

What does screening entail?

1. Get a fasting blood draw. The doctor can do this at the same time as the cholesterol test. Requires an overnight fast.

2. Hemoglobin A1C blood draw test.

This takes the rough average of the last three months of sugar levels.

3. Oral glucose tolerance test. This tests for gestational and type 2 diabetes with a sugar drink to see if sugar goes up.

Diabetes is also the fifth leading cause of death among Asians and Pacific Islanders.

In addition, Asians have a higher rate of

38 YEARS

“only racial group in the United States that is majority foreign-born.” Language barriers are another challenge as AAPI Data shows that Asian Americans have the highest percentage of people with “limited English proficiency.”

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), an Asian civil rights organization, say that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders “have been undercounted [by the census] for decades” because they “live in hard-to-count census tracts.”

The Census Bureau disputes that Asians have been undercounted. “[The Census Bureau] did not measure a statistically significant undercount for the Asian or for the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander populations in either 2010 or 2000,” Nelson told the Northwest Asian Weekly.

Nelson added that the Census Bureau is aggressively taking steps to ensure that Asian Americans will be included in the 2020 Census.

“In 2020, the Census Bureau will, for the first time

kidney failure than whites, and the average Asian person receives more dialysis.

Diabetes is defined as having a higher than normal sugar level: Normal fasting sugar - under 100 Pre-diabetes - 100-125 Diabetes - over 126 On average, it takes about five years before pre-diabetics progress to diabetes, Shannon said.

Preventative screening starts at age 45.

If you’re under 45, it’s good to get screened if you have risk factors, including being overweight or obese, have a BMI of 23 if you’re Asian, or BMI of 25 if you’re white.

Shannon explained that part of the danger of pre-diabetes is that for a long time, there may be no symptoms and it could still be doing damage to your eyes, feet, and kidneys. Symptoms that could emerge later include increasing thirst, increasing urination, and blurry vision.

The executive director of the ADA of Washington and Alaska, Terry Pollard, said that diabetes often goes hand in hand with cardiovascular diseases, which can lead to stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, and amputation. In fact, the leading cause of kidney disease is diabetes.

“Diabetes really works against the body in that it leads to other diseases,” he said.

But diabetes can be well managed, and diabetics can live the same normal lifespan as a non-diabetic person with careful maintenance—diet, exercise, and insulin and non-insulin medications, he added.

In order to prevent diabetes, Shannon said that diet and exercise are very important.

There are also diabetes-friendly meal plans on the American Diabetes Association’s Food Hub site: diabetesfoodhub.org.

Pollard said the YMCA offers a diabetes prevention program that many providers cover. It helps people be more active and get more support when they have prediabetes to prevent them from advancing to type 2 diabetes.

The most prevalent is type 1 diabetes, which is an autoimmune disease, and it

ever, offer an online response option in addition to mailback response and response via 800 number.”

Nelson said the Census Bureau will provide language support in 59 non-English languages, including Asian and South Asian languages. In Washington state, the Census Bureau has employed partnership specialists to develop ties with Asian American community and faith leaders who can communicate the importance of the census to their constituents.

The Census Bureau will also rely on television, radio, and digital and social media to emphasize the need to complete the census.

Seattle-based TDW+Co received a contract from the Census Bureau to create a national advertising campaign aimed at increasing participation among Asian Americans. These advertisements will be targeted at Asian Americans and played in a variety of Asian languages.  Alexander can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

usually occurs in childhood or in young adults, and can run in the family. Type 2 diabetes tends to appear later in life and is more lifestyle- and background-related. If a family member has Type 2 diabetes, then one could be more likely to get it.

Pollard shared a story about his Asian colleague at ADA who had to educate his primary care doctor on getting screened for diabetes at a BMI of 23, because of the potential risks of his ethnic background.

“Sure enough, he got screened and he did have pre-diabetes, and he wouldn’t have known if he didn’t get screened. It was a big ah-ha moment,” Pollard explained.

