VOL 39 NO 14 | APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

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VOL 39 NO 14 APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020 FREE 38 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Vandals strike hard-hit businesses

Elizabeth and Robert Mar with their grandkids

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Elizabeth Mar, the beloved matriarch of the local Hawaiian restaurant Kona Kitchen, died from the novel coronavirus on March 25, after battling it for two weeks. She was 72 years old. Her

husband, Robert Mar, 78, died of the virus two days later. The couple has three children and seven grandchildren.

Kona Kitchen posted on its Facebook page, “For those of you who knew her, Liz was always a great source of Aloha. see KONA KITCHEN on 12

Making masks – refugees create hope for others and themselves

An artist donated his time and talent to paint a mural on the now boarded-up window

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

has since been boarded up, thanks to a neighbor.

Like most other restaurants, Jade Garden has experienced an 80% decrease in business.

After working long hours with a skeleton crew at the restaurant, Chan wrote that the vandalism incident “pretty much added the cherry on top for me to explode.” Despite the hardship, Chan said that he has been incredibly moved by the community’s

“What did we do to deserve this?”

That’s what Eric Chan wrote on the “Support the ID - Community United” Facebook page, while posting a photo of broken storefront windows along King Street and 7th Avenue South.

Jade Garden was one of the businesses affected and Chan’s family owns the restaurant. The window

Photo courtesy of Refugee Artisan Initiative

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY It was the only thing in her life

■

that did not represent defeat.

Si-Tu Xiaolin, 62, a refugee from southern China who see MASKS on 12

see JADE GARDEN on 9

CenturyLink Field to host military hospital amid virus

Gov. Jay Inslee and local, state, and federal leaders stand several feet apart on March 28, as he announced that CenturyLink Field will host a field hospital to address non-COVID medical needs.

SEATTLE — A military field hospital for people with medical issues that are not related to the coronavirus outbreak is under construction at CenturyLink Field Event Center.

Three-hundred soldiers from the 627th Army Hospital from Fort Carson, Colorado have deployed to Seattle to staff the hospital, which is expected to create at least 150 hospital beds for non-COVID-19 cases.

Artisan Sandar Mar engaged in making a mask

Photo by Assunta Ng

Jade Garden’s broken glass window

Serving up a side of generosity during the COVID-19 outbreak

“As we continue to do everything possible to slow the spread of COVID-19 throughout Washington state, we also need to prepare our healthcare delivery system to deal with people who are sick, or may become ill, as well as all the other health needs of Washingtonians. This field hospital will help us do that,” said Inslee. see CENTURYLINK on 9

What foods to cook during coronavirus 6

2 Social Distancing  5

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

Photo from Gov. Jay Inslee’s Facebook

Photo provided by The Mar family

Photo provided by Eric Chan

COVID-19 claims Kona Kitchen’s Liz Mar & husband

2

asianweekly northwest

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

■ COMMUNITY NEWS Serving up a side of generosity during the COVID-19 outbreak Across the board, the economy has taken a huge hit due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

One of the most affected industries, if not the most, is the restaurant industry.

Despite many layoffs and cuts that restaurants have had to make, several restaurant owners have prioritized giving back to the community by providing free meals to health care workers, children, and anyone in need.

Musang

With restaurant workers losing their jobs, people risking their lives trying to

help others, and students without school meals, Melissa Miranda wanted to do something for the greater good.

Starting in mid-March, Miranda, owner of Musang Seattle in Beacon Hill, converted her restaurant to a community kitchen to serve those affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

The kitchen connects with senior centers, community nonprofits, and hospitals. People in need can call in to place a food order and coordinate pick-up times.

Miranda said the kitchen serves a different menu daily based on what ingredients are available. Example menus have featured a Filipino rice porridge, chop suey, pineapple chicken, and pork tocino.

Miranda had a soft opening for the restaurant back in December, with an official public opening in January.

Musang means “wild cat” in Tagalog and is Miranda’s father’s nickname. Miranda started the restaurant as a pop-up almost four years ago to educate the community about Filipino cuisine.

“The intent is to serve whatever food we can out of here,” she said.

Miranda said they have served around 150 meals per day and are continuing to mobilize with other community groups to

help more people.

“The biggest thing we’re trying to let people know is that Musang was community built and the only way to take care of the community is by doing this. It’s important for people to realize at the end of the day, these efforts are because of the people who helped build this place,” she said.

People can donate nonperishable items, as well as money to help the community kitchen continue to operate. Donations can be made via Venmo (@Melmir) and PayPal (musangseattle@gmail.com).

Musang has joined forces with That Brown Girl Cooks, Guerilla Pizza Kitchen, and Chef Tarik Abdullah to create the Seattle Community Kitchen Collective to provide free meals to those in need.

Royal India Restaurant After 26 years in the Greater Seattle community, Royal India Restaurant is giving back by feeding the frontline health care workers at Evergreen Hospital.

Zehra Bhatti’s father started the restaurant and now she and her sisters are helping out. Since March 16, they have provided 100 hot meals for Evergreen hospital workers. They’ve also started a GoFundMe fundraiser to push the effort

Photos by Nina Huang

By Nina Huang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

38 YEARS

further.

