wangkon936's Xanga

Sorry for the lack up updates

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 04:22:09 GMT

I've been busy being a guest blogger at The Marmot's Hole, a general blog about Korean news, society, etc.

You can get a hold of my entries by clicking here...

Hope everyone's been well!

Stuff "White" People Like...

Sat, 08 Mar 2008 02:45:27 GMT

Old news but this pretty cool and funny blog called "Stuff White People Like" has been getting literally millions of hits, track backs on hundreds of other blogs and even devoted an article from the LA Times and some air time from NPR (National Public Radio).

However, it's not just a list of what any white people would like. It seems to be selective of what white people in the blue states and are college educated professionals, and live in urban and suburban areas would like.

Such as:

People who have a "personal trailer," not a personal trainer...

People who have cool tech jobs...

People with "Awareness" (# 18)...

People who have Toyota Priuses (#60)...

People who love Japan (# 58 )... Konichiwa bitches!

And my favorate (literally), # 11 Asian Girls... One must admit, dem white guys love dem asian girls.

Rupert Murdoch, ugly but powerful, with his 39 year old wife.

A prettier couple, Nick Cage and Alice Kim

Early on, people actually thought that the blog writer may be Asian American. There were so many references to Asian culture such as the aforementioned # 11 Asian Girls and # 58 Japan as well as # 42 Sushi, # 45 Asian Fusion Food and # 71 Being the only White Person Around. Some speculated that it was an Asian guy's mock of white culture. Well, the owner of the blog did reveal himself and he's a 29 year old Internet copy writer named Christian Lander of Culver City, CA.

Way to go Christian! 300,000 hits a day... banner ads coming soon!

Is Juno an Unoffical Remake of a Korean Movie?

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 04:03:10 GMT

I addressed this a bit in my last blog written in February 19th. However, I saw Juno for a second time this weekend and noticed that Diablo Cody (a pseudonym, to be sure), the writer of Juno, won an Oscar for the screen play so I thought that the subject deserves its own, expanded entry.

Juno was filmed in Canada with American talent and financing. It had a modest budget of $6.9 million, but is expected to gross over $120 million in just its domestic theatrical run. An excellent return given the initial investment and we are not even talking about international sales and DVD sales. On top of that, it's got a lot of critical acclaim too and has been nominated for 4 Oscars, including Best Picture. It has won one Oscar for best original screenplay. However, is Juno really and Original Screenplay and should it have been considered as an Adapted Screenplay instead?

Fox Searchlight's biggest hit of the year...

In 2005 a movie came out in Korea called "Jenny / Juno"about exactly the same topic, unexpected teen pregnancy. Like the American Juno, it's a romantic/comedy with sweet, intelligent and likeable characters who have to make difficult decisions on both life and love.

Jenny/Juno which came out in Korea in 2005

Onthe surface, the two movies appear similar. However, the two films differ in some big ways. First, in Juno the girl decides to give the baby up for adoption, whereas in Jenny/Juno, the young couple decides to keep the baby. The adoption theme in Juno is a major subplot (although there is a smaller adoption angle in Jenny/Juno involving Jenny's older sister in America). Juno is driven by an almost "Gilmore Girls" brand of wit whereas Jenny/Juno moves along with an almost saccharine-sweet, Hello Kitty type of cuteness. Juno in the American movie is the girl's name. In the Korean movie Juno is the male lead's name and the girl's name is Jenny. Juno's tone is a little more serious with more dry wit. Jenny/Juno is more light-hearted and innocent. Booth are heavily steeped in their host cultures' mores and attitudes, which are of course, vastly different. For example, hiding the pregnancy for aslong as possible is a major subplot in Jenny/Juno whereas in Juno, the parents are told pretty early on.

Both movies are diven by cute, witty and highly likable couples

Bleeker and Juno (male character) just moments before they are told they are daddies! Both are adorable and sincere characters. Both have that "deers in the headlights" look...

However, there are also a lotof interesting similarities, the ones I've noticed which I have listed below (in rough chronological order):

1. In the opening credits in Juno, the female lead walks through town to get to the drug store to buy a home pregnancy test, the opening credits end and Juno takes the test in the store's bathroom. Just before Jenny/Juno's opening credits, Jenny takes the home pregnancy test in her bathroom, and once the credits roll, Jenny rides a bike through town.

2. In the opening credits for both movies, the fonts appear to be written with crayons.

3. Both Juno and Jenny take the over-the-counter pregnancy test exactly three times.

4. Essentially, both movies start in the same narrative time perspective and the actual "deed" that creates the pregnancy is told in a flashback, not in the linear order of the story telling.

5. In Jenny/Juno, part of what helps Jenny make up her mind is a pro-life book written in Korean. In Juno, part of what affects Juno's decision is a Pro-Life advocate who happens to be an Asian girl.

6. Contrary to what many may think, there is a theme of adoption in Jenny/Juno also. It's much smaller and hardly a subplot, but fit's what's considered acceptable in Korean society. Koreans believe in intra-family adoption, but not yet in inner-family adoption. Jenny's mother was going to send Jenny to America, where her older sister, married, would adopt Jenny's baby.

7. In Jenny/Juno, the male lead writes in chalk for Jenny “I love you Jenny” In “Juno," the female lead writes in chalk on Bleeker's front step “Check the mail Bleeker” and what's in the mail box is a sign that Juno loves him.

8. There is a scene in Jenny/Juno where the male lead runs track for PE class and shows how much of a goof he is by comically bumping into a post. Something that showed a striking stylistic similarity to Juno's boyfriend in that he's both a goof and on the track team.

9. Both movies have a girl who's interested in the male leads at about midpoint in the movie and this creates an intense, but short burst of jealously by the female leads.

10. Bleeker runs track competitively (apparently breaks a state record) and the Korean Juno plays a video game in a high level competition, different but similar theme of showing that the male leads have talent in something.

11. Both films have a cute, geeky male lead and are subordinate to dominate women.

12. The male leads appear indecisive and weak in the beginning but have inner strength that's appreciated later.

13. In Jenny/Juno, the boy asks to carry the female lead's backpack and she refuses, same thing in Juno.

14. Both movie have primarily seven major characters that drive the story and appear in the majority of the movie. In Juno that would be Juno, Bleeker, Juno's dad and step mother, Juno's best friend and the adoptive parents. In Jenny/Juno the major characters are Jenny, Juno, Jenny's parents, Jenny's older sister and Juno's parents.

15. Both Juno and Jenny ride bicycles. Jenny rides the bike in the beginning of the movie and Juno rides hers at the end.

Diablo Cody... giving credit where credit is due?

Some of comments on the Internet Movie Database are telling and I've included two of the more intelligent comments below:

by thebubblewrapguy (Fri Feb 8 2008 10:57:42)

"I have no doubt that "Juno" (USA) was inspired by "Jeni, Juno" (Korea.)There are too many similarities to pretend otherwise. It is an adaptation for certain, but likely enough was changed that the producers were not legally bound to credit "Jeni, Juno" as a source. Itmakes perfect sense to not credit it, as there would be costs involved.And it made perfect sense to Americanize it, changing the plot and characters as needed to make it resonate with the audience.

