#they’re both alive and happy and living in thailand

[rottingjam]

unnie…

click for full quality!

alt version under the cut

[moldygreenblue]

The Killing Fields (1984)

The Killings Fields (1984) is one of the most haunting and darkest films of the late 20th century, in part because everything in the film all happened. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, six Golden Globes -and honestly, a lot of other nominations I’m looking up right now on Wikipedia that is just making me deciding to just not type it all talk about a mistake- The Killing Fields is is a film I understand why it’s always recommend to people to see at least once.

(In my case, it was less recommended, and more looking it up due to my parents -my mother mainly-  and seeing the mostly second half of the film once on television before years ago and trying to find the full version online.)

Based off the article later turn book, The Death and Life of Dith Pran by Sydney Schanberg, The Killing Fields is mainly about well, Dith Pran. Between 1973 (1972) to 1975, Sydney Schanberg is a reporter/foreign correspondent for The New York Times reporting about the Cambodian Civil War. His fellow journalist and interpreter is Dith Pran (last name Dith, first name Pran by the way) and two are basically a team, with Pran more or less the ‘sidekick’.

(‘Sidekick’, because while Sydney is one of the two protagonists, the second half makes it clear Pran is who the story is about. Which is a given, since Sydney literally wrote Pran’s name in the article’s title. The original screenplay doesn’t go with this angle though, keeping the two men as equal main characters with them getting alternated.)

As the civil war continues to rage on and gets worst by 1975 with the United States deciding to pull out as military aid, Sydney eventually gives Pran a choice about evacuating the country, for Pran’s family is deciding to evacuate. Pran is torn by his family and friendship with Sydney, but he ends up deciding to stay in Cambodia with Sydney, as Sydney decides to continue on reporting the news with few others, like Al Rockoff (photographer, American), and Jon Swain (another journalist, British). 

After the Fall of Phnom Penh and when the Khmer Rouge takes over, the four and Sydney’s taxi driver -Sarun- are capture by a few Khmer Rouge soldiers. While Sydney, Al Rockoff, Jon Swain, and Sarun are force inside a military truck, Pran doesn’t, for the Khmer Rouge wants him to just leave. Pran ends up risking his life by insisting to go with them and later on, convincing the soldiers they’re not the enemy and it works. They’re eventually let go, and after taking everything possible with them from the hotel they were staying at (except the food like peanut butter; the article and original screenplay reveals Sydney had a stash of food for emergencies and Al Rockoff didn’t bring it with them this is almost surreal) and head to the French embassy to take refugee and leave Cambodia into neighboring Thailand.

It’s eventually made clear that only foreigners at the French embassy will be able to stay and leave to the Thailand; Cambodians who took refugee there will have to leave. In an attempt to save Pran, Sydney, Al Rockoff, Jon Swain come up with a plan: forge a passport. Jon Swain has a few, and he realizes by leaving only his middle name (Ancketill Brewer; talk about a tongue twister even I can’t say it) Pran can claim it as his own.

This is where article and the film -and original screenplay- differ. In the film and screenplay, Al Rockoff has to take a photo of Pran and develop it, which is a problem because of their current conditions at the embassy is less than ideal. Even though Al Rockoff was able to get a photo for the forging, it eventually fades away. The article implies Pran has a photo on himself, as Rockoff had to use a razor blade and glue to put the photo onto the passport. However, the people in charge of the embassy catches on the plan and tell Jon Swain it won’t work because if they caught on, the Khmer Rouge would too. Rockoff himself say this is what happened, and is upset with the film change.

In both the dramatization of the film and the reality of the events, the plan fails, and Pran has no choice but to leave the embassy. Pran for the next four (and half) years lives under the Khmer Rouge regime. In what TV Tropes calls ‘Obfuscating Stupidity’, Pran has to avoid getting kill for being an intellectual and having ties to Westerners by playing dumb and being a normal poor peasant, faking a story on how he was just a taxi driver before the take over (this tactic was used by everyone trying to hide their past, including Pran’s actor, Haing S. Ngor, who lived in the regime himself before making his escape). Pran continues on keeping up the act in order to reach his goal: making it to Thailand. After years of living through actual hell,  Pran finally makes it to Thailand in 1979.

Had this been a true fictional story, no doubt Sydney Schanberg would find a way in or get someone to find a way back in to get Pran out. But harsh reality is that Sydney couldn’t do anything to save Pran, a friend who risked his whole life to make sure Sydney and others don't die. Sydney in both the film and reality after getting to Thailand and the United States, couldn’t do more than send letters to organizations about Pran. All he can do is wait for a respond, with the article revealing he gets sporadic news of Pran alive, but nothing more solid until 1979, when the news of Pran’s escapes reaches him.

