a mixed plate of Japanese American news and culture
In a current exhibition in San Francisco, local artists re-imagine the traditional Japanese sport of sumo in entirely untraditional ways, often pairing the iconic rotund athletes with quirky pop-culture images. A sumo wrestler battles a giant sharp-toothed monster as onlookers gasp below. Orange-haired clown wrestlers trade blows, with balloons bursting from their open mouths. [...]
On the lower level of the San Francisco Main Public Library, 90 pieces of the art — ranging in subject from portraits of the President and playful renditions of animals to colorful abstracts and peaceful landscapes — line the white walls. There are paintings in watercolor and acrylic; sketches done in pen, pencil and even [...]
THE WORRY FREE BAKERY: Treats Without Oil and Butter By Kuniko Ibaraki, translated by Jessica Bezer (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2009, 80 pp., $14.95, paperback) At first glance, the title may create skepticism in many die-hard dessert connoisseurs, but every recipe in this book is grounded in Kuniko Ibaraki’s idea that delicious desserts can be [...]
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens By Patricia Tanumihardja (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2009, 368 pp., $35.00, hardcover) A multitude of cookbooks reference mothers. A fair amount offer nods to grandmas of all ethnic backgrounds. And there is no shortage of pan-Asian cookbooks to choose from at the local bookstore. But Patricia [...]
CAMP HARMONY: SEATTLE’S JAPANESE AMERICANS AND THE PUYALLUP ASSEMBLY CENTER By Louis Fiset (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2009, 232 pp., $25, paperback) Many readers are probably familiar with Louis Fiset’s previous works, especially “Imprisoned Apart.” He has produced another important work on a subject long ignored perhaps because of the temporary nature of the [...]
With the advent of digital, cell, and even laptop cameras, we snap endless images knowing that we can just transport them to a worldwide audience or merely delete them into cyberspace without a second thought. There was a time, however, when cameras were considered contraband and Japanese Americans had to turn them, along with guns, [...]
THE WORRY FREE BAKERY: Treats Without Oil and Butter By Kuniko Ibaraki, translated by Jessica Bezer (New York: Vertical, Inc., 2009, 80 pp., $14.95, paperback) At first glance, the title may create skepticism in many die-hard dessert connoisseurs, but every recipe in this book is grounded in Kuniko Ibaraki’s idea that delicious desserts can be [...]
The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook: Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens By Patricia Tanumihardja (Seattle: Sasquatch Books, 2009, 368 pp., $35.00, hardcover) A multitude of cookbooks reference mothers. A fair amount offer nods to grandmas of all ethnic backgrounds. And there is no shortage of pan-Asian cookbooks to choose from at the local bookstore. But Patricia [...]
THE BIG PICTURE: Reflections On Science, Humanity, And A Quickly Changing Planet By David Suzuki and Dave Robert Taylor (Toronto and Vancouver: Greystone Books; London and New York: David Suzuki Foundation: 2009, 272 pp., $19.95, 2009, paperback) In his latest book, David Suzuki tackles most of planet earth’s biggest issues, from the warming of the [...]
CAMP HARMONY: SEATTLE’S JAPANESE AMERICANS AND THE PUYALLUP ASSEMBLY CENTER By Louis Fiset (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2009, 232 pp., $25, paperback) Many readers are probably familiar with Louis Fiset’s previous works, especially “Imprisoned Apart.” He has produced another important work on a subject long ignored perhaps because of the temporary nature of the [...]
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