Asian-Pacific American History Month May 2017 Edition No. 84
Young and old tap into taiko
INSIDE: Distinctive creations with a double meaning Kampot pepper: Cambodia’s hot commodity Unity is published in February (African-American Heritage Issue), March (Women’s History Issue), May (Asian-Pacific American Heritage Issue), June (Sustainability Issue), September (Hispanic Heritage Issue) and November (Native American Heritage Issue).
ASIAN-PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE ISSUE
Young and old tap into taiko • Portland Taiko performs throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Washington group also offers classes and workshops to aspiring drummers. Portland Taiko (http://portlandtaiko.org) started with one homemade taiko and practice drums made from car tires. With community support, the group built and purchased new drums, presented its first full-length concert in 1997, became a nonprofit organization and toured North America in the early 2000s.
Inventors of the taiko drums likely had no idea their creation would spawn a musical art form that now captivates people worldwide. In Japan, “taiko” refers to any kind of drum. Outside Japan, it references Japanese drums called wadaiko and the form of ensemble taiko drumming called kumi-daiko. In North America, taiko groups number about 200. Today’s ensemble form of taiko emerged around 1951. A jazz drummer named Daihachi Oguchi is widely credited as the father of this form of music. In 1968, Seiichi Tanaka formed the first North American taiko group, the San Francisco Taiko Dojo. His “tanaka style” is a hybrid of Oedo Sukeroku, Osuwa Daiko and Gojinjyo-daiko styles. Tanaka and his group inspired many, if not most, of the taiko groups throughout the U.S. and Canada. By the way, taiko is even being hailed as – according to a 2016 Los Angeles Times article (www.latimes.com/health/la-he-taiko-thedrumming-workout-20160423-story.html) – “the best workout you’re not doing.” Here’s a closer look at a few taiko-drumming organizations in the U.S. • Since 1987, Burlington Taiko (http://burlingtontaiko.org) in Vermont has entertained an estimated 500,000 people during numerous performances, including one at the 100th running of the Boston Marathon.
• San Jose Taiko (ww.taiko.org), a professional group, has entertained audiences around the world. Young Asian-Americans founded SJT in 1973. San Jose Taiko, says its website, “has broadened and embellished this historical art form into a distinct performance style that blends the traditional rhythms of Japanese drumming with the beat of world rhythms, including African, Brazilian, Filipino, Latin and jazz.” • Taiko Center of the Pacific, in Honolulu, Hawaii, was established in 1994. TCP (https://taikoarts.com) offers classes in taiko drumming to the public year-round for all ages and skill levels. From the start, thousands of children (as young as age 2) and adults have studied kumidaiko, or ensemble drumming, at the center. TCP also has two performing ensembles (an adult group and a youth group) that entertain at private parties, festivals, schools and concerts. • Triangle Taiko is one of only a handful of taiko groups in the Southeast. Formed in 2002 in the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina, Triangle Taiko’s (www.triangletaiko.org), members come from many walks of life and are of various ages.
Company’s future is in the bag Serial entrepreneur Gina Alexander turned a small kiosk in a Hollywood mall into a $1.2 million company by its second year. She now has the resources to maintain a charitable foundation – Hope for Children – that helps families adopt children, and has partnered with NBA legend Kobe Bryant to send Filipino youths to his basketball camp. Alexander started doing it in 2000 with photopersonalized purses, priced from about $65 into the hundreds. Her proprietary process perfectly reproduces each customer’s picture on a silk purse exterior, then customizes the bag’s details from handles to lining. Celebrity customers have included fellow FilipinoAmerican Apl.De.Ap, co-founder of the Black-eyed Peas; Kobe Bryant; Faith Hill; Jennifer Lopez; Tori Spelling; and Usher. Alexander sells her entire product line directly through www.ginaalexander.com, and cellphone cases on amazon.com. She’s appeared on the Home Shopping Network, where her bags have sold out in minutes. Featured in numerous nationally distributed magazines, Alexander has appeared on television shows hosted by such notables as Tyra Banks and Phil McGraw. Alexander has also presented her bags as gifts to celebrities attending such events as the BET, Country Music and Grammy awards shows. Alexander’s business role models were her parents, who she says were the first Filipino couple to own a Denny’s franchise restaurant in the United States. She studied fashion design in Europe, and worked in marketing, forecasting and merchandising for Sue Wong Couture, Rampage Clothing, RAFE and Isabella Fiore.