“Our meals are going a very long way and we’re doing wonderful with donations rolling in from all over...Canada, New York, Pakistan...there’s such positivity and good vibes,” she said.

Bhatti said that a donation of $5 provides a boxed meal to a health care worker that’s packed, prepped, and dropped off with love. Meals they have see RESTAURANTS on 11

Have you completed your 2020 census?

Vital Census results will have a

10-year impact on our community.

They determine the allocation of millions of dollars in funding for schools, hospitals, roads, and many other vital services for children, senior citizens, people with disabilities and veterans, among others. Your response makes a difference, no matter your immigration status.

Complete your census at:

Easy Census asks 10 basic

questions about the individuals living in your home as of April 1. Respond online, by phone or by mail in the postage-paid envelope.

Safe Census

answers are anonymous, confidential and protected by law.

my2020census.gov my2020census .gov

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

YOUR VOICE

■ EDITORIAL

asianweekly northwest

3

The gifts of COVID-19

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

I know what you’re thinking. How could a virus that has already killed hundreds of thousands of people worldwide be a gift? I take no pleasure in the deaths, suffering, and fear that has resulted from this pandemic. Instead, I have witnessed a rise in people coming together for others, and for humanity.

In Washington, it started with the ban on large gatherings which later became even more restrictive as far as the size of gatherings. Then school closures, then restaurants and bars, and now, the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order.

One of the very first things I noticed was community.

Within my own community where I live, people were offering help to their neighbors—be it picking up groceries, gifting food to those who didn’t have enough, offering odd

jobs to help someone else make ends meet.

In the International District (ID)—before the restaurants shut down—people were supporting their favorite restaurants and encouraging others to do the same. The Facebook page “Support the ID - Community United” has grown to 15,000 members in under a month—its goal initially was to get people to dine at ID restaurants. Now, it asks members to support restaurants via food delivery or takeout.

We might be social distancing, but we haven’t lost connection. In my case, I feel more connected than ever to my family and friends. Thanks to technology, I am still able to see my friends in real time and stay in touch—friends who live just down the street, to my mother in another state, to yet more friends around the world.

The most recent Stay Home, Stay Healthy order now gives a lot of us the gift of time.

Time to be with family and loved ones, time to read that book or learn something new, create something, have fun, time to reflect and be with ourselves, time to reflect on what’s really important.

Environment: With a lot of people working from home, our carbon footprint is reduced since fewer people are commuting to work. Fewer greenhouse gasses is good for the environment.

Not to mention the elimination of stress and frustration from sitting in traffic.

We are not old, young, rich, poor, Democrats or Republicans, this race or that, this religion or that, we are one. And we all share the same planet: earth. The gift from COVID-19 is that this pandemic has brought us together, forced us to slow down, and remind us of what really matters.

We are all in this together. 

APIC statement on the surge of anti-Asian racism during COVID-19 Over the last few months, as our country and our world have come to terms with the ongoing global pandemic, there has also been an alarming increase in anti-Asian racism and rhetoric.

While racism toward Asians is neither new nor surprising, COVID-19 has brought the matter to concerning heights.

The Asian Pacific Islander Coalition

of Washington (APIC) is disheartened by the attacks we continue to see on our communities and strongly denounces the Trump administration’s racist use of the “Chinese virus” in reference to COVID-19.

These hate incidents have occurred around the world, from Asians being denied service at businesses, to being berated on public transit, to being beaten on the streets.

Moreover, the rhetoric from our highest level of government perpetuates and often incites these attacks. And yet, despite widespread criticism, President Trump insists on referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus” and in doing so, othering and stigmatizing an entire community of people.

APIC condemns the use of this racist

rhetoric because we have seen this before.

We saw this with SARS and the same racist narratives of Chinese people as dirty and unsafe. We saw this with the Ebola crisis and the surge of anti-Black and anti-African messages in the media. We saw this with extremity during the HIV pandemic and see APIC on 10

4

asianweekly northwest

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

■ COMMUNITY NEWS Seattle, Bellevue police chiefs make plea The top cops in both Seattle and Bellevue are both speaking out against hate—specifically hate against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 crisis.

On March 31, Seattle’s Chief Carmen Best used her most recent “chief’s brief” update to urge residents to call 911 over “racist name-calling.” The video, also featuring retired KING 5 anchor Lori Matsukawa, said there is zero tolerance for hate crimes against Asian Americans.

“We are better than that Washington,” Matsukawa said in the video. “We are all trying to deal with the COVID-19 public health crisis together.”

Best said, “We will document and investigate every reported crime, even racist name-calling should be reported to police. We take this information very seriously.”

Last week, Bellevue’s police chief also asked members of the Asian American community to come forward and report any instances of harassment towards them due to the coronavirus.

“I need our Chinese neighbors to tell us if they are a victim of hate because of their

Chinese heritage. The Bellevue Police Department is here to protect and serve you, but we can’t help if we don’t know about it.”

Steve Mylett sent out a news release, saying he’s convinced that Chinese are becoming targets of hate crimes and being blamed for COVID-19, but these incidents are not being reported.

“We need to know about it. We will vigorously pursue and arrest anyone who commits a hate crime in Bellevue.”

