DISGRASIAN™

Chink In The Stands, An Asian American Fan’s Notes

I sat down to write about the fallout that’s ensued since ESPN editor Anthony Federico wrote that “Chink In The Armor” headline a little over a week ago, and I ended up with a bunch of stories about myself. In some ways though, I think these notes better articulate my frustration and anger over many of the conversations that have taken place about Jeremy Lin with regard to race than explicit words to that effect would have. Or maybe I just really like talking about myself.

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For most of my life, I’ve been a sports fan. I was born and raised in Texas, so it was mandatory. More to the point, I was born and raised Chinese American in Texas. I couldn’t look like my peers, I couldn’t be accepted as an equal by many of my peers, but I could root for the same teams as my peers. And somewhere deep down, I probably figured that if I could demonstrate the same devotion to the idols of my peers, they would eventually come around to the idea that I wasn’t all that different from them, and perhaps even accept me as one of their own.

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My father arrived in College Station, Texas from Taiwan in 1965 on a student visa. Continue reading Chink In The Stands, An Asian American Fan’s Notes

Filed under: #1 Fan, Alex Rodriguez, Asian Americans, Chink, Chink in the Armor ESPN, Chink in the Armor Headline, Dwight Clark, ESPN, Fandom, Houston Rockets, Jeremy Lin, Joe Montana, MLB, NBA, New York Knicks, NFL, Pudge Rodriguez, Race Dialogue, Race Discussions, Racist Slurs, San Francisco 49ers, Sports, Sports Fans, Taiwanese-Americans, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas A&M Aggies, Texas Rangers, The Catch, The Dallas Cowboys, Wen Ho Lee

Is There Any Tougher Critic Than Your Hardass Asian Mom?

Y’all. If you’ve ever thought your own Hardass Asian Mom was tough on you, more often your toughest critic than your biggest fan, quicker to point out your failings than your strengths, more likely to greet you with a laundry list of reasons as to why you fell on your face when you fell on your face rather than a band-aid for your boo-boo-ed ego, then the letter below is for you.

But first, some background. Eddie Huang (pictured) is the Taiwanese American chef/owner of two restaurants in New York, Baohaus and the recently opened Xiao Ye. Xiao Ye received a terrible review in the NY Times this week, wherein Sam Sifton, while lauding some of Huang’s dishes, compared the taste of one dish to that of “cardboard and water,” and wrote that another “might have been made by your college roommate in a borrowed Crock-Pot one night over winter break, then discarded in favor of Greek pizza from that place out by the discount liquor store.” E.T. said OUCH!

On the heels of this, Huang’s HAM–who taught him how to cook–weighed in by email, which he published on his blog, Fresh Off The Boat:

Hi Eddie,
So what do you think about this review. I feel it is a review of your life. It sounds so familiar to The Food Net Work competition Judge’s comments. I guess you never registered all the opinions from those professionals who have seen so many people working toward their success. There is a reason why the other guy won. Good taste, Continue reading Is There Any Tougher Critic Than Your Hardass Asian Mom?

Filed under: Asian American Chefs, Baohaus, Chinese Food, Eddie Huang, Eddie Huang's Mom, Ham, Hardass Asian Mamas, Hardass Asian Moms, Hardass Asian Mothers, Hardass Asian Parents, Letters from Mom, Love Mom, Restaurant Reviews, Taiwanese-Americans, Toughest Critic Biggest Fan, Xiao Ye

BABEWATCH: Male Model Daniel Liu

Meet Daniel Liu. He recently signed with Ford Models and can be seen in the upcoming Uniqlo Fall/Winter campaign. He’s of Taiwanese descent and is 6’3″(!) of man. He’s also our blogger pal Joz’s (8 Asians) cousin.

Incidentally, we’re having lunch with Joz this week, where we will 1) try not to drool on our food as we grill her about the hotness she’s related to, and 2) do our damnedest to get invited to their next Family Gathering.

[8 Asians: Introducing Daniel Liu: Asian Male Model (and My “Little” Cousin)]
[photo via Just Male Model]

Thanks, Jasmine!

Filed under: 8 Asians, Asian Models, Cousins, Daniel Lu, Family Get-Togethers, Hot Relations, Male Models, Taiwanese-Americans, The Hotness, Uniqlo

BIRTHDAY CELEBRASIAN! California State Controller John Chiang

Happy birthday to California State Controller John Chiang, who turns 47 Friday!

We can only imagine what an annus horribilis it’s been for our Chief Fiscal Officer, since we broke and all. But let’s look on the bright side: if anyone’s going to get California out of this $26 billion dollar hole, it’s got to be someone like Chiang, who’s obvs good with numbers, no?