The reunion itself is just a big long sigh of relief to both of them and the audience. For Sydney and Pran, they haven’t seen in other in four (and half) years, yet both of thinking of their friend in their thoughts. For the audience, with all the horror of the Cambodian Civil War and the Khmer Rouge, by the time Pran makes his escape, the audience is now hoping for glimmer of happiness for him, that he can be reunited with everyone he loves and miss. 

I first watched the film several years ago (I think maybe between 2015 and 2017; it was on late at night and I was still awake at the time). Even though I only saw the second half, I knew right away this film was truly about friendship and how war affected it; the ending made it clear to me these two men were close to one another before getting separate, and just reuniting was something both longed for. The fact the real Dith Pran Sydney Schanberg remain friends until Pran’s death in 2008 makes it all more sweet.

Having watching the film in its entirely in 2019 and again only a few weeks ago, I still stand by my belief. It’s overall, a very powerful film about one the darkest periods going on the late 20th century, ultimately telling the tale of two and their devotion for one another, even when far part. 

If one already watched the movie and wants to know more about the actual people themselves, I recommend reading The Death and Life of Dith Pran, for it goes into more detail, especially about Pran’s story of survival for the film omitted a few things for what I suspect is to save time. If one is curious about the original screenplay (for it has very interesting things; some clearly taken from the article, some I can’t tell if they were legit or fictional for the film), the sub-Reddit Screenwriting has a link to it here on a PDF file.

[romanceismycallingcard]

Tagging game: Top 5 BL dramas + 5 honorable mentions you would recommend

Rules : Name your top 5 BL dramas and five honorable mentions you would recommend to newcomers. Tag ten users you think would like this game.

Thanks @bookscoffee75 for tagging me!

I’m getting on this right away cuz I’m currently bored and avoiding responsible human things.

1. Tharntype the Series (2019)

This is definitely my favorite series and has to be #1. This series is really interesting because of how many characters there are that all have their own backstory and character arcs. This series is also tied with Love by Chance so you can see more of some of these characters in that show. The plot in this show is really good and gets kinda really intense later. I personally especially love Type and his character arc. I recommend, but be aware the main couple’s relationship starts out faaaaaar from healthy. But they get so much better by the end of the series, and they are the cutest couple on the planet. 

2. Until We Meet Again the Series (2019)

This series was so good it actually feels a little wrong putting it as #2, but Tharntype just owns me. Until We Meet Again (UWMA) was so insanely good for so many reasons. The acting was out of this world - from the whole cast but ESPECIALLY Fluke Natouch. The plot was incredibly intriguing, kept you on the edge of your seat constantly; it was intense and emotional and powerful. It was incredibly well written and flowed so well and made sense. The character arcs were emotional and powerful. You get so attached to all of the characters. The main couple are my favorite, and they are just so sweet together. And then other things about this show that most people don’t think a whole lot about were also really well done like the filmography, camera shots, scene sets, the soundtrack, etc. They were all so beautiful. 

3. SOTUS the Series (2016)

I remember SOTUS as being pretty early on in my nose dive into the BL drama world. Singto Prachaya and Krist Perawat play as Kongpob and Arthit. They are both super cute and have amazing smiles that just melt your soul. This series was really fun (and funny) to watch. The relationship dynamics that come about are really interesting. This show heavily revolves around the hazing systems in universities in Thailand and questions whether hazing is good or not and presents both the benefits and the faults of the system, which was something interesting that also demonstrated something about their culture that most shows don’t. BuT AnyWaY, this show was cute and fun and I recommend it. There’s a season 2 (SOTUS S) and a spin-off epilogue type thing in Our Skyy. 

4. HIStory3: Trapped (2019)

Trapped is about a mob boss and cop. The cop has been chasing after the mob boss for four years but their relationship takes a turn and they start working together and become weird friends and then fall in love and it’s a really fun dynamic and mess and they’re cute and and and. The enemies to lovers trope is alive and well in this series and I’m living for it. All of the main actors are adorable. And bonus, the plot of this series is really good too. I binged this show in one sitting because I couldn’t stop watching. It gets pretty dramatic but in a good/necessary way. And with the drama, it gets intensely emotional. OH! And I have to mention the fight scenes. They were so cool and well-done. There were a couple car fight scenes that I just can’t get over.