To report an immediate threat or ongoing incident, call 911 immediately. If an incident occurred in the recent past, you can easily report it online at bellevuewa. gov/city-government/departments/police/ report-and-prevent-crime/report-a-crimeonline. An officer will review it and will contact you if more information is needed.

“These are stressful times for everyone.

COVID-19 doesn’t recognize race, nationality, or ethnicity, and viruses don’t discriminate,” Mylett said. “Please, stop blaming, support one another, heed the orders to stay home. The life you save may be your own or someone close to you.” 

38 YEARS

Emergency funding for ID, Pioneer Square SEATTLE — Historic South Downtown (HSD), a state-created Community Preservation and Development Authority, announced on March 26 that it will immediately begin to distribute up to $475,000 in emergency funding to sustain nonprofit and small businesses in the Pioneer Square and ChinatownInternational District (ID).

Azar Koulibaly, vice president of HSD, said, “The ID in particular was hard hit early on in this emergency, and businesses throughout South Downtown are in crisis. We exist to invest in these two neighborhoods so our funds should be made available at this critical time.”

HSD is releasing a Request for Proposals that will fund tax-exempt organizations.

“The first category is available to any nonprofit in the two neighborhoods that needs additional support right now,” explained Kathleen Barry Johnson, HSD Executive Director. “The second category is for specific nonprofits that support small businesses and have programs to respond to the pandemic emergency.”  Interested organizations can find the Request for Proposals and application material at historicsouthdowntown.org.

SPD recovers stole Tsutakawa Memorial Gates SEATTLE — Seattle police detectives have recovered one of the Memorial Gates stolen from the Washington Park Arboretum on March 19. The bronze ornamental gates, designed by sculptor George Tsutakawa, have been at the Arboretum since 1976.

Police discovered that two people tried to sell scrap brass from the stolen gate and downspouts at a local SPD photo of recovered stolen gate recycling business. That business refused to buy and was destroyed by the suspects, who gave police a description of the suspects, attempted to cut it down for scrap. The as well as the vehicle they were driving. other gate remained mostly intact.

On March 26, detectives located a Detectives are still attempting to person of interest who gave information locate an additional suspect in the case. that led detectives to the location where This remains an active and on-going the gate was recovered. One of the gates investigation. 

View the solution on page 10

Assunta Ng

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

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Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.

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

YOUR VOICE

■ PICTORIAL

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

asianweekly northwest

SOCIAL DISTANCING LIFE SeaTac Deputy Mayor Peter Kwon has been supporting local businesses while helping neighbors by picking up and delivering to-go orders for those unable to leave their home.

“My gym closed so I found an online exercise that is perfect for me! It saves me the commute time too. It opened up a new idea for me and I won’t have to leave the house!”

— Charlene Lee

The usually busy UW Quad is quiet.

(Photo by Becky Chan)

Gary Tang conducted his own International Culinary Tour and even paints, during social distancing. From top left: French Potato Leek White Asparagus Soup, Yucatán Pork Stew, Hot Oil Dumplings, and Acrylic Painting: Warriors

Seattle Chinese Post staff practiced social distancing during a short meeting on March 17, in preparation for everyone to work from home.

WE’D LOVE TO SEE HOW YOU PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING. PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO(S) WITH A CAPTION TO EDITOR@NWASIANWEEKLY.COM.

Adina Meyer, a former scholar of Dante, renews her acquaintance with the Italian poet of apocalyptic damnation and ultimate redemption through love by connecting with another Dante scholar in Italy online.

Rosa and Dennis have used the extra time to do more cooking, hiking, and reading. Dennis has also put together the first bookcase of the three that were bought a couple of months ago.

FOR HEALTHCARE WE NEED, BE COUNTED. CENSUS

We’re here. We count. Complete the Census.

2020 2020census.gov

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6

asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

What foods to cook during coronavirus

Stew whole garlic, tomatoes, and fish balls.

Tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and whole garlic.

Tomato soup

Kale and almonds

Baked pork ribs with onions and pumpkins

Tomato and apple soup

Cooking food with high heat can destroy nutrients.

are soups beneficial to your health?

All the nutrients from the ingredients dissolve in the water while boiling. Your body can absorb and digest soups easily.

That’s why Chinese women, in the month

Photos by Assunta Ng

Stir-fried broccoli with garlic and ginger; stir-fried ground pork with potatoes; and tomatoes for dinner

Soups enhance your wellbeing In Chinese culture, soups are king. Why

Antioxidant foods: Pumpkin, eggplant, beans, bok choy, watermelon, papaya, and onion

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Can bananas cure coronavirus? What about lemon and garlic? How about vitamins?

“When you didn’t get COVID-19, you went bananas,” joked a friend in an email.

“There is news that people took methanol for prevention and got severely poisoned.”

This is why I wrote this blog, because there is so much misinformation.

Although some foods are beneficial, none can cure coronavirus. Sad to say, there are no drugs that can cure COVID-19 at the moment. Currently, a few drugs are being tested to fight COVID-19. But it will take months for pharmaceutical companies to develop them.

People are doing irrational things such as taking unfamiliar drugs or having strange meals, which can result in more damage to their body. There is food we can eat to enhance our immunity.

COVID-19 is a vicious virus attacking our respiratory system. It makes sense to eat cuisine which can strengthen our lungs in addition to social distancing.