The “Screen at 23” initiative seeks to educate providers who previously might rule out diabetes as a risk factor for an Asian who is “skinny” or “average” in

build. It requires educating the public that having a BMI of 23 is not a new definition of “overweight” or “obesity” for Asian Americans, but rather a number to look out for, one that should have individuals thinking about making healthy changes to their diet and incorporating healthy changes to their lifestyle, such as exercising. Above all, the campaign seeks to unmask diabetes and prediabetes in Asian Americans.  For more information, visit screenat23. org, diabetes.org, or call the American Diabetes Association’s Information Center at 1-800-DIABETES. Nina can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

KING COUNTY NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received for C01417C20, West Point Treatment Plant - Digester 6 Low-pressure Sludge Gas (LSG) Pipe Replacement; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, 3rd Floor, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, until 1:30 PM on BID DUE DATE 3/10/2020. Late bids will not be accepted.

There is a 10% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

There is a 10% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

(1) Demolish and install Low-pressure Sludge Gas (LSG) piping and appurtenances; (2) Remove and replace LSG vessels including drop out tank and compressor filters; (3) Remove and replace digester gas dome; (4) Remove and refurbish foam separator; (5) Install Radar Level Detector including all electrical and instrumentation wiring; (6) Remove and replace pressure reducing valves, vents and drains in LSG system; (7) Install County provided Butterfly Valves; (8) Process Safety Management; (9) Start-up, commissioning and training; (10) O&M manuals.

Estimated contract price: $874,800.

Mandatory Pre-Bids: Administration Building, 1400 Discovery Park Blvd., Seattle 98199: Feb. 26, 2020 at 10:00 AM, or Feb. 27, 2020 at 2:00 PM. Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://procurement.kingcounty.gov/ procurement_ovr/default.aspx

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

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Predictions and advice for the week of February 22–28, 2020

By Sun Lee Chang Rat — Looking for motivation to help increase your activity level? Ask a friend to join you for a walk.

Dragon — Some conversations are difficult to initiate, but those involved will be grateful that you had the courage to start it.

Monkey — Don’t wait for an opportunity to come to you. Turn the tide decidedly in your favor by making the first move.

Ox — You are contributing far more than you realize, especially since you are leaving things better than you found it.

Snake — The best laid plans won’t do you much good if the ultimate goals don’t actually align with it.

Rooster — Turn an old standby into something truly interesting by incorporating some nontraditional elements.

Tiger — Not all that you read or hear is accurate.

Be skeptical and verify the information through another source.

Horse — Leading your team on a new project?

Provide clear instructions upfront to minimize confusion.

Dog — Avoid second-guessing your instincts.

Your first impression is likely the most correct and accurate one.

Rabbit — While there is value in knowing how to do things from scratch, it doesn’t always make sense to do so.

Goat — Just when you think you have nothing else to learn, there will be another lesson waiting for you.

Pig — Time with loved ones can be fleeting, so set aside the distractions and try to focus on each other.

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.

FONG from 3 have advanced graduate degrees, and he instead has much more street learning and experience.

While other people were in school, he was working jobs, and he has succeeded where people who have more academic training have not.”

Calvin Goings, the director of the Department of Finance and Administrative Services for the city, first met Fong in mid 2016 when he was interviewing for a job.

He agreed with a characterization of Fong as intuitive, savvy, and non-conventional.

“We connected and met on the 40th floor of the Columbia Tower Starbucks. It was for no job in particular, a get to know you coffee.

I was being interviewed but I didn’t know what I was being interviewed for,” he said.

At the time, Goings had already been a state senator and later an Obama appointee as the regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration.

“He wanted to know what made me tick, why I was interested in coming to the city. It was exhausting. It was question after question after question. And it ended without any clear direction, about what job might be available or what comes next. He said, ‘I’ll get back to you.’”

Fong, who majored in political science at the University of Washington (UW), and started to work on political campaigns early on, worked for two city councilmembers. He jumped smoothly into a position as policy analyst for all nine members of the City Council in 2006.

Noble said such a jump was “not unheard of but unusual.”

“He is gifted in understanding politics, but also in understanding policy and policy analysis and really caring about policy work itself,” he said.

Said Kim, “I’ve worked in

politics over 20 years, and people tend to have more strength in political gamesmanship or maybe they’re stronger in public policy.”

“But one of the things that makes him unique is his ability to marry his political savvy with a very strong policy and analytical grounding in understanding,” she said.

Others describe Fong’s role as continually evolving, from policy analyst to policy author.