Source

Filed under: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Asians Are Better at Math, California Budget Crisis, California State Controller John Chiang, Gay Marriage Supporters, Good at Math, John Chiang, Taiwanese-Americans

Michelle Obama’s Inaugurasian Ballgown–Wuhoo!!!

As many of you have heard by now, First Lady Michelle Obama’s inauguration ballgown was designed by Jason Wu, a 26 year-old born in Taiwan, trained at Parsons, and based in New York. Welcome to the Smithsonian, dude!

The ivory-colored, one-shoulder dress looked bridal, and I mean that in the best way. Because Barack and Michelle are embarking on a new journey together, as they were when they got married. The gown also conjured this fantasy that we had all been invited to their wedding, that we were not only witnesses to this extraordinary event that had taken place, we were also their friends, which, let’s face it, is what we Obama supporters have believed all along anyway.

Source
Thanks, Neal!

Filed under: Asian Fashion Designers, First Lady Michelle Obama, Inauguration Ball, Jason Wu, President Barack Obama, Pretty Dresses, Taiwanese-Americans, Wedding Dresses

Dear Jerry Yang

Dear Jerry,

Hey dude. We know you’re having a shitty week. Shoot, the whole world knows, which probably means that, right about now, you’re in bed with the curtains drawn, licking raw cookie dough off your fingers, catching up on all those episodes of Deadliest Catch you’ve got stored on your TiVo. While everyone else is speculating what if (you had taken the Microsoft deal) and what next (for Yahoo!), we want to focus on YOU, Jer. Because, hey, you’re still worth a couple billion–okay, maybe a little less with this financial crisis thingy goin’ on–and you’ve worked really hard for that dough. Maybe too hard, naw mean? Don’t you think it’s time to step away from all this technological innovasian and have some good old-fashioned fun for a change?

That’s why we’re here. We, unlike you, are not billionaires. We really don’t know squat about running a business, much less, like, balancing our checkbooks. But we do know how to have fun. And if we had your kinda money, we would know how to spend it. Here are a few suggestions that we guarantee will help cheer you up:

1) Buy a sports team

We know what you’re thinking. Paul Allen’s been there, done that. But unlike Allen, you could buy a team, and, instead of merely parking yourself courtside to get some camera time or wasting your owner’s box on celebutard hangers-on or being content when your team is a perennial also-ran, you could commit. To building a contender. Don’t worry if you don’t know anything about sports. We can teach you. The first thing you need to know is that the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Boston Red Sox should be top 3 on your wishlist. Not just because they’re our favorite teams. Well, okay…maybe because they’re our favorite teams, but, like, whatever, all three of these teams have been #1 in one way or another over the last decade (merchandising and world championships), and you do want to be #1 again, don’t you?

2) Buy your way onto the space shuttle

You wanted to be more competitive with Google, right? Well, Sergey Brin bought his ticket to space…why not you? Since Sergey’s probably busy, like, Googling and stuff, you could totally get there before him! How awesome would it feel to beat Google for a change? Also, we can’t think of a better way to make your Hardass Asian Mama proud. All Asian parents want their kids to go to space; it’s a law of nature, like the effects of gravity. It’s going to cost you $35 million, and it will only bring short-term satisfaction, but if it means besting Google and making your Mom proud in one move, it’s worth every last purple penny.

3) Start an online-media empire in Asia

If space isn’t enough of a final frontier for you, let’s talk Asia. You’re already doing business there. You’ve earned a pretty bad reputasian for your dealings with China, and you probably feel a shit-ton of shame over it. Well, you should. But we’re not here to pile on (for now). We think that you could begin to make amends, however, by creating a content-driven online-media empire in Asia to satisfying the burgeoning middle- and upper-classes who want perspective, voice, opinion, and humor in their news. Think of it as becoming the Arianna Huffington of Asia, Yahoo! News with a panty-twist. We, um, could help you get started with that. In fact, we have this blog that would fit right into that business model. We’re all about Asia and Asians and opinions and humor. A weird coincidence, right?!

Anyhoo! Bet you’re feeling better already. We certainly are. So call us, Jerry Yang. We’re here for you.

always looking on the bright side,

DISGRASIAN

Source
Thanks, Jasmine!

Filed under: Billionaires, Here to Help, Jerry Yang, Jerry Yang Steps Down, Looking On the Bright Side, Microsoft, Silicon Valley, Spending Your Money Wisely, Taiwanese-Americans, Yahoo