Gina Alexander’s handbag company includes merchandise for men and babies.
Today, she runs her Los Angeles, California-based business with the help of her husband, Richard, who manages the merchandise lines available through the company including handbags, men’s and baby. A recent licensing deal with Janie Hendrix (the sister of Jimi Hendrix) led to a line of Jimi Hendrix photo bags (leather and fabric) and limited-edition, numbered leather jackets with rarely seen images of the musician taken onstage at concerts like Winterland in 1968, Waikiki in 1969 and Arco-Sacramento in 1970 by rock photographer Robert M. Knight. For Alexander, it all began when she needed money to adopt a child after several miscarriages. A corporate merger forced her out of her job with a major purse company, so every day she worked the 4 a.m. shift at Starbucks before heading for a full day of selling her purses at the mall. When someone told her she needed to learn how to sell her bags on the internet, she cried, wondering how she could do that. Now at the helm of a multimillion-dollar company, Alexander and her husband are the parents of daughters Katye, who’s adopted, and Makena.
CULTURAL FINE ART
Distinctive creations with a double meaning
For more information on our cultural fine art services, visit www.picturethatart.com.
The featured artists in this issue of Unity reflect the dual identities, tradition and lineage of their cultural heritage. “Teapot With Lid” were more complex. “It became a challenge,” Tang recalls, “to create the same pattern as accurately as possible.” Creating a flat pattern to appear 3-D in fabric was an important learning process for crafting “Blue Willow Plate,” she says. In her research of that pattern, Tang learned the creation of the blue-willow pattern was based on a chinoiserie (shen-wahze-re) – a style of design that reflects Chinese influence.
“Chinese Bowl” by Jessica So Ren Tang
JESSICA SO REN TANG Jessica So Ren Tang was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She says she cannot recall exactly when she wanted to become a professional artist; however, her earliest memory of working with thread was making cross-stitched bookmarks before starting preschool. When Tang studied in Seoul, South Korea, she witnessed a student crocheting herself into a cocoon, which inspired her to explore textiles. Upon her return to the United States, Tang experimented with sewing onto a Styrofoam container of a cup of noodles and has worked with embroidery ever since. Tang’s three images featured in this publication are all hand-embroidered on fabric and wire. “‘Chinese Bowl,’” Tang says, “is a dishware common in Asian restaurants and a familiar pattern in my childhood.” After completing “Chinese Bowl,” Tang found a teapot with the same pattern. She says the shapes in
“With embroidery, I explore familiar Asian-American objects that take on the visual identity of the original, but reject said identity due to its material,” says Tang. “Embroidery is versatile enough to mimic the original object in shape and design but still distinct enough to be recognized as something else.”
“Blue Willow Plate” by Jessica So Ren Tang
MARI OGIHARA Mari Ogihara was born in Japan, and then raised in a modest town in Michigan. Her family was among the few Japanese people residing in the area at the time, so there was little-to-no access to Asian culture and diversity. Ogihara says her mother influenced her interest in art as a result of numerous conversations about New York City’s commitment and diversity to the arts. Using plaster, wood and clay molds, Ogihara creates blank ceramic canvases of streamlined parts of the human body or actual casts of a mannequin leg.
“Teapot With Lid” by Jessica So Ren Tang
Many times her work (like “Strip and Dismantle,” a piece in her Mannequin series) explores multiple versions of the same prototype. The cut and reassembled legs enhance the interior flow of bright orange, which Ogihara says signifies the inner light of the female.
“Strip and Dismantle” by Mari Ogihara
“Fire Island” by Sholeh Janati
The purple wisteria flowers that wrap around the legs and hips of “Wisteria Girl” are Ogihara’s illustration of how societal norms can sometimes take over one’s self-image.
States, which she viewed as a beacon of freedom and liberty for her and her young daughter. Janati says her art is spontaneous and free flowing, with no attempt to arrive at a preconceived result. This spontaneity characterizes the exhilaration of her work. Janati’s “Fire Island” indeed exudes that exhilaration through the colorful motion of brilliant colors of tall grass and a scratched light blue surface that she says depicts the urge of wanting to get to a better place. The bundles represent people trying to get to that place of happiness.
“Wisteria Girl” by Mari Ogihara
“‘Laimah,’” says Ogihara, “represents the countenance and purity of Buddhist icons.” This piece portrays the serenity and visual rhythm in many Buddhist temples.