The only tragedy here is that the script of "Juno" may very well win Best Original Screenplay, when in fairness it should have been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Or perhaps it falls into neither category, as it was obviously inspired by another source even if it did not follow it so closely as to be an adaptation."

by mijoki-1 2 days ago (Sat Feb 23 2008 06:57:41)

"I saw Juno just a while ago and even though it was not as funny as I was hoping it would be, I still had a nice warm feeling when it was over. I happened to run accross the whole plagiarism idea in anotherforum and decided to check it out...after all it is nominated for an academy award. The first few minutes I was like " oh craap..." it was similar. They both start with the girls taking the tests...there is this guitar music and the main characters are being followed by the camera...still, what really made me think it was indeed a copy was the style. I thought Juno was cute since it had this way of writing things in the intro and through out the movie, how can I explain this...the letters were made funky, like they were made with colour spray, which was used in both movies..."

Both movies have "quirkly" humor...

For the record, Diablo Cody, denies that there is any relationship between the two movies. She ops to call Jenny/Juno a "spiritual cousin." However, the similarity in title and subject mater alone has created confusion and quite a bit of speculation (controversy?) in the blog sphere. Some take it as a matter of fact that Juno is a remake of the earlier Korean film. There is of course no "smoking gun" evidence to contradict Cody so it's really a matter of opinion at this point. Yet, it is possible for people to make their own comparisons and they can start with these two vignettes on youtube that I think will give a good slice to start off. For Jenny/Juno click here. For Juno click here. The entire Jenny/Juno movie is available on youtube in this link or on crunchyroll here. Bear in mind, if the movie was officially distributed in the U.S. in any form, I wouldn't provide the link.... Watch and make your own decisions!

Asian's Influence on Hollywood Films

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:26:43 GMT

Asian movies have had an underapreciated and relatively unknown impact on Hollywood films. Although the dedicated film afictionado may know that Akira Kurisowa movies heavily influenced some Hollywood Westerns and George Lucas' Star Wars movies and a Academy Award winning movie, "The Departed" was actually a remake of an earlier Hong Kong movie, it appears that the extent of the borrowing is not well acknowledged or understood.

I guess what prompted this entry was when I saw "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed" on the History Channel a number of months ago. The trailers for the show had Luke and Darth Vader clashing light sabers intercut with scenes of two samurais clashing katanas. I had known of the strong link between all the Star Wars movies and Japanese film making and culture for quite some time and was interested to see it finally displayed on national television. However, when I finally watched the show, I was sorely disappointed. The two hour show probably devoted 5 to 10 minutes to the Japanese influence and spent the rest of the time on the more conventional Western influences. There are of course a lot of Western influences in Star Wars from Greek tragedies to the knights of the medieval era and World War II weapons and uniforms for the look and feel of a lot of the movie's machines and personnel. However, the Japanese and Eastern influences on Star Wars are both deep and varied and deserved a lot more time then just a few minutes.

The Dark Lord of the Sith in all his black armored glory...

Looking a bit like a samauri in all his armored glory...

You guessed it, the look and feel of Darth Vader's armor is based on Samurai armor, something Lucas Film readily admits here.

The purpose of this entry is to not highlight what Lucas borrows from Japanese and Asian culture and film making. That fact has been well documented by many in the Internet sphere as well as admitted to by George Lucas himself. Take for example the plot of a hero and a grizzled old war veteran and two comical bungling characters safe guarding a princess against forces from an armored fortress. The plot to the original Star Wars? No. It's the plot to Kurisowa's movie "Hidden Fortress." The word Jedi? It's from the Japanese word "Jidai Geki"' which translates as "period drama.'' The famous cantina scene, right down to the motley assortment of patrons, the bragging outlaws and the severed arm? Lifted directly from Kurisowa's "Yojimbo."

Left, the promotional poster for The Hidden Fortress. Right, the same image with Star Wars characters. Taken from here.

The purpose of this entry is to introduce and discuss the various Asian influences that are in one particular icon of American pop culture and that would be in the area of film and movies. These influences are increasing, particularly in this day and age, because of the dearth of new ideas in Hollywood. It's an industry that doesn't nurture new creative talent as well as it use to and it's compromised the art of film making by focusing first on the business of film making. This means that ideas which have proven to make money get rehashed into sequel after sequel after tired sequel. Better yet, some movies are not produced for their creative content alone, but as vehicles for whoever is the hottest star commodity for a particular point in time. Drivel such as the latest Rambo and I Know Who Killed Me would be examples of the product that the earnest movie consumer like you and me unfortunately end up with.

The original Andy Lau classic...

The American cop... eh, I mean remake.

The remake of "Internal Affairs" is, of course, just the tip of the ice berg. Other remakes include "The Ring," the "Ring Two," "The Grudge," "8 Below" as well as a host of others. Remakes of successful films in Asia are appealing to the suits in Hollywood because it's like a sequel in that there is a measure of certainty in appeal as it has already found success with a test audience (in this case an Asian one). Furthermore, it doesn't appear to be rehashing old ideas because foreign films are just not popular in the states and thus don't get wide release by U.S. film distribution companies (if they get any sort of release at all).

Who can forget the magical mail box in Il Mare?

Keanu: "Dude, like that letter's from the future... whooh."

Korean movies are rather late in the remake game. The first to be remade was "The Lake House" staring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. With a budget of $40 million (the Korean original's budget was less then $2 million), its total worldwide admissions and DVD sales made it a modest, but healthy, success.

From 2004 to 2005, Hollywood bought the remake rights to a lot of Korean movies. However, many of these remake opportunities are just sitting forever in the "announced" or "pre-production" phase, waiting for directional and writing talent to add flesh to the bones. However, it's interesting to see that in the list of "in-production," "post-production" and "completed" movies are some very cool Korean classics.

"My Sassy Girl," the movie that was a hit all across Asia...

Can Elisha be as "sassy" as Ji-Hyun? We'll find out this spring or summer.

The Korean horror classic "Tale of Two Sisters"

The American version in post-production, awaiting a late 2008 release.

Two all time favorates "My Sassy Girl" and "A Tale of Two Sisters" have been remade and have already finished production and are awaiting release. The American "My Sassy Girl" will have Elisha Cuthbert as the female lead (fantastically well acted by Jun Ji-Hyun in the original). It will be interesting to see how Cuthbert handles that female character, but if its with any of the stoic charm of "The Girl Next Door," dare I say that we may be in for a treat?

Generally, remakes in Hollywood are done legally, with the originators paid for the rights to the film. Sometimes, in the case of "The Grudge" for example, the director of the original also directs the American remake. However, even if a direct port remake is not done and no money is paid out to the originators, there is still at least an acknowledgement of the original source, similar to the kind words by George Lucas in his interview on Hidden Fortress' DVD special features.

Recently, there has been some debate about another popular American film that may have had Asian influences. In December of last year an independant film called "Juno" opened up that had a modest budget of $6.9 million and has thus far grossed over $115 million. An excellent return given the initial investment. On top of that, it's got a lot of critical acclaim too and has been nominated for 4 Oscars, including Best Picture. This movie has been anointed with both financial and critical success, a Hollywood rarity.

Fox Searchlight's biggest hit of the year...

Interestingly, in 2005 a movie came out in Korea called "Jenny / Juno" about exactly the same topic, unexpected teen pregnancy. Like the American Juno, it's a romantic/comedy with sweet, intelligent and likeable characters who have to make difficult decisions on both life and love.