My husband and I are in the at-risk age group—over 60. We can’t really afford to be impulsive and negligent in what we eat. It’s vital to eat ingredients for our health. I used to value taste more than nutrition. But at this point, taste is secondary. Wait until COVID-19 is over, and I swear I will go out to eat only the exotic, fattening, and delightful goodies.

Increase immunity with antioxidant-rich ingredients A reader believes that garlic can cure COVID-19. No, it doesn’t. But your health can be improved if you include garlic in your diet. And if the virus does hit you, hopefully you are strong enough

Lean pork, white fungus, goji berries, and pear soup

to fight it.

Make garlic and ginger a part of your meals. Get them in powder form so if you forget to cook them with your food, you can always add them in afterwards.

I sprinkle garlic powder in many of the items I consume during the day, from eggs at breakfast to soups at dinner. I put antioxidant foods high on my list such as lemon and honey in my morning tea, and tomatoes and onions in other dishes.

Ginger, garlic, and Chinese green onions play a prominent role in my cooking, whether I’m stewing, steaming, boiling, or baking.

Healthy meals are just as tasty The merits of social distancing gives me more time to cook at home. I choose more healthy vegetables, such as kale and beets for dinner. They taste awesome if you know how to prepare them. I am fortunate that my daughter-in-law often brings us tasty beet and pork bone soup.

Kale salad with almonds not only taste fantastic, they are considered super healthy foods. If you eat kale raw, it’s hard to chew because of its rough texture. So my husband boils the vegetables to soften it. It’s not a good idea to eat raw food during unusual times. With low heat, I stir-fry almonds till they are brown and crispy. Then I mix them with a little olive oil, garlic powder, soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Wow! The salad tasted superb.

Deep-fried stuff tastes wonderful.

Can I resist it? Yes, during COVID-19. I don’t want to take any chances because it doesn’t add to my health. Past experience has taught me that it gave me a sore throat, which can lead to serious illness.

see BLOG on 10

YOUR VOICE

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

asianweekly northwest

7

■ TRAVEL European travel and COVID-19 After pulling two all-nighters for work, Amy Choi was in a rush to board her United Airlines flight from Seattle to Paris on Feb. 27.

Choi, who’s a Global Internet of Things Program Manager at Amazon, planned to attend the Embedded World Conference in Nuremberg, Germany for a work trip. To take advantage of the transatlantic flight, many Amazon employees had added a personal trip to their work trip, and Choi chose Paris for hers.

A few days before her departure, Choi’s work trip was cancelled over COVID-19 concerns, but Choi decided to still move forward with her Paris trip.

At the time, she wasn’t too phased about the coronavirus since she saw it as largely contained in China. But she knew the drill: stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands, and use hand sanitizer.

She brought four travel-sized bottles with her. And with CLEAR expedited airport security program, Choi breezed through TSA checkpoints.

There was no additional screening required for passengers. And nothing felt amiss at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Flight out to Europe It wasn’t until her layover at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C. that Choi realized how wary people had become. As Choi boarded her connecting flight from D.C. to Paris, she felt eyes follow her as she walked towards her seat at the plane’s rear.

“It honestly felt like people were hoping I wouldn’t sit next to them because I’m Asian,” said Choi.

Her seat was next to a French couple.

To allay their fears, Choi made a show about speaking clear English, and even sanitized her shared armrest as well as her tray table. The couple visibly relaxed soon after. Still, there was an overall anxious mood on the flight.

“If anyone coughed or sneezed, there was a collective knee-jerk reaction,” said Choi.

She recalled a moment where, after someone sneezed several times, another passenger rummaged through their bags in the overhead compartment to fish out a mask, which was worn for the remainder of the flight.

When Choi landed at Paris-Charles de Gaulle International Airport, however, her anxieties were quickly replaced with new ones as she navigated the airport and city for the first time.

While Paris remained largely accessible at the time, it didn’t feel like the best time to be an American abroad.

“I didn’t know what the lesser evil was—to be an American under Trump’s presidency, or to be Asian and be mistaken for being Chinese,” said Choi, who’s Korean American. “I didn’t experience racism in Paris, but I also made an effort to be as American as possible.”

Choi recalled how locals laughed at news clips of Americans hoarding supplies amid coronavirus fears. In present day, though, Paris is under a strict lockdown with exceptions made

Photo provided by Amy Choi

By Vivian Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Amy Choi in front of the Louvre when they announced its closure.

for purchasing groceries, getting medication, or commuting to work for essential roles. People leaving their homes must have a signed form justifying their movements, or face fines.

“When the virus doesn’t affect someone, they’re not concerned,” said Choi. “But the moment it affects them, their mocking attitude changes because that’s the way fear spreads—it’s not just the virus.”

The French government closed major attractions like the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles during Choi’s stay, and with the number of infected cases rising around the world, she considered returning home early. She even looked up flights and consulted with family and friends about it, but eventually decided to see out the remainder of her trip.

Flight home to Seattle In hindsight, Choi’s instinct was spot on.

Choi flew home on a United Airlines flight on March 8 and just missed President Trump’s announcement to ban all incoming flights from Europe on March 11. Although it was later clarified that U.S. citizens could return home from Europe, Choi’s thankful she left when she did to avoid being stuck intransit.