“Laimah” by Mari Ogihara
Ogihara says clay is her medium of choice because of its close resemblance to skin and the Asian culture’s long history with ceramics.
“Gold Coast II” by Sholeh Janati
“The Optimist” serves as a clarion call to viewers to seek and reach out for the best versions of themselves. Janati strives to create a painting that continuously reveals itself over time with repeated viewings. The strength, individuality and survivorship in her paintings are meant to convey those qualities to others in her culture.
SHOLEH JANATI Sholeh Janati remembers always loving to paint and draw. In grade school, she drew biology drawings for her classmates for a fee. Janati says her Iranian parents allowed her to study art with the masters in Tehran, Iran, and encouraged her to pursue art, which was rare for parents of her heritage. However, after what Janati deemed as living in an “excessively repressive culture,” she made a fateful decision to journey to the United
“Gold Coast II” is one of a triptych (painting consisting of three panels) reflecting Janati’s love for the “fluid sky” and the ocean. “The allover blue,” she says, “is peaceful; the depth of the ocean represents strength and the touches of red and yellow – power, energy and passion.”
“The Optimist” by Sholeh Janati
Kampot pepper: Cambodia’s hot commodity Grown and produced solely in a province of Cambodia, Kampot pepper is among the trendiest of spices these days. Its four varieties vary in intensity: • Black ranges from mildly sweet to intensely spicy. It goes well with grilled fish. • Green is the mildest. It pairs perfectly with a fried squid dish. • Red possesses a powerful, sugary-sweetness aroma. It’s suited for everything from wild meat seasoning to vanilla desserts. • White, the rarest, bears a strong, spicy taste. The spice’s current market consists of Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the United States. Chinese explorer Tchéou Ta Kouan described pepper production in Cambodia as early as the 13th century. By the end of the 1990s, roughly 4 tons were harvested yearly. In 2010, Kampot pepper attained the World Trade Organization’s Geographical Indication status – a distinction that links the pepper’s quality to its origin – which boosted its profile considerably. The Kampot Pepper Producers Association (www.kampotpepper.biz) inspects the plantations that grow the peppers. Only accredited members of the KPPA can designate their plants as “Kampot pepper.” According to the KPPA, producers growing pepper in Kampot today come from several generations of pepper planters. They came back to their land after the civil war ended in 1975 and started to farm pepper using traditional methods inherited from their ancestors. Various online retailers, such as amazon.com, sell Kampot pepper.
Cambodian Wok-Tossed Squid With Kampot Pepper • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 2 fresh garlic cloves, chopped • 1 teaspoon Asian chili paste • 1 ounce fresh Kampot green peppercorns (or fresh green peppercorns) • 7 ounces baby fresh squid, cleaned and cut into pieces • 1/2 red Asian shallot, cut into wedges • 1/4 fresh green capsicum, sliced thin • 1/4 fresh red capsicum, sliced thin • 1 fresh long red chili, sliced fine • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce • 2 tablespoons fish sauce • 2 teaspoons palm sugar • 1 tablespoon roasted, skinless peanuts, crushed • 1/4 cup coconut cream • Pinch of sea salt In a hot wok add the oil, garlic, chili paste and green peppercorns, and then stir-fry on mediumhigh for about 30 seconds. Add the squid, red shallot, capsicum and chili to the wok and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, peanuts, coconut cream and a pinch of sea salt. Stir-fry for 1 minute. When cooked and heated, spoon into serving bowls or onto plates, and then garnish with fresh chili and fresh lime wedges. Recipe courtesy of https://historyofasianfood. blogspot.com/2015/11/cambodian-wok-tossedsquid-with-kampot.html
Kampot pepper’s colorful varieties range from mild to bold.
Versatility, wholesomeness among jackfruit’s many virtues
Jackfruit Tortilla Soup • 6 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4-inch strips • 3 tablespoons olive oil • 1 cup diced red onion • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 2 cups tomato puree • 1 toasted pasilla chile or 1 teaspoon chili powder • 1/4 teaspoon oregano • 4 cups vegetable broth • 1 package Tex-Mex jackfruit, shredded with a fork • Salt to taste Garnishes Diced avocado Crumbled cotija cheese or feta cheese Mexican crema or sour cream Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the tortilla strips with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and evenly spread on a cookie sheet or baking tray.
Look for jackfruit at your local Asian market or online.
