Posts by Jeff
Jeff lives in Silicon Valley, and attempts to juggle marriage, fatherhood, computer systems research, running, and writing.
Two Pounds Noodles, Two Pounds Meat: Tales of the Pho Garden Challenge
The Pho Garden Challenge requires that you eat a bowl of pho with two pounds of noodles and two pounds of meat in less than one hour. When I saw a recent article on this food challenge, I looked into the subject more, and found that it is a popular subject for dozens of Asian American videos. What is it about this challenge that compels Asian Americans to try it? I personally think that noodles, [...] Continue »
Asian Baller Dunks On LeBron James (Or Does He?)
This video, titled “Asian Baller Schools and Dunks on Lebron James,” has been making the rounds. Lebron James was playing on an NBA goodwill tour at a game in Taiwan when, as you can see at 0:15, one of the Taiwanese players steals the ball, goes down the court and gets a dunk. While the title of the video says that he “dunks on” LeBron, some blogs point out that he really doesn’t.
Surviving Filipino Cotillion Season
“Where are you going?” I said to The Daughter. “I’m going to the video shoot.” “Okay. Wait, what?” I had told The Daughter that she wouldn’t be getting a Cotillion for herself (we would rather spend the money for college), but I never knew that even without doing one, Cotillion season would still be an ordeal. For those who don’t know, a Cotillion or Debut is an 18th birthday party popular among Filipinos. Think of [...] Continue »
Are Asian Americans Contributing to Frog Extinction?
A Scientific American blog post points to a study, ”Canapés to Extinction: The International Trade in Frogs’ Legs and Its Ecological Impact” (pdf) from conservation groups Pro Wildlife, Defenders of Wildlife, and the Animal Welfare Institute, that states that Asian American appetite for frog legs are contributing to frog extinction. Asian American markets are said to import 2,216 metric tons of live frogs a year in addition to the 2280 metric tons of frog legs imported [...] Continue »
DUDE WTF ASIA: Korean Skyscraper Evacuated Due to Tae Bo and Snap!’s The Power
On July 5, the Korean Techno-mart skyscraper was evacuated because of mysterious tremors shaking the building. Korean scientists have discovered the cause: middle aged exercisers doing Tae Bo to Snap!‘s 1990s Dance Hit, “The Power“. Apparently the combination of doing Tae Bo to the rhythm of the song was at a resonance frequency that triggers the building wide shaking. A famous case of resonance destroying a structure involved the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, which ripped itself apart [...] Continue »
What Asian American Kids Watch on TV: Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures
“There’s more Asians on this show.” – Number Two Son Bucket and Skinner’s Epic Adventures, a new show on Nickelodeon, definitely has more Asians than A.N.T. Farm. Two out of five lead characters are Asian American! One of those two characters is played by the amazing Ashley Argota, who was not only a lead actress in Nickelodeon series True Jackson VP but played young Nala in The Lion King Musical. I like how she plays [...] Continue »
Boppers, The Fresh Generation & Asian American Teens
“I don’t want to go to the Great Mall – it’s bopperville!” The Daughter said that when I told her that we were going shopping. “Bopperville?” I thought. “What is a bopper?” I had no idea what she was talking about, so my kids tried to explain boppers to me in terms of what these teens wear and do. “They like to wear Stussy shirts.” “They walk around with giant cameras.” “They hang out with [...] Continue »
Asian American Fishermen Affected by Mercury Pollution
While some Asian Americans/Canadians fish for recreation, others fish in order to use their catch to directly feed their families. The Sierra Club is publicizing a study showing how mercury pollution in fish is affecting Hispanic communities, with some Hispanic anglers exposed to almost twice the levels of mercury recommended by the EPA. A blog post from New America Media states that certain Asian Americans are exposed to even higher levels of mercury, twice as [...] Continue »
What Asian American Kids Watch on TV: Disney Channel’s A.N.T. Farm
I saw Number Two Son watching A.N.T. Farm on the Disney Channel, about a group of brilliant middle school students who go to a San Francisco high school. They are part of a gifted program for students who have “Advanced Natural Talents.” Usually in this series, I write about the cool Asian American things that my kids find on TV or on the Internet. What I found with my son this time was a show [...] Continue »
Is San Jose’s Japantown Becoming Hawaiitown?
I live close to San Jose’s Japantown, and I have been getting takeout from there for many years. During that time, I have seen the Soko hardware store (pictured left) closed down and converted to a number of shops. One of those shops is Sonny’s Place Hawaiian store which has a large studio area for the Hālau Nā Wai Ola Hula School. Some of the space became The Ukulele Source. Near one of my family’s [...] Continue »
Filipino Declared World’s Shortest Man
On the same day he turned 18, Filipino Junrey Balawing was declared the world’s shortest man by the Guinness Book of World Records. Balawing stands 59.93 centimeters or 23.5 inches high, about 2.5 inches shorter than the previous record holder, Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal. Junrey’s parents took him out of school because they were afraid for his safety. He has trouble standing up and speaking, and local doctors had trouble diagnosing his problem (his [...] Continue »
Diwali Pushed as a School Holiday in Silicon Valley
While I was driving home with The Daughter and one of her friends on an early November evening, the friend pointed to a house lit with Christmas lights. “Isn’t it early for Christmas lights?” she asked. “Not for Christmas,” I replied. “For Diwali.” Living in Silicon Valley for the past twenty-five years, I have noticed that the local Indian American population has been celebrating the festival of Diwali more and more visibly. Now, there [...] Continue »
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