Small Talk: Meet Me in Chinatown

[Meredith Quill]

The Small Talk topic is for:

 

• Introductions
• Off-topic chatter
• Having virtual tea with forum buddies

 

This is NOT a topic for actual show discussion. When you want to talk about the show:

 

1. Figure out the nature of the topic you want to talk about
2. Look for an existing topic that matches or fits
3. If there is NOT an existing topic that fits, CREATE ONE!

 

Examples of topics that populate show forums include (but by no means are limited to):

 

• Character topics
• Episode topics
• Season topics
• Spoiler topics
• Speculation topics
• In the Media topics
• Favourite X topics
• ...you get the idea

 

Happy trails beyond Small Talk!

[PRgal]

OK, let me introduce myself.  I'm PRgal, also known as Cynthia in real life.  My parents are immigrants from Hong Kong and came to Canada in the 1970s, several years before I was born (I was born in '79, so I hover between being a Gen Xer and a Millennial, depending on who you ask/what stats look at).  I can SORT OF relate to Eddie and his family, but as some posters on other threads have said, the (Hong Kong) Canadian immigrant experience is a bit different from that of (Taiwanese) Americans - especially if you live in Toronto or Vancouver.  I've never felt that I was "at the bottom" or that I stood out too much because I'm Asian.  There were always Asian kids in my class at school - even in the Jewish-majority (we're talking about only having two or three - four MAX - kids in the classroom during Rosh Hashanah) elementary school I went to for kindergarten.  The whole budget conscious parents was somewhat relatable, I guess, but my mom was (and still is in her 60s) fashion conscious and my closet was always a mix of budget and pricier items.  Some of my party dresses came from higher end childrenswear shops.  We also got our groceries from both Chinese markets (which by the 1980s were more supermarket like, despite being stinky to this CBC) and mainstream stores (which by 2003 meant Whole Foods as they opened their first Toronto location).  Finally, I mostly brought sandwiches to school as my lunch and we definitely ate western foods - as I noted in another thread, my mother introduced me to grilled cheese (which I STILL love - more than macaroni and cheese).  I had my fair share of Pizza Hut, McDonald's, etc, etc... We even made westernized food at home. 

[Auroraborealus]

Hi PRgal! Nice to meet you!

My name is Aurora and my parents emigrated from South Korea in the early 70's. I was born in Tampa, Florida in 1975 and my family moved to Orlando when I was 5 years old. I can say that I very much can identify with the experiences the show has shown us so far. There was a tiny, scattered Korean population in Orlando when I was growing up, enough for one church and one small Korean market 20 miles from where we lived. I was usually the only Asian kid in my class, or in my neighborhood. For the most part my family was treated by our American neighbors as something alien and exotic. The kids treated me the same way until they realized that, unlike my parents, I spoke perfect English and liked the same Saturday morning cartoons as they did and most of them came around and treated me like any other kid. My mother was an excellent cook but I didn't learn to appreciate it until much later because I resented being sent to school with Korean lunch instead of sandwiches and chips like my friends. My parents pushed me hard in school, I had to to take all honors or AP classes and was expected to get straight A's. As far as spending money, they scrimped and saved on most things but were surprisingly open walleted with me. My mother never bought any clothing for herself that wasn't on sale but I always had nice, fairly fashionable clothes and shoes. When computers became a thing I was one of the first on my friends to have one and internet access. I am enjoying this show so far and look forward to watching more.

[arc]

Hi all, I'm CBC (Canadian-born Chinese) too, grew up in Vancouver, barely even realized I was a minority when I was growing up in a lot of ways because my schools were majority CBC.  I guess my teachers were very rarely Asian and my TV was even less so. (I was never fluent in Chinese and in any case my family didn't get a VCR until I was in college. Go figure.)

 

I was just thinking, I've lived in Mountain View and West LA, and those are probably the least Asian places I've lived... and they're still pretty Asian.  My cousin has lived in a tiny tiny town in Oklahoma and she told me it'd be like an hour's drive just to get Asian groceries.  I can't really imagine what that's like.

[photo fox]

Hi, everyone, I'm not Asian, but I'm loving the show and seeing a lot I can relate to - I did extra school, too. :-/

I'm finding everyone's discussion of their experiences in the other threads to be really interesting and eye opening. That's why I think diversity on television is so important.

My cousin has lived in a tiny tiny town in Oklahoma and she told me it'd be like an hour's drive just to get Asian groceries. I can't really imagine what that's like.

Yep! I live in downstate Illinois, and it would be well more than an hour. There are an increasing number of local stores with authentic Hispanic items, but no Asian ones yet. Our most significant Asian American population is a small group of Laotian American families who came here as refugees via Thailand in the late 70s. My friend's FIL makes 10-hour round-trip drive to Chicago every two weeks to bring home authentic Asian ingredients for his family (and to sell).