Yes, it reminds some of an otherworldly pod straight out of a cheesy horror movie. But that’s about the only bad thing you can say about the giant, tropical food known as jackfruit. For those living in some parts of south and southeast Asia – India, Bangladesh, Thailand – jackfruit is an everyday food. Among Asian cooks, this stalwart starch is a culinary workhorse. Now, Americans are adding it to dishes and menus at home and in restaurants.
Bake the tortilla strips in the oven for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven; allow to cool and set aside. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and the garlic and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, the pasilla chile (or chili powder) and the oregano. Cook until the mixture begins to bubble. Add the vegetable broth and the jackfruit and bring to a boil over medium heat. Bring the heat down to low, and simmer the soup for 20 minutes, covered. Add salt to taste.
Jackfruit is an outstanding source of protein, potassium, calcium and iron that can double as your main meal and your dessert. Its seeds can be roasted and eaten, or ground into flour. As for the taste, some say unripe jackfruit is similar to artichoke hearts, while the ripe fruit is more like a banana (making it a perfect topping for sticky rice or ice cream). The Jackfruit Co. (www.thejackfruitcompany.com) sells a line of meals in pouches that make good use of jackfruit’s meaty texture with flavors such as barbecue, Tex-Mex, teriyaki and curry. You can also order jackfruit from Upton Natural’s (www.uptonsnaturals.com) and Edward & Sons (www.edwardandsons.com/native_shop_jackfruit.itml). Of course, local Asian markets are prime purveyors of this bountiful fruit.
To serve, place some of the tortilla strips into a bowl and ladle the desired amount of soup over it. Garnish with diced avocado, crumbled cotija or feta cheese, and/or Mexican crema or sour cream. Yield: 2-4 servings Recipe courtesy of The Jackfruit Co.
Badminton’s elite athletes elevate the sport parents, was the highest-ranking American player (No. 64 in the world before the Games) who represented the country in men’s singles. Neither Shu nor his teammates won medals. Like many of their U.S. predecessors, they faced traditional badminton powerhouses representing countries that provide training, coaching and financial backing on a level that far exceeds what American players are accustomed to having. As Iris Wang, Shu’s Olympic teammate, noted in a recent Associated Press article: “For the U.S., we are still self-funded.” By contrast, South Koreans “fly together, they train together. We all train separately. … They have the resources to bring in a masseuse” and physical therapists.
Howard Shu, America’s top-ranked player at the 2016 Olympics, is a 19-year veteran of the sport.
Think badminton is just a friendly little game played during a leisurely gathering in the backyard? You need to get a grip. And by grip, we don’t mean the section of the racket that a player holds. For those who play at the highest competitive level, it’s hard to understand how anyone could view badminton as anything other than deeply complex and highly demanding. Players like Howard Shu – Esquire magazine recently deemed the 27-yearold America’s top badminton player – are towering examples of a professional sport only the most agile, dedicated and powerful can play. The Southern California native, who started playing at the age of 8, has professed his affinity for the game’s grueling intensity and fast pace. In 2016, the U.S. fielded a seven-member badminton team in Rio de Janeiro. Shu, the son of Taiwanese
Badminton has a long history in the U.S., during which American players enjoyed decades of popularity and dominance. The first badminton social entity, the Badminton Club of New York (where New York’s society leaders socialized), was formed in 1878. By the 1930s, badminton was being played practically everywhere: educational institutions, YMCAs and clubs offering badminton instruction. Helping to boost the sport’s popularity during that time were diehard celebrity players such as James Cagney and Ginger Rogers. For decades, Americans have competed at badminton on the collegiate, regional, national and international level. One hundred fourteen years after the first U.S. badminton club was formed, the International Olympic Committee voted unanimously to promote badminton to full-medal Olympic status. The sport made its Olympic debut in Barcelona at the 1992 Games. By that time, though, baseball, basketball and football had captured the attention of many American sports fans. The lack of fans who are interested in badminton probably has a lot to do with the small number of high-profile companies that sponsor players of the sport. Yet, the talented Shu and his teammates persevere – determined to play the sport they love and to lure the U.S. fans who’ll once again give badminton the attention and support they are convinced it deserves.
On the cover: A taiko drummer performs at a recent music festival. Unity is a celebration of food, art and culture. Published six times per year, Unity is exclusively distributed to clients of Thompson Hospitality and Compass Group, both world leaders in foodservice. To contact us, send an email to marketing@thompsonhospitalityjv.com. ©2017 Thompson Hospitality and Compass Group. Produced by Content Spectrum.