Jenny/Juno which came out in Korea in 2005

On the surface, the two movies appear similar. However, the two films differ in some big ways. First, in Juno the girl decides to give the baby up for adoption, whereas in Jenny/Juno, the young couple decides to keep the baby. The adoption theme in Juno is a major subplot. Juno is driven by an almost "Gilmore Girls" brand of wit whereas Jenny/Juno moves along with an almost saccharine-sweet, Hello Kitty type of cuteness. Juno in the American movie is the girl's name. In the Korean movie Juno is the male lead's name and the girl's name is Jenny. Juno's tone is a little more serious with more dry wit. Jenny/Juno is more light-hearted and innocent. Booth are heavily steeped in their host cultures' mores and attitudes, which are of course, vastly different. For example, hiding the pregnancy for as long as possible is a major subplot in Jenny/Juno whereas in Juno, the parents are told pretty early on.

However, there are also a lot of interesting similaries. In the opening credits in Juno, the female lead walks through town to get to the drug store to buy a home pregnancy test AND takes it in the store's bathroom. In the Jenny/Juno opening credits, the female lead takes the home pregnancy test and rides a bike through town. They both take the pregnancy test THREE TIMES. Essentially, both movies start in the same narrative time perspective and the actual "deed" that creates the pregnancy is told in a flashback. In Jenny/Juno, part of what helps Jenny make up her mind is a pro-life book written in Korean. In Juno, part of what affects Juno's decision is a Pro-Life advocate who happens to be an Asian girl (how freak'in random is that?). Both Jenny and Juno ride bicycles. Jenny rides the bike in the begining of the movie and Juno rides hers at the end. There is a scene in Jenny/Juno where the male lead runs track for PE class and shows how much of a goof he is by comically bumping into a post. Something that showed a striking stylistic similarity to Juno's boyfriend in that he's both a goof and on the track team. The male leads in both movies are supportive and unassuming (i.e. dorky), but also very much in love with their female leads. The male leads appear indecisive and weak in the begining but have inner strength that's appreciated later. Both movies have a girl who's interested in the male leads at about midpoint in the movie and this creates an intense, but short burst of jealously by the female leads. Both female leads have enormous appetites but never appear to get morning sickness.
Akira Kurosawa says: "Ari gato Lucas-san for the props."

For the record, Diablo Cody, the writer of Juno, denies that there is any relationship between the two movies. She ops to call Jenny/Juno a "spiritual cousin." However, the similarity in title and subject mater alone has created confusion and quite a bit of speculation (controversy?) in the blog sphere. Some take it as a matter of fact that Juno is a remake of the earlier Korean film. There is of course no "smoking gun" evidence to contradict Cody so it's really a matter of opinion at this point. Yet, it is possible for people to make their own comparisons and they can start with these two viniettes on youtube that I think will give a good slice to start off. For Jenny/Juno click here. For Juno click here. The entire Jenny/Juno movie is available on youtube in this link. Bear in mind, if the movie was officially distributed in the U.S. in any form, I wouldn't provide the link.... Watch and make your own decisions!

How do I feel about remakes? Cultural borrowing and sharing is a recurring theme in my blog. I for one thought that the Martin Scorsese directed "Departed" was a much better movie then "Internal Affairs" and appreciated the American remake's gritty realism, darker tone and subtle ethnic (Irish) inner conflicts. Those that are familiar with my entries can say that I'm all in favor of diffusion and synthesis of culture and ideas, regardless of where it's from. Tasteful and useful ideas deserve to be replicated, free from prejudice and regardless of origin.

The moderizing East has borrowed much from the West and America in particular. Yes, China is known as a nation that copies everything under the sun and Japan is known as a refiner rather then an originator of ideas. Korea? We are not big enough to register a cognative blip on the world radar screen... yet. In anycase, movies are an instance where one Western institution, Hollywood, is getting increasingly bankrupt of ideas and they have reached across the Pacific to get new creative injections. Movies is at least one area where the West is learning from the East. Who's to say that in the future, this won't extend into other things?

China... nation of copycats?

Japan... Masters of Mass Production?

Most Americans are clueless about Korea, but not Britney Spears. She's wearing a dress with Hangul on it!... (she probably thinks it's Chinese writting)...

Japanese "Galbi," Korean "Sushi," and the Globalization of Food Culture

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 05:49:02 GMT

Last week I went to a Japanese restaurant called Manpuku Tokyo BBQ in Costa Mesa. I was really looking forward to the experience because Manpuku is a yakiniku restaurant, and yakiniku is an increasingly popular form of Japanese bbq that was inspired by Korean bbq. Knowing this, I was very interested in tasting the Japanese interpretation. Besides serving Korean bbq inspired meats, yakiniku restaurants make their Korean inspiration rather obvious by also serving kimchi, bibimbap, japchae, chigae, chijimi, and soju.

Manpuku in Costa Mesa

Grilling on a typical wire mesh style yakiniku grill

This is my first exposure to a yakiniku restaurant and I have to say that it was pretty good. The Japanese interpretation of Korean food is interesting, different, but not in a bad way. Their dol sot bi bim bap tastes just like its Korean counterpart with perhaps less meat. Their chap chae has red chili powder in it, which I never saw before. Again, not bad, just different. Their kimchi was less salty but actually MORE spicy. Okay,what else is different vs. Korean bbq? No banchan. Kimchi is a $3 "appetizer." I felt like I was in bizarro world, maybe how an Italian may feel in a Pizza Hut or a Mexican in Taco Bell.

Typical a la carte plate of "brisket" yakiniku

Anyways, moving on to the meat. In Korean places you have "all you can eat" joints where for $14 to $17 you can eat "B" grade meats till your heart's content. You also have places where for $15 to $20 you get a plate of a specific type of meat that's of higher grade (but the quality still varies from "B+" to "A-" to "A+"). Here you can see the Japanese influence. Dishes of different cuts of meat are more single a la carte servings, kind of like a plate of a single kind of sashimi, where from anywhere between $5 to $12 you get plates of different meats, cuts, and marinates. Obviously, chicken is $5, Kobe beef is $12 and galbi rib meat is $7, etc. Quality of the meat is more consistent all across the board and it's pretty much in the "A" to "A+" range. However, for the price, you get less meat overall here then in a standard Korean place. I can tell that the marinates are Korean inspired (i.e. garlic and soy sauce based) but are different as well. Lighter, less sweeter, perhaps more garlicky, but more focused on letting you taste the natural flavor of the meats and careful not to over marinate.

Both the original Korean bbq and the Japanese offshoot are good and I can't say that one version is better then the other. A mark of a good Korean bbq restaurant are the volume of ajushis (older Korean men) who frequent it wearing their titleist golf caps. I swear on my mother's grave I saw a large table of Korean men in golf caps obviously enjoying their time at Manpuku. THAT was surprising, but hey, good food knows no borders, right?

Japanese Soju versus, uh... Soju....?

The last experience I want to mention is Japanese soju. For those of you that know, Koreans love their soju, a distilled light vodka type of drink. This is my first time with Japanese style soju and it was a good experience also. Japanese soju is generally of higher quality then Korean soju because Korean soju is a post-Korean war product that was mass produced to poor people rather then refined for a middle class audience. Well, the Japanese have refined it a little. Korean soju is grain ethanol alcohol with a little corn syrup mixed in to take some of the bite off and averages $1 to $5 a bottle. An equivalent Japanese bottle of soju is between $5 to $20. The results? A much more consistent and predictable buzz, which is kind of good and bad. One of the fun aspects of Korean soju is that you don't know when the buzz is coming and it hits you unexpectedly! However, having said that, Korean brands, such as Jinro, are very popular in Japan (it was even the #1 brand sold in Japan in 2005).