5. Theory of Love (2019)

This is a show that while I was watching it, I never thought it’d be on my top favorite shows list. But as I was looking at my list of shows that I’ve watched, I realized it fit in the top five. It was crazy well done. It’s one of those things that grows on you over time and one of those things that isn’t good because it’s happy but good because it shows complex characters with complicated relationships. And it was all handled really well. The characters are well-written and the actors portrayed the complexities and the complicated emotions really well. The show is about four friends and their love stories. I love the friendship between the four. It’s beautiful and so fun to watch. They are all in majors that have to do with making movies, so they are constantly referencing famous romance movies, which was amazing. It really upped the feeling of “this show is going to be a classic and a need to watch kind of show.” All these references elevated this show to the top tier of the hierarchy of movie genres if that makes sense. The references also clarified what kind of feel and tone the show was shooting for. It was definitely a bittersweet, gritty, life isn’t always rosey kind of indie film-esque show. I’ve already talked about this show too much. This show, after having watched it and some time has passed, feels very nostalgic and classic and important. 

Honorary Mentions: (I’m supposed to list five but I can’t do it.)

Why R U (2020)

2Gether (2020)

Love Sick (2015)

Love By Chance (2019)

My Tee (2018)

2Moons 1 & 2 (2017 & 2019)

If you’re new to BL dramas, I recommend starting with:

SOTUS

Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (2016)

Until We Meet Again

HIStory3: Trapped

Love Sick

2Moons 1 & 2

(2Gether and Why R U are also wonderful, but they’re not complete yet.)

Tagging Other People:

@musicdramalove

@disaster-j

and whoever else wants to do it :) Have fun!

[acciomalfoy]

Paint the Town Red / Stan Uris x (fem!) reader

Her nails were painted red, and it wasn’t nail varnish but blood. She let out a sob, and crumpled to the floor. Eight children, eight different stories, eight ways to die, or eight ways to survive.

Another boy, one with a plaid shirt and bright blue eyes, stifled a sob as bodies, shells of the souls they used to know, or heard about, floated to the ground. One girl looked alive. She had sticky blonde hair, and her brown eyes were wide open, forever fearful and afraid. Every child with a heartbeat in that sewer knew who she was.

Martha Timpas had gone missing in 1963. She had been the towns pride and joy, practically. Derry was full of misery, but this bright young girl had captured the hearts of adults and children alike. She had a bright, toothy smile with teeth that were straight and white. Her eyes had been full of happiness, but death was something no one had thought would happen to a girl of just eight years.

Search parties hadn’t stopped looking until four years later, when everyone admitted with defeat that Martha was gone. It was then, on July 5th 1967 that Derry truly died. The children left behind grew up without Martha, and the adults watched a young life disappear, snatched by the hands of death.

A yellow raincoat fluttered to the ground, and the eight children let out another round of sobs. The name hidden inside the raincoat, Georgie Denbrough, was the reason they had all trekked down here, and risked their young lives.

The oldest child was hardly thirteen, and her hair was almost glowing in the dim light of the sewers. She had piercing blue eyes, and faint freckles in the darkness. Two girls amongst six boys, and the other girl had deep gnashes running along both of her arms. Blood was almost but not quite streaming out of her sores, and she had tears leaking down her face. They all did.

A boy, with a bloody shirt and an even bloodier face, knelt down beside her. He gently lifted up her head, and her eyes almost killed him. They were yelling every emotion, and were wide and watery. She was angry, so angry, but so grateful at the same time. She was grateful that the eight children had survived their last encounter with the dancing clown for another twenty seven years. She was scathingly furious at the raincoat that should be wrapped around a little boy, safe and sound.

Deep down, the boy with the brown eyes and bloody face knew this would be the last time he was in these sewers. It had taken him courage that he didn’t have to go down there, and he had almost paid with his life. There had been a brief talk of them all coming back in twenty seven years to face the clown again, but as the old saying goes, don’t spend what isn’t yours. If his dad was with him right now, he would have been furious. The boy considered himself so weak, and this only proved that true. Fresh, hot tears leaked down his face as he looked his soulmate in the eyes.

“Are you hurt?” Her voice was so soft, and so full of raw emotion that the boy let out a whimper. She was in so much pain, her arm shaking and her leg streaked with an angry red, yet all she cared about was him. His face had dry and fresh blood surrounding it to the tip of his hairline, and he could still feel the mouth that had feasted on him. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat, and looked at her again.

“I’m fine. I promise I’ll get you out of this place, and we can tick everything off your bucket list. The one that you hid underneath your bed frame, I found it by accident don’t hate me! We can create memories in Australia, and we can fly to Thailand. I promise I’ll take you across the seven seas and back, if you’ll let me.” He ran a hand through her soft hair. Her eyelashes contrasted against the smears of blood on her delicate features.

