Back from Tribeca

As a native DC-resident, I reflexively buck whenever someone makes a claim about NYC's superiority over Washington's culture scene. I still think that argument is pretty stupid, but I have to confess that every time I visit NYC I'm awestruck by how massive and densely and diversely populated it is. And not just with regards to people, but the neighborhoods, private establishments, architecture, and fashion...it never fails to amaze me every time.

This past weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to check out the Tribeca Film Festival for the first time. Specifically though, I went up to see Michael Kang's new film "West 32nd St" about a young lawyer played by John Cho, who gets tangled in the criminal underworld of NYC's Koreatown. The film also starred Grace Park of Battlestar Galactica fame, and newcomer Jun Kim, who mark my words, is on the cusp of being HUGE.

The film sold out to a packed house on Opening Night, with over 100 people waiting for the possibility of rush line tickets before the show. And while I had seen a similar turnout for Opening Night at the the San Francisco Int'l Asian Film Festival, I was so proud to see such support at a non-Asian film festival, esp one as renowned as Tribeca. It truly is a testament to the state of Asian American filmmaking today.



Michael Kang, John Cho, Grace Park, Jun Kim, and Jane Kim were all mingling in the front of the theater as we walked in to pick up our tickets. John Cho is surprisingly tall in person. He sported a smart-looking black suit, skinny tie, and shiny coiff that reached for the skies. Perhaps it was nerves, but he seemed pretty serious and stoic. Grace Park was looking as pretty as ever in a short green and white cocktail sun dress; I swear she has one of the friendliest and warmest smile I've ever seen. But I was most excited to meet Jun Kim, who plays the aspiring room-salon manager and gangster. I was almost too nervous to introduce myself to him, even though I rarely get starstruck like that, especially for someone I've rarely seen on the screen. But I think it's just that Jun is SO DAMN BEAUTIFUL:




And to top it off, he is incredibly nice and approachable. Although, it helped that one of the staff members knew him through a mutual friend.

How was the film? It was really good! Well-structured, gorgeously shot, and paced pretty well. The performances feel fresh and relevant, and the look of the film was absolutely mesmerizing. It was fun to see John Cho play the awkward Korean American boy who struggles with the language and culture, and later becomes seduced by it. Overall, this film was great great fun, and I would unquestionably recommend it to any one of my friends.

As for the rest of the trip, it was awesome fun but all too brief! I never seem to have enough time (or stomachs) to do (and eat) everything I intend to in NY. Here are a few snapshots of the short trip:

Brian's fabulous Crabcake and Avocado Salad dinner:


Blessed Coffee:


Steamed Pork Buns at Momofuku (criminally fattening but soooo worth it):


Momofuku Ramen:


Dignified Colin:


Yikes!


Me and my most unnatural smile with John Cho:


Me, Jun Kim, Henry, Mike:


Mandu Gook and Panchan at Kun-Jip:


Brian and Tina:


Steve:


Wyman and Steve:

Disappointment

I haven't been able to find the words to express how I feel about the horrific shooting at Virginia Tech. And honestly, all the words I know are unfit to describe the profound tragedy of that event. But one thing I will respond to is my personal embarrassment at how some members of the Korean American community are overreacting
to this incident:

(10:59:10) Sarah: yesterday, one of my co-workers in that stat
department sent out a mass email saying sorry on behalf of the korean
community

and

"On Tuesday my mother asked me how my work went. I told her I got fired for being a Korean. She said my sister had her office door closed all day because she was embarrassed."

and

Mom: "Make sure no one thinks you're weird or loner type, be careful."


Last night at our APA staff meeting, CNN came to interview the Koreans regarding their thoughts on the fear of a backlash. The reporter said that in order to be "more efficient" (huh?) the group should sit around and pretend to be discussing their thoughts on the event and the Korean community's response. It's unfortunate to see images on the news of Koreans supposedly congregating and feeling this collective shame.

The reality is that we aren't all part of this all-inclusive mass with the same thoughts and fears, and personally, I don't see any reason to band together in some sort of defensive stance when we should all be coming together, as HUMAN BEINGS and as Americans, to grieve for those lost instead of focusing on the lurid details of the deranged shooter.

Added 12:14PM:

Wow the NYTimes has completely lost its damn mind:

A recent national study financed by the National Institute of Mental Health found that Asian-Americans are less likely to seek care for mental health problems than other groups. The study, which sampled 2,095 Asian-Americans of various backgrounds, concluded that Asians born in the United States and those who immigrated as children had higher rates of mental disorders, especially depression, than Asians who immigrated to the United States as adults.

“Korean culture does not recognize mental illness,” said Professor Park, the anthropologist. “People do not recognize it or get help. There is a huge stigma.”

Rodriguez Food Philosophy

I'm in yet another blog slump, and this one isn't going to be much of a post either. I don't mean for this to become a food blog, but these next two videos are quite possibly the best thing that Robert Rodriguez has ever captured on film. I'm more convinced than ever that passion about food and kitchen skills are among the sexiest traits a person could have.

Puerco Pibil:



Breakfast Tacos: