Author Archives: Tim

About Tim

I'm a Chinese/Taiwanese-American, born in Taiwan, raised on Long Island, went to college in Philadelphia, tried Wall Street and then moved to the California Bay Area to work in high tech in 1990. I'm a recent dad and husband. Other adjectives that describe me include: son, brother, geek, DIYer, manager, teacher, tinkerer, amateur horologist, gay, and occasional couch potato. I write for about 5 different blogs including 8Asians. When not doing anything else, I like to challenge people's preconceived notions of who I should be.

When did F.O.B. become fob?

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Tim

For those of us growing up in the U.S. with immigrant parents in the seventies and eighties, there was no getting around the fact that the term F.O.B. (Fresh Off the Boat – pronounced letter “F”, letter “O”, letter “B”) … Continue reading →

Posted in (featured), Discrimination, Family, Observations | Tagged , , , , | 23 Comments

KFC: When is Chicken Not Chicken?

Posted on October 23, 2009 by Tim

For most people, there’s little concern if our chicken meat has some pork or say some beef mixed in. But for some groups of Asians that would be an entirely different matter. Most people are already aware that Indians of … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Drink, WTF | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

China Only Trails U.S. in Billionaires

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Tim

According to the newly released Hurun Rich List there are 130 billionaires in China, up from a 101 a year ago, moving China to second place behind the U.S. in the number of billionaires. And it’s believed the actual number … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Business | 2 Comments

Brain Drain – In Reverse

Posted on October 19, 2009 by Tim

In 1969, my dad came to the United States to get a Ph.D., on the recommendation of a mentor of his in Taiwan. The idea was to get the Ph.D., then return to Taiwan and get a high paying job … Continue reading →

Posted in (featured), Business, Family, San Francisco Bay Area | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Asian-American MBAs Look for Work Overseas

Posted on October 14, 2009 by Tim

In our economic meltdown in the U.S. it turns out it’s harder to get a job if you’re a graduating MBA than it used to be. Apparently this is driving some Asian Americans and U.S.- educated Asians to consider opportunities … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Education | 1 Comment

The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Tim

For many Asian Americans self-identity starts with family and food. The food aspect typically involves memories and celebrations around traditional foods, quite often cooked up in the family home by a grandmother, great auntie, or other relative. This month, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Food & Drink, Reviews | 2 Comments

Untold Stories of China and Taiwan

Posted on October 6, 2009 by Tim

In our own little sheltered worlds today, we tend to forget the past, and surprisingly enough even the past of those who walk amongst us. It tends to surprise us when we find out that a mother was unable to … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Reviews | 2 Comments

Empire State Building Marks China’s Anniversary

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Tim

China is marking its 60th anniversary of the current communist government and 8Asians covered the celebration in a previous blog post. In a move that has received criticism, the Empire State Building is joining the celebration by lighting up in … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Current Events, New York | Leave a comment

Asians Have Biggest Drop in Home Ownership

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Tim

It turns out the recent Census data recently blogged about on 8Asians had some additional interesting information buried in the numbers. With the recession, it was no surprise that the home ownership rate in the U.S. has dropped as scores … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Current Events, Real Estate | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recession Takes Biggest Toll on Minorities and Immigrants

Posted on September 11, 2009 by Tim

The U.S. Census Bureau released this week their annual report on income, poverty, and health insurance. The numbers were probably no surprise to anyone living through this recession. Poverty was up, median household income was down. Buried in the data, … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Family, Food & Drink, Observations, TV | 4 Comments

Today May Be Your Lucky Day: 09-09-09

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Tim

Today marks a special day to many Asians (and many non-Asians as well). Like last year’s 08-08-08, today’s convergence of three nines, is considered lucky to many Chinese, and a record number of Chinese couples have planned their wedding for … Continue reading →

Posted in (simple), Current Events | 3 Comments

The 60th Birthday (or any Chinese Birthday for that matter)

Posted on August 30, 2009 by Tim

Both mainland China and Taiwan are celebrating 60th birthdays in the coming months. Mainland China is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the People’s Republic, with a parade on October 1, along with a special blockbuster movie with over 170 famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Current Events, Family, Lifestyles | 1 Comment