“Yes please. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. Is everyone else okay?” He wished her voice was louder, and stronger. He wished she was better already, and back to copying off her homework right before a class, and stealing his fries when she thought he wasn’t looking. She wished this moment would last forever, minus the pain that was coming and going in waves. She wished she could bottle up the boy in front of her into a jar, and talk to him forever.

“They’re all fine. Guys! We need to get her out now! I love you, okay? Also, I was the one who fell onto your science project and I paid Richie five dollars to take the blame so you wouldn’t get mad at me.” He wiped a patch of blood off her face, and she gave him a small smile through the tidal wave of pain that she had just been swamped with.

“I know. Richie and I saw you. He paid me two fifty to not get mad at you. I love you too.”

[thevisafly]

Destination: Archipelago – 8 of The Best Island Beaches Ever!

Beaches have been a prime tourist magnet for as long as we can remember – and for good reason, too. The sheer number of things one can do on the beach are endless: one can just spend the whole day sunbathing and playing with the sand, or even work up a sweat by surfing and snorkelling. Oftentimes, islands have the most spectacular beaches – which makes sense, since they’re surrounded by water. They also have expansive and culturally significant histories, because of the many hardships and integrations brought through past colonisations and current legislation. And this is exactly why, in this article, we will dive into what really makes the island beaches of these archipelagos tick:

● Our First ‘Island Beaches’ Pick: The Carribean – Curaçao Off the coast of the southern Carribean sea, this island is actually a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Apart from it being a settlement alive with the arts and in touch with their colourful side, its beaches are a pleasure to the eye as well.  The characteristic blue-green water that shifts into fine white sand is something that all 35+ island beaches here have – and maybe a peaceful sit-down with a classic gelato in one hand is what will really bring you to that  happy place! Considering the number of beach options you have here, choosing one of them is imaginably hard. The west of town is home to Boka St. Michiel beach, which is a small fishing locality where one can find scrumptious Curaçao food, and also bob in one of their tiny boats as you watch the sun set. Alternatively, the island’s most popular snorkelling and diving beach is Caracasbaai, which is part of an underwater park. It is a local favourite as well, due to its surrounding restaurants and free entry. This could be a great place to make some new friends, both underwater and above as well!

● Number Two: Maldives Maldives is located at the lower end of the Indian Ocean, and is closest to Sri Lanka. This set of islands is considered the world’s lowest-lying country, and because of which, changing sea tides (and ultimately global warming) impact it heaviest. The country is putting much of its efforts into sustainability and regrowth, with many of its local residents participating in its coral restoration efforts near Baa Atoll. These are aided by introducing self-sustaining methods of coral propagation, so that the consequences of coral bleaching are eradicated in a few years’ time. Many other sustainable steps – such as fishing regulations, island recycling plants, and phasing out single-use plastic – all add to the overall enjoyable experience of entering a clean, environmentally-friendly beach. Activities such as snorkelling, diving and island-hopping tours are common and encouraged, with some even being private and exclusive.

● Island Beaches In Seychelles Seychelles is also a collection of islands off the Indian Ocean – they are close to the Somali sea, and are a country by themselves (the Republic of Seychelles). The 115-island nation never fails to amaze photographers, with it being one of the most photographed beach locations ever. And for good reason – Anse Source D’Argent, on the island of La Digue is one such marvel whose cerulean waters are a mere backdrop to its pink sand and large boulders. Another extremely cool sight is the UNESCO-approved Aldabra, the second largest coral atoll in the world. They also boast the largest population of Giant Tortoises, and is a relatively isolated area that requires prior permission to visit. Anse Lazio is also laurelled with being the 6th best beach in the world – this Praslin beauty is truly a place where one must drink in its multifaceted beauty whilst soaking up some sun as well.

Our Fourth Pick, French Polynesia Ever heard of Bora-Bora? Well, this fascinating beach location is part of French Polynesia, along with 118 other islands that cover 2000 kilometres’ worth of the South Pacific Ocean. This extensive set of islands are where striking aquamarine lagoons meet cerulean ocean depths – a laid-back style of living, with adventure in the form of snorkelling and diving just around the corner. Lonely Planet classifies Tikehau atoll as “arguably the prettiest one in the country”, and even without this guarantee, the empty island beaches, whale watching and bird nesting grounds are truly a spectacular sight. Many of the beaches are surrounded by coral reefs, which are a great place to experience marine wildlife whilst snorkelling or diving. However, some of the beaches that do not have coral reefs are a paradise for another reason – surfing is all the rage here! Tahiti boasts another kind of diversity – most beaches here have heat-absorbing black volcanic sand, which make for a cool post-holiday story, and a memorable French Polynesia trip.

