Author Archives: John

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)

Remake of ‘The Wedding Banquet’ in Theaters on April 18th

Posted on February 4, 2025 by John

Back in December, I saw actress Joan Chen in San Francisco speaking at a special community screening of Didi, where she mentioned that she was in an upcoming remake of Ang Lee’s classic, The Wedding Banquet, that was going to be … Continue reading →

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The NBA’s Golden State Warriors Celebrate Japanese Heritage Night

Posted on January 27, 2025 by John

I’ve attended my share of various Asian themed heritage nights Golden State Warriors Games ever since I attended my first NBA game with Jeremy Lin‘s debut in the NBA October 29, 2010 against the Los Angeles Clippers, but I don’t … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Instacart | Big Sister

Posted on December 9, 2024 by John

I forgot exactly when I saw this commercial on television, but I liked it. I have never used Instacart, but I had had friends who do. This commercial is titled ‘Big Sister’: “No matter what season of life you’re in, … Continue reading →

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63 Chinese Cuisines: the Complete Guide – according to ‘Chinese Cooking Demystified’

Posted on December 5, 2024 by John

A friend of mine a few weeks ago came across this Substack article: “63 Chinese Cuisines: the Complete Guide – Not one cuisine, not eight, but many more. Our best shot at a comprehensive-ish guide.” I re-posted the YouTube video … Continue reading →

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Ken Jeong Receives His Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Posted on December 4, 2024 by John

I’ve been woefully behind in my blogging, but I wanted to get around to writing about actor, comedian, entertainer, and fellow Duke alum like myself Ken Jeong getting his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (back on Wednesday, October … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: Mercedes-Benz: 2024 Holiday “Happy Holidays with Love: The Journey”

Posted on December 3, 2024 by John

Model Daniel Liu leads off this 2024 Holiday “Happy Holidays with Love: The Journey” Mercedes-Benz USA commercial: “Celebrate the journeys that bring us closer together. The Mercedes-Benz Holiday Love Celebration is back. Discover the vehicles you’re bound to love this … Continue reading →

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Asian American Frozen Foods: Royal Asia’s ‘Prawn Hacao With Soy Ginger Sauce’

Posted on October 31, 2024 by John

I’ve had Prawn Hacao from Costco and decided to buy them again since I don’t think I’ve written a review, like I had with MìLà’s “Soup Dumplings” (Xiao Long Bao (“XLB”)) found also at Costco. At my local Costco in … Continue reading →

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‘Interior Chinatown’ – Trailer – Hulu & Disney+ Streaming All Episodes on November 19th

Posted on October 28, 2024 by John

I remember when the novel Interior Chinatown won the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction because the author was an Taiwanese American ex-lawyer, Charles Yu. I recently read that the novel was being adapted into a television series, which will now … Continue reading →

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Black Box Diaries – Interview with Filmmaker Shiori Ito

Posted on October 25, 2024 by John

I had the chance to watch the documentary, Black Box Diaries, at the SF Film Festival back this April, which is coming out in NYC on Friday, October 25 at New York’s Film Forum and expanding a week later to … Continue reading →

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The Aconic™ Podcast – Inspiring Stories of Asian and AAPI Icons

Posted on October 22, 2024 by John

A friend of mine is involved in this recently launched podcast, The Aconic™ Podcast – Inspiring Stories of Asian and AAPI Icons: “The Aconic™ Podcast features candid conversations with successful Asian and AAPI icons who share their personal journeys of … Continue reading →

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Black Box Diaries Opens Oct 25th in NYC (Plus Review & Post-Screening Q&A)

Posted on October 18, 2024 by John

The documentary Black Box Diaries: “… Japanese journalist Shiori Ito takes on the most compelling and traumatic assignment imaginable – investigating her own sexual assault. The nonfiction feature from MTV Documentary Films – an expected Oscar contender that has won … Continue reading →

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Asian American Commercial Watch: McDonald’s Chicken Big Mac with Randall Park & Hudson Yang (Plus Food Review)

Posted on October 16, 2024 by John

If you haven’t heard, McDonald’s has launched the new Chicken Big Mac on October 10th (for a limited release). With that launch is a new commercial, including old familiar faces from the television series, Fresh Off the Boat, Randall Park and … Continue reading →

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