On her return flight, which consisted of two legs, Choi sat in a first class pod from Paris to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and then the first class section on her final leg to Seattle.

With seats in first class, her interaction with other passengers was minimal.

Still, she sensed a heightened fear about the coronavirus—even in first class, which has more space between pods and seats compared to the main cabin.

Choi heard that airlines would be increasing deep cleanings across flights.

But that wasn’t the case on either return leg with visible debris on the seats and cabin floors.

“I still had to use my sanitary wipes and clean everything in my area,” said Choi. “The airline wasn’t taking the precautions they promised to do.”

When Choi landed in Seattle, there were still no extra questions asked of her during customs, nor was additional screening required. Out of the four

major airports Choi passed through, Charles-de-Gaulle was the only one that required additional questioning to people arriving with a Chinese passport.

“There was still nothing in place to prevent any kind of spread,” said Choi of Sea-Tac Airport. “It was concerning to return home and see that, especially knowing how everything else was escalating around the world.”

Choi’s grateful to be home, but emphasized that much still needs to

happen to prevent community spread at a national and local level.

“The virus has spread to all 50 states and that’s 100% on [Trump’s] administration,” said Choi. “There’s been so much economic instability and lack of consistency to enforce regulation.”  Vivian can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

8

asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Weekly Specials

“Go Back to China” The truth, plain, simple, and painful

By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “Go Back to China,” director and writer Emily Ting’s second feature film, has compelling characters, suspenseful situations, and tough talk. What it doesn’t have is much gild on the lily.

The characters here speak plainly, baldly, and in simple declarations, which remind us of the great lengths most movie screenplays go to, making unrealistic dialogue sound “like the real thing.”

This bald dialogue sometimes cuts against the film simply because it sounds so unlike what we expect in the movies. But in the end, this is the way most people talk, most of the time. You learn to live with it.

Anna Akana, as Sasha Li, doesn’t seem like a likeable person at the start. She’s rich, vacuous, living off a trust fund set up by her father Teddy Li (Richard Ng),

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APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

YOUR VOICE

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e, at the Seattle Chinese Post and Northwest

be able to distribute our publications to the general

Asian Weekly, are doing our best to gather

public. As always, our content is available online at

news and bring it to you on a weekly basis. Due to

SeattleChinesePost.com and NWAsianWeekly.com.

the unprecedented situation we all face now, and

Thank you for your continued support and readership.

per Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home order, we may not

Have you been financially impacted by COVID-19?

Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light Are Offering Customer Assistance Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and Seattle City Light (SCL) will keep utility services on during the COVID-19 Civil Emergency in Seattle. This will provide immediate utility relief for customers, both residential and commercial, financially impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak.

heavily discounted utilities by simply completing and signing a short form on household income, rather than having to provide proof of income at this time.

* Flexible Payment Plans for COVID-19 Emergency

During March, the self-certification form will be available online, on the City's UDP website:

Effective immediately, all SPU and SCL customers (residential and commercial) can set up payment plans if their financial stability has been jeopardized by COVID-19.

http://www.seattle.gov/humanservices/services-and-prgrams/affordability-and-livability/utility-discount-program

http://www.seattle.gov/light/paymybill/arrangements.asp - Seattle City Light (electric) http://www.seattle.gov/utilities/services/my-account/payments-and-bills - Seattle Public Utilities (garbage, water, sewer)

** Utility Discount Program (UDP) Self-Certification for COVID-19 Emergency During the month of March, income-eligible residential customers can self-certify to enroll in the Utility Discount Program (UDP). This allows qualified customers to access

Summary of Utility Relief for COVID-19 Impacted Customers Utility Relief Policies for Customer Assistance in response to COVID-19 Suspending utility disconnections for non-payment Allowing for more flexible payment plans, including on the amount of down payment and the length of repayment* Allowing eligible residential customers to self-certify for the Utility Discount Program enrollment** Reaching out proactively to small businesses with delinquent accounts to offer to set up flexible payment plans Waiving interest charges on delinquent balances (pending emergency legislation)*

JADE GARDEN from 1 support.

“I was so unaware that our community is coming together to help support us. For the past month and a half, everyone has been feeling hopeless. A sense of just ‘when will it be our turn to closedown.’ After stumbling upon this [Support the ID Community United” Facebook page], there is a dim light of hope.”

Chan thanked customers for their patience as they work to fulfill orders with limited staff.

“We will not let hate and this broken window deter us from serving the community! It will only make us band together stronger!” 

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Jade Garden remains open for takeout orders every day, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Call 206-622-8181 to place your order.

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CENTURYLINK from 1 Durkan said, “I want to extend my deepest gratitude to the men and women of the U.S Army who will be doing life saving work. As the rest of our region comes together to flatten the curve, we must ensure that our local, state, and federal government agencies are working together to increase access to testing and provide our health care professionals with the vital safety equipment they need to stay healthy as they work to keep the rest of us healthy.” 

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asianweekly northwest

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

38 YEARS

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

Name_________________________________ Address ______________________________ City _______________________State_______ Zip Code ______________________________ Phone ________________________________

APIC from 3 the stigmatization of our LGBTQ community. Time and time again throughout history, marginalized communities have been scapegoated in the wake of a public health crisis. We refuse to continue to pay the price because of negligence from our administration and elected officials.