In sum, I'd have to say that both Korean and Korean inspired Japanese bbq are both very good for different reasons. Japanese yakiniku has better quality across the board, but you generally get less meat / protein bang for the buck. Overall, Korean bbq has more flavor and spices in the meat, but Japanese bbq tends to let you taste the natural favor of the meat more. Korean bbq generally feels more homely and comfortable, whereas the yakiniku restaurants I've been to seem more contemporary and trendy. Again, I think it's a matter of taste. At the end of the day, I like having banchan with my bbq, sometimes I prefer the stronger marinates and I like more quantity of meat, particularly if I'm with a bunch of friends. I'd probably be more likely to take a date or a small, more intimate group of friends for yakiniku.

Yakiniku in Tokyo (dude, where's my banchan?)

Korean bbq in L.A. (that's more like it!)

Well, then how did distinct Koreans foods such as dol sot bibim bap, kimchi and galbi end up in a Japanese restaurant with a Japanese flavor to it? Yakiniku is inspired by Korean bbq from "zainichi" (Koreans living in Japan) who brought it from Korea and adapted it to Japanese tastes over time. The zainichi were split between those with Northern (Chosen Soren) and Southern (Mindan) loyalties and they wanted to come up with a term that they could both agree upon to name their Korean bbq restaurants. They finally agreed upon "yakiniku" because it was a non-political name and roughly translated into "bulgogi." The story of the zainichi themselves is a very interesting one, but not the subject I have the space to get into here. It's sufficient to say that the Korean Japanese experience was totally different from our own Korean American experience in that they went through a much tougher time of discrimination and hardship. Our worst experience was the L.A. Riots but the zainichi's darkest hour was the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, where mobs of Japanese killed thousands of Koreans on false and outlandish rumors that they had poisioned the wells and started fires. Now that is merely a microcosm of the differences in our experience.

Zainichi in hanboks along side Japanese in kimonos

Moving on, yakiniku has gotten extremely popular in Japan, with many mom and pop stores run by zainichi as well as larger, corporate style chains, the largest of which is Gyu-Kaku with over 800 locations in Japan and a few in the U.S. This isn't the only meat tradition that the Japanese have borrowed and converted into their own. It must be remembered that for the Japanese, red meats have been a very small part of their diet for most of their history. Another of their meat tradition is teppanyaki style grilling, which like yakiniku, originated from foreign shores also. Teppanyaki is the Japanese interpretation of American steak grilling. Although many Japanese talk about teppanyaki having a 200 year history, teppanyaki restaurants didn't start popping up in any numbers until the U.S. occupation of Japan after World War II. Even then, teppanyaki, in its early history, was mostly frequented by U.S. military members wanting more meat then the typical Japanese fare allowed. The most recognizable teppanyaki restaurant to us stateside would be Benihana. To me it's amazing. The Japanese, who have essentially no significant history of grilling meat, take the culinary traditions of the U.S. and Korea and come up inventions that are original, as well as highly commerical in their own right.

We have a lot in common Mr. Grill Master-san!

So, I'm guessing there there are invariabily some Korean Americans out there that are outraged or at least uncomfortable that the Japanese are taking our cherished food traditions and spinning them into something their own. I had a little bit of that feeling at first also, but one must come to a realization that EVERYONE borrows and adapts foods from other places and makes it there own over time. Look what Taco Bell did with Mexican food. They bastardized it to such a degree that when they opened up their new locations in Mexico City, Mexicans didn't know what the hell kind of food it was ("Check this out Ernesto, the Americans took a tostada shell, curved it and call it a taco... the fools!"). Another example more closer to the topic at hand is what we Koreans have done with sushi and sashimi.

Kimbap left - Sushi roll right

Today, there is a growing trend in Korea and among Koreans abroad to consider sushi and sashimi as native Korean foods with its own Koreanized history. Koreans call sushi rolls kimbab and call sashimi hoe (pronounced "hu-weh"). Some more nationalistic Koreans have gone as far as contructing a history that claims that the Japanese got the idea of eating raw fish and making rice rolls originally from Koreans! Obviously untrue. Kimbab is, of course, a derivative of maki sushi introduced during the colonial period. Although Korean fishermen have an obscure, not well documented history of eating part of their catch raw (like all fishermen of Northeast and Southeast Asia) it was the commericalization of Japanese style sashimi that took the obscure coastal practice of eating hoe and took it to the masses.

A watercolor print of Korean fishermen eating hoe

It must also be remembered that just as much as the Japanese have commericalized Korean bbq for commerical profit, so have we for sushi. Popular sushi chains such as Kabuki and Todai (not to mention the hundreds of other mom and pop restaurants) are Korean owned. Todai has even taking our love of "all you can eat" and reimaging it, for better or worse, for sushi. The biggest difference between Korean and Japanese sushi is the texture. Korean sushi (or really sashimi in this case) is firmer and chewier then Japanese style. This, my friends, is attributed to the fact that we Koreans are more familiar with beef and pork consumption so we like our sashimi to be closer in texture to cooked beef or pork. The Japanese, on the other hand, are more familiar with raw fish, so their yakiniku tends to be more tender then Korean bbq because it matches the texture of their near room temperature raw fish. Pretty crazy huh? It's fascinating how globalization works.

In any case, this naturally dovetails into another topic when discussing Korean and Japanese food in the U.S. Essentially, it doesn't take a genius to see that Japanese food is, by far, more popular and recognizable. It is also interesting to note that it is a Japanese restaurant chain, and not a Korean one, that is making the effort to popularize Korean style bbq to the masses, an a la Benihana for the 21st century. Unfortunately, we Koreans like to keep the richness of our food culture within the confines of our community and don't reach outward as much as the Chinese, Japanese or even the Thais. Conversely, each of these nation's food culture is more popular and deservedly so. Let's face it. Korean restaurants as a whole are not exactly non-Korean friendly. Unless you are an adventuresome, tough skinned and experience soul, it is pretty intimidating for a non-Korean person to go into a Korean restaurant without a Korean guide.

However, Korean food is very popular in Japan.

Japanese cell phone accessories- Korean food and banchan

A close-up of the bibmbap accessory

A close-up of the Korean bbq accessory

Japanese sushi became popular in the 80's because Japanese people would invite their co-workers and friends to sushi restaurants in Little Tokyo. From L.A., it spread to the rest of the country. In my humble opinion, there is no reason why a Japanese chain is needed to popularize something that's originally ours. Yet, like frogs in a well, we look up into a world with a confined view and are too often insular in our culture. If we keep this up, who knows if in 10 years, people stateside will think it is Koreans imitating Japanese bbq and not the other way around!

Typical yakiniku style table with a "recessed," wire mesh grill and an integrated ventilation system

Korean bbq style tables with stainless steel grills and overhead ventilation

In closing, I'd have to say that in the case of yakiniku, the influence has come full circle and it has come back to influence Korean bbq! More Korean bbq places are using the recessed grill with integrated, in-table vent. More Korean bbq places are starting to look modern and contemporary, even with the younger, 20 something servers in black uniforms which are a staple of Japanese yakiniku chains. There is even one Korean place that charged for kimchi, ironically the same price ($3.50) as Manpuku.

Korean bbq and yakiniku blend restaurant in Hawaii
(Notice the recessed grill AND banchan)

The interchange between yakiniku and Korean bbq, as well as Japanese sushi and Korean kimbap and hoe, reflects in my mind that no one culture has exclusive hold on anything it arbitrarily thinks is theirs. Do you think the French are happy that the Australians and Californians are making more wine? Do you think the Italians like the fact that people think Chef Boy-Ar-Dee is spaghetti? Of course not! However, sometimes its not the originators who popularize or profit most from their creations. That's life. For the time being I'll enjoy my yakiniku AND my kimbap...