[idiotwaltz]

Hello! Like arc, I grew up in Vancouver. My family immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada during the pre-1997 mass exodus. I was five when I moved to Vancouver so I can speak English fluently, never had an accent, but because there were so many fellow HK immigrants in Vancouver at that time that I never really had to assimilate. We always had Chinese markets and grocery stores and authentic Chinese restaurants --- really, outside of Asia, the best Chinese food is found in Vancouver. Sorry, Toronto, but we have you beat there. 

 

That said, I always felt a sense of resentment from the locals that we were effectively changing their landscape, their way of living, pushing up property prices, raising the bar for university entrance grades. No outright racist remarks, but from time to time I didn't feel welcome, and as soon as I finished university I moved back to Hong Kong. I do miss Vancouver and I reminisce fondly about the childhood I had, and proper "white people food". I visit once a year now, usually in the summer --- I sure don't miss the rain! 

Edited February 8, 2015 by idiotwaltz

[PRgal]

Hello! Like arc, I grew up in Vancouver. My family immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada during the pre-1997 mass exodus. I was five when I moved to Vancouver so I can speak English fluently, never had an accent, but because there were so many fellow HK immigrants in Vancouver at that time that I never really had to assimilate. We always had Chinese markets and grocery stores and authentic Chinese restaurants --- really, outside of Asia, the best Chinese food is found in Vancouver. Sorry, Toronto, but we have you beat there. 

 

That said, I always felt a sense of resentment from the locals that we were effectively changing their landscape, their way of living, pushing up property prices, raising the bar for university entrance grades. No outright racist remarks, but from time to time I didn't feel welcome, and as soon as I finished university I moved back to Hong Kong. I do miss Vancouver and I reminisce fondly about the childhood I had, and proper "white people food". I visit once a year now, usually in the summer --- I sure don't miss the rain! 

 

I understand the school thing, but I never understood property values.  Isn't an increase a good thing?  You make more money when you sell.  And if you can't buy there, buy elsewhere.  Also, Hong Kong immigrants are more westernized to begin with, so you're probably MORE assimilated than you think you are.  You might not be playing hockey, but adjusting to western life and culture clashes between you and your parents are just not as great (unless you're talking about classes you want to take at school.  I've always been a humanities girl, though my parents wanted me in sciences or finance).  As for Chinese food - it's only better because you get better quality seafood.  I pretty much only eat fish, so for things like chicken, other meats and vegetarian, it's pretty much the same (or arguably better here - according to my dad).  #justsayin

 

ETA: I'm actually MORE conscious of myself in HK than I am here in Toronto.  I feel that there, I stand out more as Jook Sing, where as here, I'm quite comfortable.  Not much resentment felt, though I thought some of the Chinese girls at school looked down on me as well - a little too Jook Sing for them, as I noted, and they were way, way more brand conscious than me (this was a girls only private school).  To them, GAP jeans and Jacob (RIP) sweaters worn on grub day (uniform-free) wasn't "cool" enough (this was the mid-90s, so GAP was still a good thing) and almost as bad as an outfit I bought from some chain store in Hong Kong while I was there for Christmas vacation.  Maybe it's because my area was never LARGELY Chinese - always a mix of Chinese, Jewish (probably the bigger group), WASP and some South Asians. 

Edited February 8, 2015 by PRgal

[idiotwaltz]

 

I understand the school thing, but I never understood property values.  Isn't an increase a good thing?  You make more money when you sell.  And if you can't buy there, buy elsewhere.

 

The issue is that because the HKers (or rather, the Mainlanders in recent years) have jacked up the property prices so high that the younger generation can't afford to buy anymore. And there is no elsewhere to buy. Here are some articles that sort of explain what a tough situation Vancouver is in.  

 

 

(unless you're talking about classes you want to take at school.  I've always been a humanities girl, though my parents wanted me in sciences or finance)

 

My dad is a lawyer so he didn't really mind when I dropped AP Chemistry and Physics for AP Lit and World Lit in Grade 12. His goal was to get me to study law in the long run. I was top of the class in math in elementary school, when there were fewer Chinese (Catholic school - full of Irish and Filippinos) but when I went to a private non-denominational high school, where there were more Chinese (mostly CBCs in my grade, oddly, I was one of two full-on Hongers), it became clear pretty quickly that I was not predisposed to the sciences. 

 

 

As for Chinese food - it's only better because you get better quality seafood.  I pretty much only eat fish, so for things like chicken, other meats and vegetarian, it's pretty much the same (or arguably better here - according to my dad).