We insist our elected officials stop using “Chinese

BLOG from 6 after giving birth, drink lots of soup for nourishment to nurse back to health and regain energy.

In Western culture, friends often drink chicken soup when they are sick, and they feel a lot better afterwards.

Nutritious soups can work miracles to our health. However, making soup can be time-consuming.

The easy way is to have chicken bone broth ready in your kitchen. You can get it from Costco. Don’t just shop for chicken stock. Make sure it’s made from chicken bone, which is much less greasy than regular chicken broth.

All you need to do is heat it up, add some garlic powder, Chinese scallion, tomatoes, mushrooms, and even vegetables. Boil the broth for three to

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virus” and other terms like “Kung flu” that incite racism and stigma toward Asian people. In the midst of a public health and economic crisis, now more than ever, we must come together and support one another.

Our communities are resilient. We have survived colonization, war, and forced migration. We have survived racist policies like internment and the Chinese Exclusion Act. We have survived administrations that have stripped away our rights one by one. And we will

five minutes on medium heat, and you will have a nice bowl of soup. If you put tomatoes and apples in the chicken broth, you can add a tablespoon of honey and stir it before the soup comes to a boil. This is a recipe I got from the Asian Weekly’s sister paper, Seattle Chinese Post.

Soups strengthen lungs As I mentioned before, the coronavirus attacks people’s lungs.

In Chinese culture, my grandma and mother would make certain soups when I coughed as a child. They depicted these soups as effective “lubricating” agents. You can use lean pork or chicken bone broth to boil with pears, papaya, or apples. If you make soup with lean pork, you have to boil

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survive this. Our deepest hope during this time is that we do not bear the burden of resilience alone — that we can breathe, rest, heal, and take care of our loved ones.

In standing against racism, we hope instead to stand in solidarity and be resilient together.  To report and track incidents of anti-Asian racism visit standagainsthatred.org.

the pork for at least 35 minutes on low heat to get all its flavor before you add the fruit. Bananas are beneficial to our health. But it doesn’t stop COVID-19.

Vitamins are sound if you have been taking them regularly. But I wouldn’t count on it to fight the vicious virus.

For now, cook for your health. Eat for your health and exercise. On March 31, President Trump warned of up to 240,000 deaths in U.S. by the end of the pandemic. If you are not affected, it’s no small feat if you don’t get sick with the virus. And you contribute to the “flattening of the curve.” When this is over, you can go wild with your diet. 

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 4.

Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

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APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

asianweekly northwest

11

Predictions and advice for the week of April 4–April 10, 2020

By Sun Lee Chang Rat — A rash decision could yield unintended consequences. Take the time to carefully consider your next move.

Dragon — Did you receive some interesting information lately? Before you act in response to it, confirm that it is accurate.

Monkey — The odds might be against you, but that hasn’t stopped you before. You know something that others do not.

Ox — What started as something of a whisper has grown much louder. It behooves you to listen.

Snake — Does it seem as though you have been putting on a balancing act lately? Reshifting could help even the load.

Rooster — Instead of procrastinating, finish what you need to do. Then you will be free to pursue a desirable opportunity.

Tiger — The road turns up ahead, but you don’t have to follow it, especially if another route makes more sense.

Horse — Going back and forth without getting anywhere? At some point, consider whether it is worth continuing to engage.

Dog — Even though you are in a hurry, it is best to slow down and follow the directions for the best results.

Rabbit — You have been tested time and again, but have come up on top. This instance will be no different.

Goat — From modest beginnings, you have been able to go quite far. There is further yet to keep climbing.

Pig — Looking for an immediate change? You will have to be patient, as the transformation will take place gradually.

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.

“I could feel the humanity between us.

The sunlight was shining on them while the kids happily ate, and the mother looked at us with a smile and appreciation on her face. It really moved us and made us more determined to continue the program,” he said.

RESTAURANTS from 2 served include butter chicken, vegetarian curry, and tandoori chicken—they’re also throwing in a healthy option like a mixed green salad with fruit and grilled paneer or chicken.

They’ve also reached out to other hospitals including both Evergreen locations in Kirkland and Redmond, as well as Swedish Medical Centers.

“It’s just a selfless act, any selfless act goes a long way. There’s always a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, let’s just look up and hope we get our summers back, and see the positive at the end of it all,” Bhatti said.

To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/boxedmeals-for-our-heros-in-scrubs.

Kizuki Ramen Kizuki Ramen is another restaurant that has opened its doors to serving free meals.

Brandon Ting, co-owner and CEO, said they started this program after they heard that schools were cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“A lot of families count on school lunches provided, and we knew families would be concerned about how to feed

Other restaurants stepping up

Pork chashu don

their kids,” he said. “We want to help the children because they’re the most important assets to protect, so we want to help those families in need.”

Ting and his partners are discussing how to expand the program. The restaurant is currently serving chicken and pork chashu don—no purchase required. On average, they’re serving 800 meals every day at all eight locations across the country, seven days a week.

