Jennifer J. Chow's Blog, page 35

#AuthorProfile: Shawna Yang Ryan

“Your kind spirit will lead to many new friendships.”

Name: Shawna Yang Ryan

Accomplishments: Fulbright Scholar; Teaches at University of Hawaii

Latest book: Green Island

Shawna Yang Ryan is super sweet and down-to-earth. Her latest novel, Green Island, took many years of research. She ended up interviewing people, both in Taiwan and here in America, about how the 228 Massacre affected their lives. Before penning her book, she also had to process all the turbulent emotions involved in exploring that traumatic time period. Green Island is on my to-be-read list. It’s a deep book that investigates the impact of 228 and imprisonment on one family and asks a heart-wrenching question: How far would you go for the ones you love?

What I find inspiring about Shawna Yang Ryan’s writing career is the way her persistence paid off. She spent time in the writing trenches and eventually published Water Ghosts through a small press. A great review on Shelf Awareness boosted its visibility–the book eventually got picked up by a major publisher (Penguin). During the process, she also got an agent who believed in her talent and has followed her about a decade until the current publication of Green Island.

 

Foodie Friday First: Durian Ice Cream

Tried out…

Durian ice cream: creamy, powerful-tasting ice cream

You can smell this “king of the fruits” from a mile away. There’s a certain almost rotting quality to the stench. It makes you want to crinkle your hose. It’s hard to describe the durian taste—a mouthful of flavor that hits you in the stomach; an earthy, pungent flavor.

But I figured that would be reduced in ice cream. Nope. It’s still got super intense taste (and smell). Thankfully, it was tempered by the egg waffle.

Fun fact: In Malay-Indonesian languages, duri means “spike”; the durian fruit has a very spiky shell.

#BookReview Wangs vs. The World

“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.”

Wangs vs. The World by Jade Chang

3.5 stars

Pros:

variety of characters
pops of Chinese culture
honest tone

Cons:

likability of characters
road trip trope
loose resolution

I heard all the hype about Wangs vs. The World, so it was on my TBR list for a while. The basic premise is the Wang family falls from riches to rags. For some reason in my mind, I expected a different tone from the novel, maybe more Crazy Rich Asians in reverse. Also, since Jade Chang helped with the Goodreads Young Adult newsletter, I thought it’d have a more YA bent. It doesn’t.

Actually, it’s got a raw feel to it. All the characters in the Wang family have grittiness to them. Don’t get me wrong, they’re well-done, rounded people–but very no-holds-barred. Unfortunately, that meant that I didn’t truly like any of them.

A huge road trip from coast to coast spans a big portion of this book. A few locations were really detailed, but other geographic spots were not as fleshed out. In some ways, the whole cross-country journey has been done before, so there was a bit of monotony that set in for me.

I also had a hard time with the resolution of the book. Real life is messy, but I felt too many threads were left hanging. However, I applaud Chang in writing in an authentic way about culture and how it bleeds into our lives. Her take on Chinese dialogue, feelings across generations, and racist encounters really expose core struggles and pain.

Overall, a worthwhile read of an honest account about family, identity, and America.

Find more of my book ratings and reviews here.

Foodie Friday: Teh Tarik

Teh Tarik: pulled milk tea

I heart this Malaysian staple. There’s nothing like a frothy cup of tea to make me feel all cozy. It’s also a simple recipe that lists only black tea and condensed milk as ingredients. The tea is supposed to be poured back and forth between containers to make those yummy bubbles on top of the beverage.

Fun fact: Teh tarik is considered the national drink of Malaysia.

2-2-8 70 years

On this 70th anniversary, we remember the atrocities that happened in Taiwan. How peaceful demonstrations turned into unrest and eradication across the land. We remember the dark period in Taiwan, the years called White Terror.

In LA, we took time to recall, to mourn, and to promise to resist against the horrific ever occurring again.

The 228 Memorial Event in El Monte featured music when words could not express the bountiful grief.

 

Political leaders stood together in support of Taiwan and in remembrance. Guest speakers even featured illustrious people like Assemblyman Phillip Chen and Congresswoman Judy Chu.

In the same building, an exhibition traced the history and effects of those times. Labeled, “Injustice, Truth, and Responsibility,” it brings to light a grim historic period and calls for justice. You can check it out in person until March 5th at:

Culture Center of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

9443 Telstar Ave

El Monte, CA 91731

We remember.

Foodie Friday: Szechwan braised pork

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone for hot and spicy. With the cold and wet weather outside, though, I braved the fiery food.

Szechwan braised pork: saucy pork belly

Okay, so this actually was one of the dishes without a red hot chili pepper next to its name. The plus part? Lots of tender meat. The minus? Loads of fat. It was too greasy for my taste actually, but it’s packed full of umami flavor. Here’s a recipe for it.

New Blog Topics

“Now go to it! It’s ready to be pick [sic].”

So I’ve been blogging for about five years now, and there came a time (recently) when I got tired of putting out words and not getting feedback (or worse, spam) in return. However, I’m going to continue at it, thanks to the encouragement of friends. I do like expressing myself, and I think there’s a strong need for diverse voices at present.

However, I’m going to change up the format. I typically post on Mondays and Fridays. I’ll be continuing Foodie Friday posts (about cultural foods and new foods that I try out), but Mondays will be hit and miss. Instead, I’ll try to post within the week, which gives me flexibility when there are travel plans and holidays.

I’ve usually swayed back and forth between two themes: aging and Asian culture. Now, though, I’ve come up with ten topics that my blog will cover. These are in no particular order:

1. Multicultural book reviews (I love reading anyway. Might as well post about it!)

2. Foodie Friday/ Foodie Friday First (Good food? I’m in!)

3. Travels (Going to new places spark my interest.)

4. Wordless Wednesdays (Like Instagramming on my blog–helps when I’m too tired to write.)

5. Writing Stuff (Providing a glimpse of my professional life.)

6. Family traditions (Family and heritage are important to me.)

7. Getting older/caretaking (The study of aging has a soft spot in my heart.)

8. Movies (Pass the popcorn!)

9. Lalaland (I mean, local happenings and places.)

10. Asian themes (Highlighting holidays and activities.)

Let the blogging begin!

Foodie Friday First: Bubble Waffle

Tried out my first…

Bubble waffle: poofy waffles that have raised bumps

These are also known as Hong Kong egg waffles. Made using a special mold, they’re soft and chewy. Often, they have extra hidden goodies inside the bubbles. My favorite? Mochi.

See video below to see how to make them:

P.S. I’ll be doing a top ten list next week to go over my new blogging topics.

Tech Noob

“Listen these next few days to your friends to get answers you seek.”

Hi, folks. Sorry, my website’s been down and a few posts deleted. Unfortunately, I’ve been getting a lot of spam in my posts and generally getting attacked. I’m not sure if it’s a WordPress thing or my own poor computer skills. I’d still love to blog once in a while, but I’m beginning to feel bogged down by it all.

Any advice for me? Do you keep a blog? Recommendations on having your own WordPress.org site or getting a managed website? Let me know. Thanks!

 

 

Foodie Friday: Seafood Nest

Seafood nest: a dish, with artfully-arranged seafood, that looks like a nest

The ingredients of this dish aren’t that spectacular. It’s the usual greens with seafood. However, I like the display of it all. The vegetables wrap around the other items. You can see bits of carrots, green onions, scallops, and mushrooms swimming in the middle. Sometimes we can use the same ingredients but display them in a novel way.

Does appearance affect how you eat?