 

My cousins from Toronto who visit twice every year would disagree with your father, but I must say the last time I was in Toronto, I had just finished a trip down the eastern seaboard of the US, and the "typhoon shelter" crab I had at this restaurant in Markham tasted absolutely divine. 

[Raja]

My story while I am a couple of years younger than Kevin Arnold of The Wonder Years, which the first two episodes of this show reminds me of my school experience is more The White Shadow with some Freaks and Geeks thrown in. "Our" Asians were mostly Nisei with the Filipino wives/mothers of some being the Asian immigrants we saw. By my high school years noticeable numbers of Koreans were immigrating in. While some surrounding communities were getting Vietnamese boat people. I never saw much of the losers of that war for another decade.

I understand the school thing, but I never understood property values.  Isn't an increase a good thing?  You make more money when you sell.  

 

There are the political implications of the children of the previous inhabitants being unable to stay in their neighborhoods as money from overseas buys up a community. While good for one economically causes other disruptions.

[PRgal]

The issue is that because the HKers (or rather, the Mainlanders in recent years) have jacked up the property prices so high that the younger generation can't afford to buy anymore. And there is no elsewhere to buy. Here are some articles that sort of explain what a tough situation Vancouver is in.  

 

 

My dad is a lawyer so he didn't really mind when I dropped AP Chemistry and Physics for AP Lit and World Lit in Grade 12. His goal was to get me to study law in the long run. I was top of the class in math in elementary school, when there were fewer Chinese (Catholic school - full of Irish and Filippinos) but when I went to a private non-denominational high school, where there were more Chinese (mostly CBCs in my grade, oddly, I was one of two full-on Hongers), it became clear pretty quickly that I was not predisposed to the sciences. 

 

 

My cousins from Toronto who visit twice every year would disagree with your father, but I must say the last time I was in Toronto, I had just finished a trip down the eastern seaboard of the US, and the "typhoon shelter" crab I had at this restaurant in Markham tasted absolutely divine. 

 

I don't really eat crab, so I can't tell you anything. Is it the nouveau stuff that's better in Van?  What are the young chefs doing?  We're getting a lot of Jook Sing Cuisine here (my parents are more into the "traditional" foods found in the 905 (i.e. Markham).  I never go unless I'm with them, since management knows that I can't read Chinese) - think sticky rice in the form of quinoa and stuff like that. 

Edited February 8, 2015 by PRgal

[scartact]

Hi everybody who has introduced themselves so far! My family is from the Philippines, but I was born and raised in the States. Most of the experiences I remember are growing up in California, especially in very culturally and ethnically-diverse areas. I lived in SoCal for most of my life, specifically near areas that were ethnic enclaves. My high school had more blacks and Latin@s. For college, I wound up in the Bay Area, which is also an incredibly diverse area. It's been very interesting to be in the Bay with all these political movements hapening.

 

Being part of this show's forums is actually probably my frist time really engaging in internet dialogue (I was always more of a lurker, through TWOP to here). It's been pretty interesting so far! I also find everyones' different experiences as part of an immigrant family interesting. The Philippines as a whole tends to idealize western culture because of U.S. imperialism in the country, but since I am American-born, I can't really speak for the experience of growing up like this and immigrating to the States. There's never been a contrast for me, but I think growing up like that has its own experiences in establishing one's identity (or rather, in providing a frame for particular identity crises).

 

Nothing major to contribute yet, but happy discussing with all of you!

[biakbiak]

I partially blame this salad thing on my love of soup because when I was a kid whenever I went to a restaurant where I was offered a choice of soup or salad, I always chose soup without hesitation. I saw other people eating the aforementioned salads and instead of wondering what it tasted like, I would think, "You fools could have had delicious soup!" 

I quote this here because it reminded me that never in my life have I ever voluntarily ordered soup in a restaurant. Growing up my father would always order the soup, by the time I was three I knew enough to shout "Noooooooo!" (Which from experience the above mentioned father stopped thinking was funny was at age 3 1/4), because he would always send it back because it wasn't hot enough. I firmly believe that my father didn't believe a restaurant soup was hot enough unless it could cause third degree burns if the person serving it accidentally spilled it on themselves.

To this day anytime someone I am with orders the soup, I cringe.

Though to be fair my dad has mellowed in his older years so he will only send it back if it wouldn't give a brief red spot on the servers arm if they spill it when serving him.

[Wishing Well]

Oh god, the price hikes. Where I live in Bellevue, WA, rent for a 2 bedroom condo was always $1000 or less. Then that movie From Beijing to Seattle came out and half of Beijing showed up in my little city. Between them and the Microsofties, rent is now pushing $1600 for a studio!