Complaints on Korean Street Signs

Tue, 18 Sep 2007 02:25:54 GMT

Late last month, I ran into an article that bothered me. It was written by Lion Calandra a member of the New York Daily News editorial board and it was about how she thought there were too many Korean street signs in Flushing, NY. She goes on to say that she no longer feels welcomed in the city that she grew-up in and that Koreans were ruining the neighborhood. As polite as she wanted to sound, she was coming off a bit xenophobic and unapologetic.

If you ask me, I have to agree with the Cato Institute and say that it's just a Sign of Insecurity.

You can check out the article for yourself here: Give us a sign that all are welcome

Flushing, NY today

Some rebuttals, as well as some views agreeing with Calandra are here: Why the signs in Flushing aren't in English - and should they be?

Given that the New York Daily is a major newspaper in a populous area, I felt that I needed to respond which I did with an email to her. I've included the text below:

Dear Ms. Calandra,

I am a Korean American who came to the states when I was four and I'm now in my early thirties. I am writing to you today regarding your article on Flushing's Korean business district. I live in Southern California and have only gone to New York state as a tourist so I cannot immediately or directly comment on the situation in Flushing, NY. However, I am familiar with the Korean American culture and I can hope to offer some insight and perspective that can better facilitate understanding. I'm sure you and I can agree that understanding, particularly other groups, is critical in an increasingly multicultural America.

Your criticism of how Korean owned businesses layout their signs and present their neighborhoods is not new and have been echoed, in varying degrees, by other journalists living near Korean ethnic enclaves in America. I can understand your frustration. Years ago, I was in a similar situation and couldn't read the signs myself (although recently I have reacquired enough of the language to reach a level of reading comprehension). I can see how from a non-Korean standpoint, this would appear insular, unwelcoming and yes, even a little intimidating. I can assure you that this is not the intention. In my opinion, the cause of these misunderstandings are a mix of cultural differences, a gap in perception vs. expectation and a collective amnesia on America's earlier immigrant experiences.

It must be remembered that a sizable population of Koreans in America is a fairly recent phenomenon driven by the Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965, and further accelerated by the democratization of South Korea in the late 80's and early 90's (i.e. liberalization and democratization raised restrictions on how much Koreans could take out in investment capital and transfer to America and lifted travel restrictions as well). Thus, a majority of Koreans are recent immigrants, which by nature means they are more insular and not immediately fluent in the language of their adopted home.

German butcher's shop in Pittsburg, 1903

Assimilation is a process, it doesn't happen overnight. It may take as long as three generations for an ethnicity to integrate to a comfortable level. It was no different for the Poles, Italians or the Jews. At the turn of the century entire swaths of New York were an ethnic soup and it was not uncommon to see blocks and blocks of storefronts in Greek Cyrillic or Hebrew script. There is remarkable similarity to the complaints voiced by some journalists who lived close to Jewish areas in 1907 to what a number of journalists would say today about living close to Koreans in 2007. However, the pattern is clear. Immigrants come to this country to seek the American dream, but in so doing they bring a piece of their homeland with them to give them comfort on their often difficult journey to realize these dreams. Over time, what was unique to these different immigrant groups becomes a part of the American mainstream mosaic. But, as history has proven, this does take time. Who knows if in 50 years some Korean staples morph to become as American as Italian pasta (considered quite ethnic until the 1950's), Jewish bagels or German hamburgers?

Another example you have given, in subtle, yet obvious overtures, is comparing your feelings in a Chinese restaurant vs. the Korean section of Flushing. There is a very obvious difference between Koreans and the Chinese in America. First of all, the Chinese have been in the states in significant numbers much longer then Koreans and second of all, the Chinese know there is a market for their food products in mainstream America. The Koreans know there is not. You can see chow mien and fried rice in pretty much every frozen food section of every Safeway's. There are also Panda Express restaurants in mall food courts all across America. Korean food representations in the mainstream are pretty much nil unless you count Trader Joe's as mainstream. Thus, Koreans market to their own and see little need to expand their marketing to others. Is this right? I don't think it is. Is it natural? Given their status as recent immigrants, yes. There is always a gap between the way things are and the way they should be. However, I hope these explanations provide a measure of understanding which eventually leads to tolerance and patience.

Jewish shop on Lower East Side, Manhattan, 1940

You must also remember that it took decades, almost a century for corresponding Chinese and Japanese food to be acceptable to the American palate. After generations in America, the Chinese diaspora diffused to a level where they expanded beyond the typical ethnic enclave that was to be found in San Francisco or New York. Once the Chinese restaurant opened up in Peoria, the Chinese learned how to open up their cuisine and invite alternative clientele. With Japanese food, it really wasn't shared with others until the early 80's when Japanese businessmen took their white counterparts to celebrate closed deals with Sushi outings in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo. Until then, even today's ubiquitous Japanese food was only enjoyed by the most adventuresome connoisseur.

On the surface of it the feelings you convey in the article appears to be less of an issue in my home in and around Southern California. I suspect the reason is two fold. First because everything is so spread out and Korean ethnic enclaves do not end up the the back yards of Americans who were born here. In New York and Northeast New Jersey, the situation is different. Living is more congested and land is more scarce. When an ethnic enclave comes into an area, it is right there front and center and an immediate neighbor to Americans who have been here for generations. Secondly, Koreans in Southern California settled in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles, an area that experienced a flight of people and businesses in the late 70's, then again after the riots. Thus, the Koreans came an area that was largely abandoned and dilapidated to begin with and merely filled the vacuum. Non-Hispanic/non-Korean residents moved in shortly afterwards knowing full well that most of the businesses in the area were Korean anyways, thus they are much more ambivalent to the fact that they were surrounded by a bunch of Korean storefronts. There is clearly a difference when an immigrant group takes over an empty area vs. if they come into an area already populated by Americans who have been there a number of generations. For better or worse, friction ensues.

In any case, I have every reason to believe that you are an open minded and progressive individual. However, to make a vague judgment against a single group of people without considering the historical, cultural and business perspective is, in my opinion, irresponsible journalism. However, the feeling that the Koreans are at times cold and insular neighbors is a view that is probably shared by others. I believe the persistence in these views is not a matter of reflecting reality then it is in holding on to oddly comfortable misconceptions. Despite this, I believe it we would be better served to see how we can build bridges and fill the gap in perceptions. Better yet is to view this entire situation in the prism of the larger and richer context of the American immigrant experience with the patience and foresight to see that yesterday's Korean mom & pop store owner will be tomorrow's American citizen and will eventually add his and her own distinct flavor to our ever simmering melting pot.

Eh, probably won't get published. Not because I say things that the paper may not want to hear, but because Calandra's article was written in August 17th and generally comments are published no later then two weeks after the original article is published.

Remembering Kyu Hyuk Chay

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 02:37:06 GMT

As you all know 9/11 was perpetrated by a terrorist cell dedicated to Al-Qaeda. Shortly after 9/11, the world's attention shifted to Afghanistan, a war torn country governed by an Islamic fundamentalist regime called the Taliban and headquarters to Al-Qaeda. The Taliban was a repressive regime that ruled by strictly interpreted Islamic law and they gave Al-Qaeda a safe haven, a place to establish training camps, scheme and coordinate their worldwide terrorist operations.

America's war against terror is what we'd call an irregular war, not fought by standing armies, but those driven by ideology, however twisted those ideologies may be. In the forefront in America's war on terror are the Army's Special Forces. It was largely these guys armed with satellite phones, GPS devices, Arabic and Farsi linguistic skills, and bags of money, parachuted into Afghanistan, helped rally the people and ousted the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in a few breathless weeks. America's Special Forces are in the frontlines, in harms way, that keep the terrorists off balance and feeling the heat in their own backyards, so they can hopefully be too distracted to plan other attacks against us here at home. In this sense, it is different then our war in Iraq, which is infinity more controversial and morally ambiguous. We had a reason to get into Afghanistan and we have a reason to stay.

Recently, the National Geographic Channel did a special on the Special Forces and their irregular war in Afghanistan in the show "Inside the Green Berets" on June 3th. The film crew from National Geographic followed a Green Beret team as it provided humanitarian aid to the locals, trained the Afghan national army and jointly hunted for Taliban and Al-Qaeda elements. During the filming, two Americans died and one of them was a Korean American and naturalized U.S. citizen Kyu Hyuk Chay.

Staff Sergent Kyu H. Chay, Linguist- Special Forces

Chay with his two children, son Jason and daughter Kelly

On October 28th Army Staff Sergent Kyu Hyuk Chay, age 34, was killed by an improvised bomb ("IED") in Oruzgan Province of Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Chay grew up in Westchester, upstate NY where his parents Sam and Soon Chay own and operate New Castle Cleaners on King Street in Chappaqua near the train station. The oldest son, Kyu Hyuk had hopes to become a judge advocate general (JAG) in the Army and was three credits shy of attaining a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

He leaves behind his wife, Cathy Chay, a son, Jason, 5, and a daughter, Kelly, 11 months, and his parents and younger brother, 32. He lived with his wife and children in Fayetteville, N.C., and was assigned to 1st
Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

The National Geographic documentary ends with Chay's comrades crying near his coffin and them giving a salute to his memory back at base.

Sam Chay, father, Kyu T. Chay, younger brother and Soon Chay, mother at a memorial service.

Former President Clinton hugs Sam Chay. Senator Clinton stands next to him.

Sam and Soon Chay's small dry cleaning business

Looking at Chay's life, it mirrors the life of so many other Korean Americans. From what I could find, Kyu H. Chay is a 1.5 generation Korean American who came to the states when he was 7 years old from the city of Taegu. His parents are hard working immigrants and like so many of our own parents, ran a small business. Like many of us, the Chays are of a Christian background. Instead of settling in more established Korean American immigrant communities, the Chays decided to settle in a small town in upstate New York.

Not only was the solider's name a clearly Korean one, but it was an old style, traditional Korean name. For those of you who don't know, each generation's sons has a perscribed Chinese character. For me personally, it's Kyung. So if I had a brother he would be Kyung Tae or Kyung Hyun, etc. My father's generation is Sik, so it's Ui Sik for my father and it's Dae Sik for my uncle. Obviously for Sam's sons it's Kyu.

Like most Korean Americans, Kyu H. went to college (in his case, SUNY) and met his wife there. He then entered Brooklyn Law School, but then his live diverged from the path of many Korean Americans. In January 2001, Chay entered the Army before finishing because he felt that he had a need to serve America, a civic virtue rarely seen nowadays. This wasn't someone who entered the army because he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. People don't enter rigorous special forces training unless they really know what they want to do in life. Before he was special forces, he was a jump certified squad leader in the 82nd Airborne Division. The 82nd is always the first unit the President calls upon when he needs a lot of troops sent anywhere around the world quickly. He then joined the 3rd Special Forces Group, which is responsible for training and working with the new Afghan army, not an easy job by any stretch of the imagination. What does this mean? This means that Chay chose to be at the forefront of citizenship. He didn't want to hide from his responsibilities. With his skills, he could of gotten an easy desk job in the Army. However, he chose to be in a place where he can protect America in the most direct of ways.

He was a cryptologic linguist, meaning he broke codes on the fly and transalated in several different languages. Special forces men are picked for their physical fittness and intelligence. His occupation meant that he was not only smart, but the smartest of an already elite group. His code breaking ability must have saved a lot of lives, just as they had in all wars (code breaking won the Battle of Midway). Chay could of easily finished law school and entered civilian life, made a six figure salary and lived to be a rip old age and leave the terrorist chasing duties to someone else. But he didn't. A naturalized citizen, meaning an American by choice, Chay proves that you don't need to be born in America to love the country and be a productive and loyal member of its society. Your name doesn't have to be John or Steve, you don't have to have ancestors who landed on Plymouth Rock, you don't have to have blonde hair and blue eyes to be a red blooded American. Of course all Americans know this conceptually, but as an immigrant, sometimes you wonder where your place in America is and if the rest of society truly views you as an equal. I think you have to be an immigrant or a child of an immigrant to understand that feeling.

Chay's sacrifice reminds me that for every mentally disturbed Cho Seung Hui, there are many more Kyu Hyuk Chays whose deeds don't attract as much attention on national television, but who's selfless actions shows all Americans that we too are proud and honest citizens.

Thus, I salute you Kyu Hyuk Chay (Korean spelling: 규혁채). Your life and your death have bought us Korean Americans, particularly the 1.5 and 2nd generations, a place in America that, in our selfish pursuit of education and material gain, too many of us have failed to go out and purchase ourselves.

A memorial fund has been established to help care for the children's education. Donations may be sent in care of his brother Kyu T. Chay at:

Sgt. Kyu H. Chay Memorial Fund
350 W. 42nd Street, Apt. 18-B
New York, NY 10036

The Mismanagement and Depreciation of Michelle Wie

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:35:29 GMT

So what's going on with that Korean American female golfer Michelle Wie? You know, the darling of the American AND Korean American golf communities about two years ago. The gal with the golden 400 yard swing and eminently good looks. Sadly, pretty much nothing is going on with her. She has withdrawn from her last three tournaments, citing various minor injuries. She is fading into the relm of irrelevance and oblivion. She, like a mid-priced car, is a rapidly depreciating asset who's probably the biggest waste of talent in the sporting world today.

The happier days of Michelle Wie

Wie as one of Time (2005) most influencial

Flashback to Michelle Wie as a precocious 16 year old in 2005. Full of potential, full of promise. Looking at her million dollar smile and even more pretty swing that sailed golf balls 400 yards, and you just felt good being a golf fan, a sports fan and a Korean American. We Korean Americans don't have a lot of positive portrays in American media. We got spot shots on TV and movies. Videos on ESPN? Forget it. But maybe Michelle Wie was going to change that. She would portray to the rest of America that we humble, quiet and studious mongoloids were talented, well spoken, athletic, and damn good-looking in the most sophisticated and refined game in all of sports.

Ms. Wie and all of her 6-0 modelesque frame (w/farmer's tan!)

To the rest of America, she also pointed the way to emotions and symbols that are different, but no less hopeful and positive. She was the face of America also, integrated and assimilated. An Asian girl with a white girl's height, the accent of a valley girl and almost universally considered "attractive" and "comely" by the larger American society. Just as Michael Jordan helped make black more beautiful, successful and accessible she had the potential to make Asian less foreign and more acceptable to larger society. Plus, she was Tiger Woods' heir apparent. Sponsors lined up at her parent's door. Endorsements beckoned. All this without winning a single professional tournament. So, in 2005 she turned pro...

