To Date or Not to Date

“Oh, definitely a white guy.” There’s this game that we play amongst my group of Asian American friends. We try and predict whether our friends are going to end up with Asian/Asian American partners or…not. When it came to be my turn, there a resounding consensus that no, I would not end up with an Asian guy. I believe “white, for sure,” was the phrase that was used. Accompanying this assertion is the explanation that Asian guys “can’t handle” me…whatever that means. I don’t…

The Fat and the Furious, Part I

TaiwaneseAmerican.org is proud to present the first in a series of blog posts exploring the topic of body image and self-esteem in the Asian American community, an often over-looked subject. We asked our guest contributor to share her most personal thoughts on the topic. We thank her for her openness. The Fat and the Furious, Part I By SH Chang I’ll be honest- I hate my body. And I have for awhile. From the tippy top of my head (too dry and itchy), down to my ears (asymmetrical), eyes…

Asians are Bad Drivers, Asians are Bad Drivers, Asians are Bad Drivers?

Guest blogger Charles McDonald is a hapa Taiwanese American who has spent several years living and working in Taiwan. He mentioned to us a year ago that he intended to start a Taiwanese-inspired clothing line. Back then, it was just an idea, but a year later, his company has become reality and showcases some interesting Taiwan-themed designs all printed on Made in Taiwan T-shirts. The IDCY brand is available online and occasionally at select Night Market locations. We at TaiwaneseAmerican.org were…

Twitter Wars

We all know when someone says something about race that just isn’t quite right. When you feel a twinge of repulsion, a flick of alarm, a feeling of disgruntlement. When you are not quite sure whether to be offended or not, or can’t decide if you should call that someone out, or what exactly you should say in response. This is what we call a “microaggression.” It is commonly defined as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional,…

Event Recap: TAP-NY’s First Annual Nightmarket

by Clarissa Wei **We asked freelance journalist, Clarissa Wei, to do a feature of TAP-NY's recent nightmarket event. Here is her recap article published in the Village Voice (original article here), along with some scrumptious photos she took at the event. Thank you to Clarissa and Bob Wu of TAP-NY! We wish we could have been there too!** By 7 p.m. on Friday, the atmosphere outside of the old firehouse on Lafayette was already beginning to look impatient. Bouncers checked for ticket confirmations…

Filmmaker Timothy Tau Pays Tribute to Pioneer Actor Keye Luke

By Eric Kao Have you ever heard of Keye Luke? If you haven’t, check out Taiwanese American filmmaker Timothy Tau’s new short film, KEYE LUKE, about one of the pioneer Asian Americans actors in Hollywood. As an American actor of Chinese descent, Keye Luke was best known for playing Lee Chan, the "Number One Son" in the Charlie Chan films and Master Po in the television series, Kung Fu. Many will also remember him as the masked-sidekick Kato in the 1939-1941 Green Hornet series. Timothy…

Susan and Emily Present “Island X” – a Collection of Taiwanese Folk Songs

TaiwaneseAmerican.org has been proud to follow and support musicians Emily and Susan Hsu of the indie band Exit Clov for years, and in turn, they've been kind to us as well. Remember them from our Taiwan Typhoon Morakot fundraising campaign a few years back when their video went viral? Ever since then, we (and many of you) have hoped that they would put out a Taiwanese/Mandarin album. So now, we're pleased to announce that they have. Island X. And dare we say that this may be the most amazing Taiwanese…

A Taste of Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup

TaiwaneseAmerican.org's Ho Chie Tsai and Karen Lin take you on a Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup tasting adventure as they attend a special event sponsored by the Asia Society and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco featuring the winner of the 2011 Taipei International Beef Noodle Soup Festival, Chef Hou Chun-sheng. In Taiwan, beef noodle soup (牛肉麵) is considered a national dish. Of 189 entries and 40 finalists, Chef Hou's recipe placed first in the most popular category…

Meet Terry Chen, a Taiwanese American Martha Stewart

We are pleased to share an interview conducted by Athena Chang, the Social Chair of Taiwanese American Professionals in New York (TAP-NY), and adapted for TaiwaneseAmerican.org. Special thanks also goes out to TAP-NY President, Bob Wu! *** Terry Chen is the real deal: a bonafide Taiwanese American Martha Stewart baking cupcakes and putting her own spin on it. Before I met Terry, I did my homework and research on her.  After reading her bio though, I am truly inspired by her entrepreneurial  drive.…

Guest Post: “Passing” for White to Get Into Harvard?

by Grace Yia-Hei Kao Asian Americans and Harvard University have been in the news and on my mind recently. The bigger story has been about the “Linsanity” surrounding (Harvard grad) New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin who continues to take the NBA by storm. The smaller story, though one that also made national headlines in early February, is of the recent decision by the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights to investigate a complaint that Harvard and Princeton Universities discriminate…