Positive notes though, I can get 煎饼果子 any day of the week now instead of shoveling in as many as I can during my trips to China. Plus the most popular restaurant is 小肥羊 so again, I don't have to go to Beijing for this.

I'm 21 and first generation by the way, one of my favorite ABC stories is that I spent years fighting my Chinese classes and now I work in finance where half of my clientee is Chinese and require language!

[PRgal]

Oh god, the price hikes. Where I live in Bellevue, WA, rent for a 2 bedroom condo was always $1000 or less. Then that movie From Beijing to Seattle came out and half of Beijing showed up in my little city. Between them and the Microsofties, rent is now pushing $1600 for a studio!

Positive notes though, I can get 煎饼果子 any day of the week now instead of shoveling in as many as I can during my trips to China. Plus the most popular restaurant is 小肥羊 so again, I don't have to go to Beijing for this.

I'm 21 and first generation by the way, one of my favorite ABC stories is that I spent years fighting my Chinese classes and now I work in finance where half of my clientee is Chinese and require language!

 

Keep in mind that not everyone can read Chinese.  I'd gather that many CBCs/ABCs on this board can't or are barely literate.  Out of the seven characters you included above, I can only read three.  Can you please let the rest of us know what the characters mean?  I the first is some sort of product?  Food, maybe?  The restaurant is Little (Something) Goat. 

 

The Chinese community in Toronto is very established, but I feel that there's a big disconnect between the boomer-aged immigrant generation and the rest of us.  Perhaps that's the reason why most CBC chefs are going Jook Sing (hollow bamboo - it's SUPPOSED to be a slur - meaning not one way (Chinese) or another (Anglo).  Think "banana")/fusion or western when it comes to establishing restaurants or food trucks.

 

Signed,

 

A Chinese School Drop-Out (actually, my parents took me out because they didn't feel that I was getting anything out of three hour, weekly classes.  Not to mention, the teachers were really old country and absolutely HATED Canadian-born kids.  We were just a bunch of spoiled brats to them)

[Zalyn]

Hiya, it's great to meet other people who are passionate about cross-cultural discussions and, of course, Asian food.  I wanted to let you know that I just tried to order the book from B&N and it's delayed.  I'm not surprised, but I take that as a good sign that people are provoked into thinking about things by the show and buying the book to get the real story. 

 

Quick about me: Mom's Korean, immigrated to American when she was 18 in the late 60s.  My dad is half Japanese, half white/Jewish (his mom is Japanese immigrant).  So my parents were cultural rebels on the one hand, but stuck in certain frames on the other.  They made a lot of effort to assimilate my brother and me, so we got to see a lot of nuances across groups in the Seattle area (including the heavily Korean suburbs) - really insular Korean-Americans and Asians who rejected a lot of their culture.  It's been neat seeing more about Chinese-American culture (I like "Off the Great Wall" on youtube) because some parts are really similar to Korean-American culture, while other parts are different. 

 

Great to be here!

[idiotwaltz]

It's officially the Year of the Goat here in China, so I wish everyone a happy Lunar new year! I would love if there's an episode about Chinese New Year festivities ... maybe next season! One can hope. 

[solotrek]

新年快乐

[fishcakes]

Happy New Year to you too! (With love, from me and Google Translate)

[PRgal]

Happy New Year!  I'm a goat!  My mom and I are going to the opera tonight.  We aren't going to have any family celebrations until the weekend when we go to a revolving restaurant for our annual "spin of prosperity." 

[Zalyn]

Goats unite! I didn't get to do anything special for Ch. New Year, but it's great to see people celebrating it.

 

I just got the book yesterday, and I'm really enjoying it.  It gives some nice details that help to contextualize some of what happens in the show.

[scartact]

I just got the book yesterday, and I'm really enjoying it.  It gives some nice details that help to contextualize some of what happens in the show.

 

It's definitely an interesting experience to read the book and watch the show! Glad to see other folks reading his book. I have a few more chapters left and I personally really enjoyed reading Huang's book and it's sort of how I've framed a few of the occurrences within the show. I keep thinking I should make a thread for a general discussion about the book and the show, but I'm not pithy enough to make a clever title. Womp.

[PRgal]

The Hong Kongers in my family (i.e. people who didn't emigrate) abstains from meat on the first day and usually eats jai (here's a post with a picture from a few years ago).  Since I just didn't feel like cooking today, I decided to have a salad at lunch (along with a Tall Blossoming Peach tea latte from Starbucks (not sure if US Starbucks is selling this during Chinese New Year, but Canadian ones (at least in certain markets like Toronto and Vancouver) are.  It's a little sweet and indulgent, so I went with no whip and half the syrup) and then mac and cheese with broccoli for dinner.