Ting has received a lot of positive responses. There was a particular standout

CHINA from 8 Sasha parties herself blind in the evening—paying for everything with daddy’s credit card, natch—and pretends to go look for work in the daytime. Of course, as a graduate from a fashion program without a lick of work experience in the real world, that’s bound to not go hot.

You may say to yourself, it’s all fun until the credit card gets refused. And it is.

Akana, a fine actor who comes over to film from comedy and YouTube fame, flashes with anger and frustration. After all, not being able to pay the bill for a night on the town is the worst thing that’s happened to her so far.

It gets worse. A few phone calls give her the lowdown— Father Teddy doesn’t like her spending, shuts the card down, and, unless Sasha comes over to China immediately to help him with the family toy business, he’s cutting off all money to her and her own mother, May (Kelly Hu).

Okay, Sasha isn’t the most sympathetic person in the

moment when a mother came in with her two kids to ask for the free meal.

“We happily provided the meals and when she received them, she started crying. I could feel the stress she was under as she broke down into tears,” Ting said.

The woman took the meals to a bench nearby to eat the food and Ting looked out the window, making eye contact with the mother.

world. But such demands would seem outrageous to most people. Sasha gets on a plane to Shenzhen simply because she has no choice.

She arrives to find her father living in splendor, but hardly living alone. A lifelong womanizer, Teddy has several children by several wives, notably a pair of young brats named Christian (Tiger Ting) and Dior (Aviva Wang). He’s also socked in a relatively new mistress (Kendy Cheung) who understandably doesn’t get along well with Sasha’s half-sister Carol (Lynn Cheng), who runs the crowded roost.

Over the remainder of the film, Sasha will learn the logistics of running the toy factory, and get to know the workers well. This is all a little high-minded, especially when Sasha takes on the workers as her pet project, making life better for them even while Teddy curses and exclaims (in his crisp, just-slightly-British English accent), that she’s collapsing all the profit margins and putting them all in the poorhouse.

However obvious and hackneyed, the film does make important points about the state of the world. If you buy

Crawfish King delievered 80 lunches to staff at International Community Health Services on March 30.

Taste of India recently provided free meals to the University of Washington’s Department of Virology.

Donna Moodie of Marjorie recently provided 100 meals to families in need.

Frelard Tamales will provide free meals indefinitely.

Mutsuko Soma of Kamonegi is offering free onigiri and yakult to kids under 12 years old.

The Feedme Hospitality Group (restaurants include Bar Dojo, SanKai, Salt & Iron, and The Market) is offering a free kids meal for every $15 spent.  Nina can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

a product, any product, off a shelf in an American store, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about where it came from, or thinking about the hands that made it. Teddy’s workers pull long hours for little pay, seeing their children only once or twice a year. They do that because those are the economic conditions in China.

It’s either do what they can to get paid, or struggle with farming back in their home regions. Or just plain starve.

Teddy really does seem like a tyrant at first. But then again, Sasha seemed like a hopeless spoiled brat. In plain, flat, but often emotionally-charged dialogue that sounds like discourses out of a soap opera, they push each other to become better people. It may not be very realistic. In real life, folks all too often succumb to their worst sides.

But it refreshes. And just perhaps, it can inspire.  You can watch “Go Back to China” on Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, or Google Play. For more information, visit gobacktochinafilm.com.

Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

12

asianweekly northwest

38 YEARS

APRIL 4 – APRIL 10, 2020

KONA KITCHEN from 1

Elizabeth and Robert Mar with their employees

Photos provided by The Mar family

She shall be fondly remembered as the best grandma, funloving friend, devoted spouse, generous benefactor, firstrate source of amusing gossip, and mother extraordinaire.

We shall forever miss her cheerfulness, wonderful sense of humor, and kind heart.”

“It’s a huge devastation for our family,” daughter Angie Okumoto told the Seattle Times. She and her mother opened the restaurant in Maple Leaf in September 2002, along with her husband, Yuji Okumoto. A second branch followed in Lynnwood.

According to a Facebook post on Kona Kitchen’s page, Mar was not feeling well and went home early on March 8. She went to a clinic the next morning and did not get tested for COVID-19 because she didn’t have a fever. Her condition worsened and when she had trouble breathing, her family took her to the ER, where she was initially diagnosed with pneumonia, and then she was finally tested for COVID-19. The test came back positive.

“What happened to her can happen to anyone,” Okumoto wrote. “Please be proactive and take this virus seriously.

As many younger people are showing little to no signs or symptoms, we should all practice social distancing and take precautions around the elderly.”

The family has received an outpouring of support on Facebook.

“There will always be a large void in my heart. I will miss just sitting with her and talking about life,” wrote Rian Ebesugawa.

Elizabeth and Robert Mar with their grandchildren

Ray Wong wrote, “She was truly amazing, we always looked forward to seeing her every time we were there.”

Due to the statewide ban on funerals, plans for memorial services are uncertain at this time.  The Seattle location of Kona Kitchen remains open for takeout. 8501 5th Avenue Northeast, 206-517-5662, konakitchen.com.

Elizabeth and Robert Mar with one of their grandchildren

lost nearly everything before coming to the United States and was still suffering loneliness and uncertainty about even food and shelter, found delight in an unexpected place. Hired by Refugee Artisan Initiative (RAI), a local nonprofit, to make fashionable clothing and jewelry, she was one day asked to make something special.