Wie at 14, when she won the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, her only win of note.

There was a lot of criticism in the golf world regarding this decision, especially in light of the fact that Michelle hadn't established a winning way. Something that Tiger Woods called "The Art of Winning." According to Tiger, it takes a certain art, strategy, desire and good habits to win. To come back from a few strokes back, to keep perservering, to land those key birdies and not get down on the double boogies. The psychology of winning needs to be nurtured and it's rather delicate before it becomes a rock solid habit. The late Earl Woods disciplined his son and made sure that he dominated the amateur ranks before he moved him to the next level. Earl's strategy is very different from Michelle Wie's father, who seems to want everything now... yesterday.

B.J. in the driver's seat.

Tiger Woods has expressed his concern regarding B.J.'s tactic of putting her daughter through a rigorous schedule of tournament appearances, but no wins. B.J took offense to Tiger's statement and he blasted back:

"Michelle shot even par on the PGA Tour at age 14. How old was Tiger when he did that?" he added. "Whenever we hear these statements by Tiger, we don'tunderstand. It [Woods' position] doesn't make any sense."

Hardly subtle or open minded of B.J. and Tiger was only trying to help. In anycase, at least one member of the Wie camp believes winning a tournament - any tournament - is the best thing that could happen to Michelle. Her last victory was at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links in June 2003; she has played in 20 professional tournaments (and just six national amateur events) since. According to one golf publication:

"At some point the credentials don't warrant the opportunity [of all the tournaments she's been allowed to play in as an amateur]. At some point the gathering of "experience" begins to look like a corporate audition. To that end the constant presence of Nike representative Greg Nared with the Wies last week was notable for its conspicuousness. Michelle has been playing Nike irons, and if not for her struggles with a 9.5-degree model during her practice rounds, she would have played a Nike driver."

Well, when she went pro, she signed a $5 million contract with Nike, so go figure.

Not winning anything lately... and the "swish" is not helping.

Golf insiders describe B.J. as overbearing and omnipresent in Michelle's life. Not suprisingly, many in the golf world is not happy with B.J.'s handling of his daughter's career, which seems to be centered around pressing palms with golf celebrities, appearences in men's tournaments just for the sake of "making the cut", corporate sponsorships, etc. In America you need to be either good or interesting. B.J. has elected to make Michelle "interesting," but with no victories or titles, the novelty is wearing thin and wearing off...

Remember Anna Kournikova? Hot, but talentless, her star faded fast.

Many of my fellow Korean American friends have said, "...yeah she hasn't won anything, but she's only 16... only 17... only 18..." but it's an excuse that sounds more absurd as this talented girl gets older. Being so hyped up and then disappointing so many can't be good for Michelle, the delicate psyche of a young person, her fans or for the game of golf.

What is it with B.J. and his rather convoluted theory of developing talent? Well, my theory is this. It's a very Korean thing sometimes to want to skip the steps and want success as soon as possible. An English journalist once spoke with a retired chairman of one of Korea's giant congolmerates about Korean character and he said something very relavent to the topic at hand:

"Somehow we feel our time is coming. But people sense this and get overambitious and greedy. Koreans are greedy for more than God has given us.... You have a certain history and there wre problems along the way and you could advance by solving them. There are steps to go through. But we Koreans want to avoid the steps..."

Here is the classic problem with many Koreans when they have a world class asset. They see the potential, get excited about it and they want all the benefits of that asset without thinking about all the work that goes into developing it. They tend to take four steps forward and take three steps backwards. Spectacular rises followed by almost equally spectacular falls. Korean cars are a classic case. Hyundai and Kia came into the U.S. market with dirt cheap, but very unreliable products. Sales were very high in the first couple of years, then it nose dived once customers realized that there was little value with cars that constaintly broke down. Hyundai and Kia came into the U.S. and they weren't ready. They wanted to be a world class automobile manufacturer, but they didn't have any world class products. Things are different now and Hyundai and Kia has learned from their mistakes. However, despite vastly improved products, the nameplates haven't recovered completely from the sins of its past and the perception of unreliability continues to follow the brands like toilette paper clinging to the bottom of one's shoe. Human cloning is another story of soaring Korean ambition with a lack of deliverables, but let's not go there today.

The Anti-Michelle Wie, Christina Kim!

What if Wie looked like her? Would we care as much?

Azia Kim, Stanford Imposter- Part II

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 17:16:28 GMT

I can't help it. It's like watching a bloody accident on the highway- I can't help but gawk at it. My better nature is telling me to leave this rotting carcass for the other vultures, but... I'm not listening to it right now. Thus, here is my second installment of the Azia Kim mess/drama/saga/adventure.

Stanford's hideous tree mascot thingy

The blog world continues to be alive with activity regarding news, views and insights and some of the stuff is just downright all too funny. Facebook now has interest groups with the title "Azia Kim is my hero" and "We're here for you, Azia." The most, er... colorful commentary has to come from some guy named Jason Cho with his group titled "It's official: Koreans are having the worst week ever!!"

For those of you who don't have access to Facebook, I've got to provide you the text below. Man, classic!

"It's official: Koreans are having the worst week ever!!
.. more like the worst YEAR ever. jesus, man, what is with this sudden surge of koreans making the news.. for criminal activity?!
the only thing we were ever known for was being stingy and counting change in south central l.a. (thank you, '92 riots), eating a copious amount of kimchee (which i could really go for right now, damn you, norcal) or supposedly feasting on canines (woof woof).
but those jokes are old! and furthermore, unfunny! and what minority group hasn't had to go up against a barrage of stereotypes and prejudice for the first several decades after recently entering a new country? the chinese and japanese have been here longer and have come out of the gauntlet already, but before i realized that, i always wondered why nearly every movie i saw that had a fruit stand or liquor stand owner in it just happened to be korean (25th hour, american history x, do the right thing, the hot chick, etc.). we're still fairly new in america and that sorta makes us advantaged in a way that we have yet to establish a reputation past the labels others have given us..
but now, in 2007, ALL OF A F**KIN' SUDDEN we got:
1. Virginia Tech, and now,
2. the Stanford imposter (who, btw, i revere more than frown upon; search the group "azia kim is my hero")
..and that's all i can think of but goddamn! i cant take this anymore! to my fellow koreanamericans out there.. you KNOW when u found out the sick crazy vt shooter was korean you bellyached in fury.. and ill put $$$ on it that some of you wished he was a chinaman, too (no offense). but seriously, can i getta hell yeaah???
and although the stanford news made me guffaw and cheer more than gripe or whatever, it woulda been funnier if the conartist was vietnamese. or indian.
i know what the only plausible solution is: we need better public figures. sandra oh was tight in sideways but she's arguably fugly. LOST? no one watches that anymore-- the whole cast is comprised of drunkards. if u don't know soon-yi previn, she's the chick mia farrow adopted from korea decades ago-- the same chick mia farrow's then-boyfriend woody allen (like 60 at the time) cradle robbed and is now married to. great. and oh yeah, we got margaret cho, but u know she crazy.
i don't know where i'm going with this. but the only conclusion i have come to at this point, and the only thing i can tell myself so i can sleep better at night is: it's official, koreans are having the worst week ever."

Some guy named Daniel Hernandez has a blog entry called "Azia Kim, Stanford imposter and postmodern anti-hero" that's funny also.

Azia's HS prom pic. Wait... is that Cerritos Towncenter?

Time to play Create that Caption!

Girl in vanilla: "Hurry up and take the shot, dammit. Tired of sucking in my gut..."