During the tenure of Mayor Greg Nickels, the city was hit with a paralyzing snowfall, that Nickels later said soured voters. At the time, Fong did a post–mortem analysis of what went wrong and could be corrected next time.

Last year, working with Mayor Jenny Durkan, the region was hit by the worst snowstorm in half a century. Fong’s plans and proposals were instantly implemented and saved the city from disaster. Durkan appeared emotional about Fong.

When asked in a lighthearted way about how dapper he looked, in a dark suit with shoulder–length, slicked–back hair, she responded without missing a beat.

“It’s hard to have high intelligence and a big heart and to be dapper all in one,” she said, standing in the doorway of his office.

One of the ways he has grown, politically and personally, is through mentors, he said, such as Ruth Woo, the late powerful community leader.

One of Fong’s mentors, former Seattle City Councilmember Cheryl Chow, introduced him to coaching youth basketball, which he said helped him learn about building a team.

Perhaps this is the best characterization of Fong: as a coach. For instance, he also claims pride in his championing of the City Leadership Academy (CLA). Created in 2014, the CLA has existed in various forms, said Fong, but not always sustained.

“This is a program where we seek rising stars across the bureaucracy and expose them to a nine–month curriculum to prepare them for future senior leadership roles,” he said.

Even on a very personal level, Fong encourages mentorship, or coaching.

Recently, he and his partner since college, Laura, rescued a young pug/Chihuahua

from a shelter. But the dog, Ladybird, was so skittish that she “couldn’t even walk around the block without getting overwhelmed and scared,” said Fong.

So he and Laura strategized and eventually went to another shelter and rescued another Chihuahua—but a much older one, at 14 years old. The strategy was for the older, already– socialized dog, Miss Scarlett, to spend time with Ladybird and model for the terrified young dog how to become “more comfortable in her environment.”

Like so many of the other policy initiatives he’s championed, it worked .

Whether it’s for dogs or people, Fong is a true believer in projects for the betterment of society.

“He has true respect for the public policy making process, it’s grounded in his belief that government is a tool for good in the world on behalf of the community,” said Kim.  Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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NOTICE

EMPLOYMENT Kitsap Transit

Kitsap Transit is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Wok Chef Line Cook

High-End Asian restaurant.Need good Line Cook with so so English. Looking wok chef to work immediately, Little English ok. Hard working person, team work. Will pay high. Good benefits, healthcare, vacation and bonus.

Call 206-227-8000.

Auburn warehouse is looking for a part time/full time warehouse manager. Needs to know both English and Chinese, and have appropriate work permit. Experience in warehouse, e-commerce and forklift is preferred. If interested please call 206-963-3395 or albertchen0319@gmail.com.

NOTICE

38 YEARS

NOTICE

Subscribe to the Northwest Asian Weekly $40 for one year.

Name________________________________ Address _____________________________ City _________________________________ State________________________________ Zip Code _____________________________ Phone _______________________________ Mail to: NW Asian Weekly 412 Maynard Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98104 or call 206-223-0623

FIRST PUBLICATION King County Housing Authority (KCHA)

Public Information Coordinator Req.: BA/MA in Journalism, PR, Mktg., Digital Media or Comm. & 3 yrs. exp in above fields or equiv. combo edu. & exp. Sal: $5,936$7,983/mo., DOE. Job details, reqs, appl. packet & benefits info at http://kitsaptransit.appone.com/.

Deadline: 4PM PST, 3/13/20.

FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Siding & Window Replacement at Bellepark East Apartments

BID DUE DATE: March 3, 2020 at 2:00 PM Type of Notice.

King County Housing Authority (KCHA) is seeking qualified contractors interested in submitting Bids for the Siding & Window Replacement at Bellepark East Apartments. Work consists of, but is not limited to, the removal and disposal of existing siding trim, windows and doors, supply and installation of vinyl windows, doors, cement board siding, trim, exterior painting, gutters and downspouts, and other work described in project manual. The property is located at 16241 NE 13th Pl, Bellevue, WA 98008. There is an optional pre-bid meeting at the property on February 20, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Bid packets are available for download on KCHA’s website at http://www.kcha.org/business/construction/open/.