“It was a scarf to keep you warm,” she said. “But it had lights, it actually had light bulbs woven into the fabric, so when you put it on, it was not only warm, but really bright.”

“It was something special,” she said.

Now she is embarking on a new adventure.

RAI, which employs a dozen refugees like Si-Tu, some with even more desperate stories, has refashioned itself to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Its founder, Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman, a frontline health care worker, has taken steps to make sure the refugees can now produce one of the most needed items on earth now: masks. Last month, Tung-Edelman started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for the effort.

It was a first for her, but Tung-Edelman has had many firsts before. She founded several other nonprofits in the Seattle area, including the local chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance, the oldest Chinese American civil rights organization in the country.

Alerting her contacts, Tung-Edelman as of press time has raised $15,000, enough to pay the women working for her and buy material for 3,000 masks.

Now, instead of turning out butterfly necklaces or heart-shaped jewelry or even scarves with light bulbs in them, they are hunkered down over sewing machines churning out masks. As of press time, they had already turned out over 1,000 masks.

“We will keep the campaign going as we also need to make face shields and other gear,” she said.

While local hospitals, launching similar projects, have had to turn volunteers away for lack of material, TungEdelman has scrounged together supplies, rolls of cotton drapery, and other unwanted fabric and turned it to good use.

When she goes to work—she works in the anticoagulation clinic of her hospital where most of her patients are elderly—she not only wears one of her organization’s masks, she also hands them out to others.

For Si-Tu, turning to mask making is again the one bright spot in a world of uncertainty and misery.

“I’m making entire masks,” she said proudly.

Making such a tangible contribution at this time can provide a sense of agency and empowerment besides helping health care workers, said one social worker that works with refugees.

“Now with the change from making scarves to face masks, even though it might not be so artistic or creative. However, the refugee workers might feel empowered and honored to be able to participate in such a meaningful cause,” said Chung-Hsu Hsu, a therapist at Asian Counseling and Referral Services.

Photos courtesy of Refugee Artisan Initiative

MASKS from 1

Artisan Sandar Mar engaged in making a mask

Founder Ming-Ming Tung-Edelman wearing a mask and showing one of thousands of cards her group is also sending to frontline workers

“I feel they are making very tangible, valuable contributions to help save the lives of medical providers AND the patients,” she said.

Hsu also said that since face masks are in such demand, the project has the potential to provide them with even more income than their work making scarves and other fashionable items.

Si-Tu needs it. She now travels by bus three or four days a week at most to care for elderly clients, cooking and cleaning, shopping, and doing housework. When she rides the bus, she’s scared of contracting the virus.

At the same time, she does not know when her company will shut down and she will lose the meager income she gets which is just barely enough to pay for rent in a tiny low-income apartment in the International District and food. She has no other distractions, no other joys except taking the occasional walk in the park, and making products for RAI. All her children live far away.

“Work is always hard,” she said.

Tung-Edelman designed the program so that refugees can make extra income—she pays them minimum wage —on top of whatever other job they have. All the fashion design, and now mask making, can be done at home or at another job that requires in-home service.

That works well for Si-Tu in her job in elder care. It also works well for other refugees who lack the language skills to survive in other jobs or who are frozen in place because of disease or other trauma. One refugee spent decades in a refugee camp in Burma, where she contracted polio, and now does her work for RAI seated most of the day.

RAI is made up exclusively of women refugees. But that is not only a reflection of Tung-Edelman’s design.

Over three quarters of the world’s refugees are women and children, according to RAI. And while the numbers of refugees worldwide has been exploding, the amount that the United States has been accepting is shrinking drastically.

For those that have arrived here safely, safety is no longer certain. It never has been, with a struggle just for food and shelter. But now it has gotten worse.

For Si-Tu, the pandemic has caused an upsurge in her feelings and memories of her desperation in China and Hong Kong.

This is common for refugees, said Hsu. “Their traumatic memories can get triggered by the current outbreak when these refugees relive or re-experience a situation that is similar to what they experienced in their earlier times of hardship. They can present emotional distress or physical reactions— worry, fear, anxiety, and confusion,” she said.

Si-Tu wanders in misery every day, reliving the past and worrying about the present.

“I feel the time when I was the most unhappy was when I was in Hong Kong, that was a time that I felt that the misery of my life was the worst. I didn’t know what to do or what would help, but then I passed out of it, my family helped me immigrate to the United States,” she said.

“But now I start to feel it again, now I’m worrying again about how I will support myself, and the work that we do outside our homes threatens our safety, our lives, if we get infected. Nothing can be safe in our life,” she said.

“It is very frightening and worrying,” she said.

In the meantime, she is waiting for RAI to ship her more supplies. Tung-Edelman recently expanded the scope of their efforts to include making plastic shields, protective gowns, and other gear. She also found a volunteer Uber driver to transport it to the women. And a matching grant from Seattle Northeast Rotary Club has helped them exceed their original goals.

For Si-Tu, that means safer work—and work that can save other lives as well.

“I’m just waiting for more material to arrive,” she said.  To donate to RAI, go to: https://bit.ly/2R2k4mK Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.