Whenever I see an article like this titled “Filipino Cuisine Poised to Break through Gastro Ceiling,” I think “yet again?”  Over twenty years, I ate at Cafe Glenda on Solano Avenue in Berkeley and thought, “Has Filipino food finally made it?”   Efren wrote about Filipino Food becoming the In Thing four years ago.  A few years later came a discussion on how and why Filipino food was unassimilated.  So what’s new and different this time?

I think that a couple things are different now.  Vendors like the Adobo Hobo and many other Filipino restaurants have shown that Filipino food can be a viable option.  Filipino food is getting buzz at places the the Winter Fancy Food show, and a product line like Kusina ni Maria (Maria’s Kitchen) is now available in the Whole Food Markets grocery chain.  Even more extreme Filipino foods like Balut are being served in restaurants.

Filipino Food is also adapting to deal with mainstream American trends.  Chefs have been experimenting with adaptions to Filipino food to make it healthier.  There is now Vegan Filipino food, a concept which I still have problems wrapping my mind around.

Will Filipino food make it?  It would be great to see it happen and give  Filipino Entrepreneurs and Filipinos Americans in general more exposure.  Not far from where I live in Silicon Valley, there are Filipino restaurants that are making it and that I go to periodically.  I think that’s a positive sign, but I for now, I am going to wait and see before declaring Filipino cuisine as having it made it into the American Mainstream.

Lin’s release from the team is no big surprise. Despite the short-handed roster at camp, affordable contract, and great support from the local fan community, Lin’s release is directly related to the teams efforts to sign Los Angeles Clippers restricted free agent center DeAndre Jordan or any other free agent names connected to the Warriors this offseason. Set to make nearly $800,000 had he stayed on the roster, every little bit of money will count if the Warriors do sign Jordan, Nene, or another major free agent.

Can you imagine being set to make $800k and then being let go during the first week of practice? Lin appeared in 29 games last season (his first) averaging 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists a game. Lin also played briefly on the Warriors’ D-League affiliate Reno Big Horns where he averaged 18 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 20 games.

I went to my first NBA basketball game last year to check out this “Asian sensation,” and he seemed well loved by fans given that he was a home town native to the Bay Area having grown up in Palo Alto, as well as the large Asian American community to support him.

Well, the Houston Rockets just picked up Lin for his second year of his non-guaranteed contract on Sunday! I’m sure there will be many comparisons and mentions to Yao Ming, but Lin I don’t think is in the same league as Ming (well, at least not as tall, that is for sure). Congrats to Lin for getting picked up by the Rockets!

The Chinese Historical Society of America Museum
965 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94108

Tuesday-Friday 12-5 pm
Saturdays 11 am – 4 pm
Closed Sunday, Monday, and Holidays

If you are at all interested in the history of Chinese in California and the United States, I highly suggest you check out the museum!

A few Sunday mornings ago, I was flipping the channels and came across local television station ABC7 News’s Beyond the Headlines Sunday morning program, where former gymnast and three-time Olympic team winner Dr. Amy Chow was discussing the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.

As I watched her interview, I was guilty of thinking that Chow definitely looked younger than she is (in her thirties instead of her twenties), which I think hurts all Asian Americans professionally. I’m always amazed to see Olympians who reach the pinnacle of their career at such an early age and am always curious to see what they do next. Mostly, I’ve followed former Olympian Michelle Kwan as she develops a career in diplomacy. Chow is currently a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Chow thinks that physical activity instills not only health benefits, but also academic ability (by helping kids concentrate after channeling their energy into exercise) and discipline.

A few weeks ago, some lucky 8Asians readers in Los Angeles were able to see Outrage, the new film from Japan’s legendary Takeshi Kitano (ZATOICHI: THE BLIND SWORDSMAN, BROTHER, VIOLENT COP). Now it’s time for our readers in the Bay Area to see the film! Opening in Los Angeles and New York on December 2, 2011, it stars Beat Takeshi, Kippei Shiina, Ryo Kase, and Tomokazu Miura.

In a ruthless battle for power, several yakuza clans vie for the favor of their head family in the Japanese underworld. The rival bosses seek to rise through the ranks by scheming and making allegiances sworn over saké.

Long-time yakuza Ôtomo (writer/director Kitano, using his screen name “Beat Takeshi”) has seen his kind go from elaborate body tattoos and severed fingertips to becoming important players on the stock market. Theirs is a never-ending struggle to end up on top, or at least survive, in a corrupt world where there are no heroes but constant betrayal and vengeance…

Running Time: 109 minutes
Language: Japanese (with English subtitles)
Rating: R for violence, language, and brief sexuality

Ok, ok, so you just want to know how you can win some free tickets? Read on!

Official Selection:

• Cannes Film Festival 2010
• Palm Springs International Film Festival 2011
• AFI Fest 2010

“Bursts with direct cinematic power. Humor as mean and dry as a straight-up martini.“—Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter

“VISUALLY STUNNING. A beautifully staged marvel that confidently reasserts Kitano’s considerable cinematic gifts. By the final reels, it’s all-out yakuza war.“—Rob Nelson, Variety

“When it comes to the gangster film few have ever done it better than Kitano and with Outrage he is absolutely back in peak form. A truly iconic international crime film.“—Todd Brown, TWITCH

What you could win from 8Asians and Landmark Theatres
Selected winners will receive a pair of tickets to the advanced screening of Outrage.

Screening Details:
Outrage Advanced Screening
Thursday, December 1, 2011, 7:00PM
Landmark’s Embarcadero Center Cinema, One Embarcadero Center, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94111. (415) 267-4893

Hurry, this contest closes Thursday, 12/1/2011 at 11:45am Pacific Time!
One entry per person, please.

How do you enter?
1) Like the 8Asians Facebook page!

2) Fill out the form below:

Why do I have to fill out this form? We’re just trying to capture all the info needed to fulfill the prizes faster.

Can I enter more than once? No! Why you being so greedy?!

Prizes courtesy of: 8Asians.com and Landmark Theatres