Girl in blue: "That tall girl scares me..."

Girl in yellow: "I'm gonna hide behind the tall girl with the uglier dress"

Tall girl: "Damn my date is short, so embarrassing. I'm going to squish my neck so I can be the same height! Well, at least he's going to Harvard..."

Short guy w/glasses: "I hope the valet didn't scratch my uncle's Bimmer..."

Dude w/attitude: "Yo, I'm so gangsta... represent'in the 714, Fullerton, holla..."

Tall girl's date: "I lied. I'm not going to Harvard... hehehe..."

Tall guy: "Did I close my eyes?"

Alright, who else want's to play? Post your captions under comments!

Azia Kim, Stanford Imposter- Book Deal and HBO Special Coming Soon...

Thu, 31 May 2007 02:56:15 GMT

I heard about this story at the beginning of the week and didn't think much of it. However, I kept running into these articles that kept talking about it and realized that this has gotten bigger day by day. She's become different things to different people. To some she's a sort of folk hero, to others she's a dart board to all the things that are wrong with our society.

To the uninformed, here is a link that gives you a descent overview of what this young woman did, and what has transpired. Essentially, an 18 year old woman named Azia Kim, posed as a Stanford undergrad without anyone being the wiser for 8 months. She ate in the cafeterias, slept in the dorms, attended classes, socialized with the students. Heck, even joined the freak'in ROTC for crying out loud! She fooled everyone, her friends, family and even her church pastor (!).

Azia's Troy HS yearbook picture

Looking at the above picture, you can't get anymore Plain Jane Korean American then that, huh? Anyways, this girl used every trick in the book (and made up a few in the process) to keep up her illusion. She forged report cards and transcripts, told roommates that she needed to crash at their dorms because her housing was tied up in paperwork, dodged RAs, broke into student emails to keep university housing officials confused, told professors that she was just "someone associated with the school who wanted to learn" to explain why she wasn't on the roll but still kept coming to class. She even pretended to be studying for finals to keep her roommates from getting suspicious.

The sign that hung from her dorm room. Nice, but gullible RAs. Spelled her name wrong, so they were stupid as well....

Her Facebook (now taken down) chronicled her so called "freshman year" and how "everyone on campus is so nice" and how"she was going to miss her freshman experience" and told everyone "good luck on finals." Maybe somewhere down the line she began to think that she really was a Stanford student and her deceit was just a necessary formality. Who knows how a mind like that works! I suppose it starts with an incredible feeling of entitlement, followed by an even more incredible lack of scruples.

Azia enjoying a burger at an ROTC event
"I am like in so much trouble, huh?"

After she wasted a lot of Stanford's money attending classes, eating and sleeping in university housing as well as government money with ROTC training and supplies, it is suprising that condemnation is not as universal as one would think. She has become, to those who would like to fight a sometimes unfair college entry system, a folk hero. A Daily Stanford editorial paints her as some sort of heroine!

It's interesting reading the response from people on the Internet. They range from the gamut of opinions (some of which are rather hilarious):

Grudging Admiration

"Good Lord, she's good! She was a member of ROTC too; she had us all fooled with her housing arrangement issues and even received awards for straight A's in her subjects (meaning that she was forging transcripts). We gave her equipment which we now have to find and recover. Damn were we fooled..."

"Bleeding Heart" Socialistic Sympathy

"The continued media coverage of Azia Kim's actions are an exercise in cruelty. This young woman bound herself up in an inescapable lie. Perhaps my fellow Stanford students should abandon their superiority complexes and cease pouring scorn on this poor girl..."

Parental Concern

"As a current Stanford parent I find this security breach on the part of Stanford adminstration utterly appalling. I do not find the story amusing and I do not applaud this girl for her cleverness is outwitting "the system" for so long. I think she probably has deep seated psychological problems..."

"Sincere" Curiosity

"Is she hot?"

Romantic Inquiry

"I want to go on record as stating that I would like to date Azia Kim. She sounds creative, sensitive and interesting. Anyone that is smart enough to pull that kind of a scam off sounds like she's worth a man's time and attention."

Bizarre Urban Legend

"My friend's cousin (who is in Okada) told me a wild story -- apparently she went out at night and captured squirrels and kept them in her closet. Every day she would spend about 4 hours in that closet, feeding and talking to about 20 squirrels. I guess they were the only ones that will ever really understand her."

Self Righteous Anger

"As a Korean-American alum, I have to say that Azia Kim needs to be criminally prosecuted. What she has done is an unacceptable behavior and is disgracing genuine Stanford Korean and Korean-American students. If you let her roam free, initially hiding in her parents' house in Fullerton, this sets a bad precedence and another person, whether Korean or not, will attempt it again at Stanford. Azia should be prosecuted and fined. She will never pursue any white-collar career in most developed countries anyway, in my opinion. I find it hilarious that some people defend her."

For the record, I am appalled that she could get away with this for as long as she did. Yeah, it's terrible, it's wrong, and as a Korean American it's extremely embarrassing. I was like, that's just great another college aged Korean American makes national headline news! However, since no one was hurt, except for the pride of an elite, blue-blooded (but non-ivy league) university (and who has sympathy for them?), it's also kind of amusing and funny. Imposters running around various campus' happen all the time at universities such as Harvard, Yale, USC and even places as mundane as the University of Arizona. Many times, they are scary people such as men in their 30's, former sex offenders, and excons. In Azia's case, she was a relatively harmless 18 year old girl and by and large seemed nice and well adjusted. All her roommates and ROTC classmates were shocked when they heard. However, this begs the question: what if she wasn't Asian or female. If Azia was Latino, would she have been caught faster? What if she was a man? Would the fallout be more severe? Think about it, an 18 year old Asian girl who looks as nerdy as Azia could probably blend it rather well (at least appearance wise) in a place like Stanford, walk around campus without campus authorities thinking twice about it.

I've also heard that she got a lot of pressure by her parents to attend Stanford. I don't know if it's true in her case, but if so, it's not fun to be pressured by first generation Korean parents. Nothing can ever be good for them and they poke holes in your ego and psyche as a strange way of motivating you. Again, not all Korean parents are like this, only the more extreme ones. However, most Korean parents do like to brag about with their friends that their son or daughter goes to "St-Ahn-Por-Duh" or "Ha-Bor-Duh" or "Buhk-Lee". Again, depending on the family, sometimes the pressure can be extremely intense.

Then again, there may not necessarily be anything "Korean" about what Azia did. Parental pressure, the pressure to succeed and the oppression of the college entry system is something that stresses out and "cracks" kids of all walks of life and ethnicities.

Leonardo Nam was awesome in that movie...

Remember "The Perfect Score"? Six kids, of all ethnicities and walks of life, break into ETS headquarters (a.k.a Deathstar, Princeton, NJ) to get the answers to the SAT.

Lesser know, but even more relevant

This one is less remembered, but I heard it's good. It stars Justin Long, you know the guy in all those Mac vs. PC commercials. Check out the plot summary. Life imitates art...

"After being rejected every colleges he applied, Bartleby Gaines decided to create a fictitious university, South Harmon Institute of Technology, with his friends, to fool their parents. But when their deception works too well and every other college rejects starts to apply to his school, B. must find a way to give the education and future his students and friends deserves..."

Lastly, how about the movie "Orange County" where a determined high school student, heartbroken at being rejected from Stanford, drives to campus to crash admissions, walk around campus, befriends professors and students. Humm....