Check out this video of Hong Yi a.k.a. Red, a Borneo artist who lives in Shanghai, painting a portrait of Yao Ming by dipping a basketball in red paint and smearing it on a sheet of paper. According to her YouTube page, the nickname Red stems from her Chinese last name Hong, which sounds like the word red in English. She specializes in painting without a brush and she’s even created a portrait with sunflower seeds, too. Purty cool!
(Thanks, Lu!)
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I recently saw this music video by Antoneus Maximus titled, “I Love Vietnam.” I was prepared for another cheesy Viet rap video but I’m actually quite impressed! I’ve been to Vietnam over a dozen times, and the video really captures its beauty and the many ways it has changed since the war. On top of that, the video makes Vietnam look totally hip and cool, which I agree with!
One thing that gets to me is when some Vietnamese Americans tell me they refuse to visit Vietnam because they believe that Vietnam is undeveloped and poor. If anything, it’s modernizing fast but still retains its rich culture. So if you haven’t visited Vietnam, I highly suggest you go!
Here are my top five reasons for why I love Vietnam:
(Thanks, Mike!)
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Billionaire Warren Buffet made a special appearance on a Chinese television station singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” while playing a ukulele to wish the Chinese a happy new year. While I’m not sure what relevance the song choice has to Chinese New Year, he gets props for thinking about us Asians.
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So we’re all aware of how some Asian girls can work their makeup magic and literally transform themselves into an entirely different person. I just never knew it was possible to change yourself into 13 different hotties! Well, this girl seems to have mastered the art of applying false lashes and contact lenses. With her skill, she can probably date 13 different guys without them knowing she’s the same person.
So guys, the next time you get serious with a lady, make sure you see her without makeup at some point! Check out all 13 crazy transformations here.
(Thanks, Marisse!)
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Thought it was ridic how Chinese companies rented white people? Well, as Chinese New Year approaches, women in China are renting boyfriends to bring home to show their parents.
Anyone who’s been to a Chinese New Year reunion knows relatives can be pretty blunt with awkward and totally unanswerable questions like, “When are you getting a boyfriend?” or “Why aren’t you married yet?” To stave off these familial interrogations, some Chinese women have rented temporary boyfriends on shopping websites such as taobao.com.
Rates are apparently pretty competitive, starting at about US$240 per day. On top of that, the woman also pays for transportation and lodging. But lest you worry that you’re hiring a creeper, sex is (usually) clearly stated as out of the question.
Sounds like a crazy plan for getting a trophy bf, but it’s true that many of my Asian girlfriends get a lot of flack from their family for being single!
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Chinese New Year is coming up, which means lots of red money envelopes, “good luck” foods, and lion dances. I’ve always been a fan of the lion dance. The loud drums and clanging cymbals, paired with the choreographed movements gets me excited without fail. But one thing I’ve never seen the lions do is the “shuffle,” made famous in America by the pop group, LMFAO. I wonder if shufflin’ would bring more happiness and prosperity. Either way, it’s an awesome dance. And it’s even more awesome when it’s done by two furry, colorful lions. Check it out below (shuffle starts 1:42)!
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I was recently in Shanghai for a couple of days when I noticed a weird phenomenon — all the Chinese cabs I took had no seat belts. The strangest thing is, although the cabs had the strap that you’re supposed to pull over your body, I couldn’t find a buckle to plug it into! What’s the point of even having the shoulder harness? Is it for decoration? I pondered over this mystery for a while and came up with two answers:
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Think of this as a mega double date, only bigger. Last week in Harbin, China, 18 couples tied the knot at a group wedding, which was part of the 28th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. I gotta say, it doesn’t get much more communist than having a communal wedding sponsored by the Chinese government! Besides the mass nuptials, the event also featured huge ice sculptures that are sure to impress anyone who has suffered numb fingers from building a snowman.
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With the brains of a former lawyer, the charm of a TV personality, and the ability to make mouth-watering pork belly buns, Eddie Huang defines fobby hotness. The 30-year-old Taiwanese American recently began hosting the show, “Cheap Bites,” on the Cooking Channel, which aired January 1. The show features cheap but high quality dining places around the U.S.
So why the career move from attorney to chef? Huang says he used to get very upset when, as a kid, his classmates criticized his meal box as stinky and filthy. I can totally relate—I was also made fun of in school as a kid when I brought spring rolls and Vietnamese fish sauce to school for lunch (I bet they’d be jealous now!). But to prove this stereotype wrong, Huang decided to move into the restaurant industry and open his own place.
Huang began pursuing his passion for the food business by opening a Taiwanese restaurant called Xiao Ye. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed down, but Huang wasted no time and began his next venture. He opened up Baohaus, a tiny shop in the Lower East Side of NYC famous for its pork-belly buns. I was fortunate to stumble upon Huang’s shop a few years ago when it first opened, and for a guy who has no formal culinary background, Huang’s pork-belly buns left me craving more fatty goodness.
Huang has risen in popularity and was named in Zagat Survey in May 2011 as one of 30 up-and-coming chefs under the age of 30. He stays in touch with his fans by tweeting and keeping a personal blog titled, “Fresh off the Boat.”
Hmm…with my J.D. and similar love for food, I wonder if I can convince him to let me be his co-host for the show?
(Thanks, Aileen!)
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Can someone tell me what China can’t replicate? Because apparently cloning food is no challenge. Caliburger recently opened in Shanghai to bring the taste of the popular American fast food burger chain, In-N-Out, to the Chinese. What’s really sparked controversy is that Caliburger even went further to trademark In-N-Out’s burger names outside of the US.
Although many Chinese copies of products don’t have a reputation for high quality, the Caliburger actually has good reviews. People described the quality of the Caliburger to be up to par and the taste to be similar to an In-N-Out burger. The buns are locally baked, the vegetables are locally sourced and delivered daily, and the meat is freshly imported and never frozen. Impressive I must say.
However, Caliburger isn’t In-N-Out’s true twin unless they can copy In-N-Out’s “animal-style” menu!
(Thanks, Thai!)
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