This will be a Sealed Bid; all Bids must be received in a Sealed Envelope marked as “Bid Documents: Bellepark East Apartments Siding and Window Replacement”. All Bids must be received and time and date stamped at KCHA no later than the stated due date and time. No Bids will be accepted after that date and time. No Fax or Email Bids will be accepted For questions, please contact Cristy Thompson via email at cristyt@kcha.org. The estimate is $172,291.00.

Get your Classified Ad here now! Place a 6 line classified ad for just $30! Call 206-2230623 and ask for John.

Want to be a part of the NWAW team?

Northwest Asian Weekly is accepting applications for freelance writers. Send resume and writing samples to: Ruth Bayang editor@ nwasianweekly.com.

Find us on our website nwasianweekly.com and social media: Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter.

TO ALL THE BOYS from 9 know now that I don’t want a love in half measures—I want it all. And to have it all, we have to risk it all. If I could do it over, I wouldn’t change a thing. Because everything that’s happened has brought us here.”

Spoken like a true rom-com heroine. Or a teenager in love for the first time.

P.S., it’s a ploy because the third and final installment is coming. No word yet on the release date, but it’s already been shot. So, if you’re Team Kavinsky, you’re in luck. Me? I’m Team John Ambrose. 

“To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before – P.S. I Still Love You” is now streaming on Netflix.

Vivian can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

COME AS YOU ARE from 8 films like “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan”). In “Come As You Are,” he also brings his keen eye for aesthetically pleasing visuals and marries them with occasionally crass dialogue, caustic characters, and a funny-gritty odyssey to a brothel against the wishes of caretakers and parents.

The effect of this contrast is actually really disarming and charming—it’s a cute, pretty-looking, funny, and affecting movie.

Rounding out the terrific cast are Janeane Garofalo, C. S. Lee, and Jennifer Jelsema as worried, overprotective parents.

As for the Asian quotient of this movie—yo, it’s pretty high! The director, Wong, is Asian. Szeto is Asian. Patel is Asian. Lee and Jelsema are Asian. Like, more than 50%

of people appearing on-screen were of Asian descent!

Culture doesn’t particularly get brought up explicitly in this movie (no one tells their kid to do their homework or else they’ll bring shame upon the family, for instance), but does kind of present itself in low key ways—how the parents worry, how the parents dress, how the parents talk to their kids. And that sort of nuanced way of communicating culture is some pro-level stuff that only an Asian director can bring.  “Come As You Are” was released on Feb. 14 and is available for purchase or via streaming rental through YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime, and more.

Stacy can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

YOUR VOICE BLOG from 10 cholesterol.

“If you are hungry for eggs,” her doctor said, “just eat egg whites.” Following my mother’s advice for a long time, I shunned eggs even though I have loved eggs all my life.

Now studies have found the opposite.

Haq recommended eating the whole egg.

My breakfast always consists of a fried egg every day. Want to preserve your memory? Eggs are a great benefit. The yolk also has many vitamins, including choline and lutein, that are important for brain development and memory. Eggs have good quality protein, according to Haq, regardless of their color, brown or white.

Gluten

or dietitian before you start avoiding it completely.

Sweeteners

CAMERAS from 1 Hong Kong Business Association of Washington Foundation, shares in Chan’s disappointment.

“I am extremely frustrated,” said Lee, who was one of the financial donors. “We have many elderly living in Chinatown. We need to protect them and the businesses need to be protected.”

Another donor, Harry Chan, the owner of Tai Tung Restaurant, has told Nora Chan to keep the money.

“I told her that since the money was (originally) meant to benefit the community, I said to find or do something else that benefits Chinatown, and use the money for that.”

A third of the money raised came from grants from Washington’s Historic South Downtown. Executive Director Kathleen Johnson said, “The funding will go back into the pool of grant money for community-based projects.

So far, we have pledged approximately $2.4 million in funding, including the funding to Seniors in Action. Historic South Downtown plans to release round three of our current grantmaking sometime this spring.”

In addition to maintaining and managing the camera system, the owner would have had to be the main point of contact if there are requests to access the footage. Project Manager Donny Kwan told the Northwest Asian Weekly the cost to maintain the system after the first two years would be $15,000 to $22,000 a year. Nora Chan approached a couple of nonprofits but said she was shut down, even after she told them, “I will find businesses to chip in the money [for operational costs]. I raised $175,000 in one year. I’m sure I can

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said Japanese have found that forestbathing (walking through a forest) is just as effective in relaxing our mind and body as sipping a glass of red wine. When in stress, go with nature, not alcohol.

Chocolate: dark vs. milk

Many think artificial sweeteners are better than sugar. They are not. Natural sweeteners such as plant extracts are fine, Haq said, but some plant sweeteners are processed, too. Stevia and monk fruit are good examples of natural sweeteners.

I have not been buying white sugar for five years. Instead, I use honey and brown sugar to replace white sugar in cooking.

Red wine

A couple of times, I searched for glutenfree bakeries, assuming that it is better for my health. Fortunately, I didn’t like glutenfree pastries at all.

Not everyone is sensitive towards gluten, said Haq. We need the right information to select our food. Don’t just listen to your friends.

You have to have specific diseases, like celiac disease to completely avoid gluten says Haq. Even a small amount could cause a flare up. Some people are sensitive to gluten but check with your doctor

asianweekly

In chocolate, sugar is the devil, as well as a palate pleaser. I used to be a sucker for milk chocolate when I was a kid. Not any more after studying the difference between the two chocolates. Dark chocolate has less sugar and more nutrients that fight diseases and improve blood sugar level.

But too much cocoa makes the chocolate taste bitter. So I pick the kind with only 70 percent dark chocolate. Some friends said they prefer white chocolate. Well, if you know that chocolate is made up of cocoa fat, would you still want to have more?

There is one excuse why chocolate is my daily vitamin, it’s a mood booster.

Changing habits Research has shown that red wine possesses antioxidant properties, including resveratrol, which promotes longevity.

However, just four ounces of alcohol produces lots of calories, said Haq. Some people said drinking wine relaxes them. Erin Matlock, a TED Talk speaker,

raise $30,000 a year. But they don’t even want to discuss it with me.”

One of those nonprofits even asked if Chan would give them the $175,000 she raised for the camera project. But Chan said no.

“I cannot just give it. This is private money.”

Chan added, “It’s out of my control now. I thought that I could get it done.

But I cannot find a place to put the antenna and server… and nobody wants to manage it.”

It’s time to put closure on the project, she said, since nobody wants to step forward.

“It’s a lot of responsibility, I understand,” Chan said.

She wanted to thank the community and donors for supporting her vision.

“I will return the money to everyone.

It will take me a few months to do that.

The seniors who gave me $2, $3… those definitely I want to repay.”

Like Harry Chan, Nora Chan said some business owners have told her they don’t want their money back—they have asked her to keep it and use it for another purpose benefitting Chinatown.

“My organization… we support Nora 100%, financially, emotionally, for moral support,” said Lee, who is also refusing to accept a refund of his donation.

“I wish I could do more. There’s not many people like Nora, in her 70s, with health problems, running around doing things for the community.”

“I’m not stopping,” vowed Chan. “I cannot get this [camera project] done, but maybe I will do something else.

Still for the benefit of Chinatown.”  Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.

After interviewing Haq, I realized my sodium intake was high due to my weekly dining out with friends and family, and from attending events. What’s the solution?

I reevaluated my habits at home to cut down sodium.

First, I skip salt for my fried egg breakfast, since I already use three kinds of powders, including garlic, cinnamon, and turmeric. The first day was fine. My egg

tasted different. But the second day was tough. Like a drug addict, I kept going back to my kitchen counter and was tempted to pick up the salt bottle. After a week, I declare my egg salt-free since then. Yay, I did it.

At night, I decrease the amount of soy sauce for meat marination. Also, I eliminate half the amount of salt in cooking veggies with garlic and ginger. Then, I mix the meat and veggies together. The dish tastes delicious. It’s just a matter of developing a taste for original flavors with less enhancers — sodium.

The majority of Asian restaurants cook with monosodium glutamate (MSG). I request the cook make my entree MSGfree or put the oyster sauce on the side. Yet, some items have already been marinated.

So I asked for a bowl of hot water to rinse away the sauces. When the food is less salty, you learn what the food really tastes like.

If you want to change your eating habits, take it one meal at a time, even one dish at a time. Rethink stuff you put in your food, and what kind of cuisine you eat. Experiment with new healthy ways to nourish yourself.

It can be fun to discover and incorporate in your cooking.  Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

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FEBRUARY 22 – FEBRUARY 28, 2020

38 YEARS

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