USA’s Most Famous Island – Hawaii Hawaii is the only island state of the USA, which lies outside North America. It is a place we all know and grow up with, a stereotypical notion of flower crowns and graceful hip-swinging line dances is what comes to mind first. But it is so much more than that – the culture that goes with respecting and nurturing their land, as well as its awe-striking island beaches are what Hawaiians pride more. It is also home to the ukulele, which is a small guitar-like instrument that is increasingly popular outside the islands as well. Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Big Island, Lanai and Molokai are their main tourist islands, which each host a myriad of underwater (and land-based!) attractions.All of these islands are picturesque movie-scene clichés brought to life, with the added bonus of a pink-and-orange hued sunset and wine to enjoy company with.

Number Six: Fiji Islands The Republic of Fiji lies in Melanesia, and is a part of the South Pacific Ocean. Its closest neighbour is New Zealand, another island country. There are so many things to do in Fiji, that it’s so hard to keep track of what your itinerary should look like – being one of the top places to go for adventure and extreme island sport is definitely one of them.Currently, the focus lies on its astoundingly beautiful beaches – two of which include Suncoast and Coral Coast. They are so diverse compared to each other, with the former boasting offshore reefs, an island adventure and hidden waterfalls, and the latter making you wonder whether you’re on an island or in a desert, with Sigatoka sand dunes. Much of Fiji’s landscape is untouched and naturally diverse, and the locals make sure that they give it the respect it deserves. It’s really easy to forget your worries over here, since the list of all the beach activities that one can do here just keeps expanding!

Seventh Heaven: The Bahamas The Bahamas is known for its beaches – and with over 2,000 islands being part of this archipelago, we’re not surprised! From honeymoons and family vacations to backpacker heaven – Bahamas has tailormade experiences to suit all kinds of tourist needs. Their large collection of island beaches are praised for its diversity: active beaches, secluded beaches, family friendly beaches… You name it! And really, the Bahamas beach culture goes way beyond the shore – with diving, snorkelling, boating, fishing, private flying (over these amazing coasts, of course) and countless water sports being some of the most viable options. You can taste the adventure at Blue Lagoon Island Beach, or have some quiet me-time with a book and tequila at Ford’s Beach – or do both, since you’re already here anyway!

● Last But Not Least, Thailand’s Island Beaches Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is a country in Southeast Asia that comprises over 76 provinces – it is also the number-one most-visited tourist destination in Asia, and for good reason, too. Some of Asia’s best beaches lie here, in Thailand. Waters are closer to a greenish-turquoise hue here, rather than the striking blue. They blend in well with the high-rising eroded cliffs and grainy white sand that beaches in Koh Lipe and Krabi are filled with. Getting on a long,slim boat with your significant other and cruising through these winding structures make for a day well spent! Many Thai beaches are secluded, with them having small private coves and a patch of lavish flora and fauna secretly waiting for you to explore. Other island beaches, such as those in more popular areas (Phuket, for example) are more localised and tourist-friendly. They have eateries and cities in nearer proximity, which make them ideal for a quick dip. Now that we’ve provided you with 8 of the coolest beaches to visit on islands, the question is – which one will you choose? The options are endless, and aren’t even just limited to those on the list – luckily, you can sit tight in comfort while making your pick, letting us at Visa2Fly guide you on your next enticing vacation! If you want to find out more about other countries with beautiflul waterbodies, our cool blogs can help with that! Check out our Finland, Denmark and Norway Pages as well.

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[greenpapayaartprojects]

Whither Art History?

An excerpt from “Whither Art History? Institutions, Curatorship and the Undead Nation State” by David Teh at Green Papaya Extension, 17 May 2016.

“How should art be historicized in its ‘contemporary’ and ‘global’ phase? What is to be historicized, if not the work of art per se? Where art history has shallow roots, the emerging paradigms of visual culture, curatorial studies, and exhibition histories offer appealing alternatives. But their path is strewn with hazards, not least, the lack of that visual literacy and discursive space that art history, for all its sins, has long cultivated elsewhere. In this talk, David Teh will address some of the obstacles to the study of contemporary art in Southeast Asia, with reference to the institutional landscape, the curatorial function, and the still pivotal role of the Nation.”

Dr. David Teh is a writer, curator, art advisor, and researcher based at the National University of Singapore (NUS), specializing in Southeast Asian contemporary art. Before moving to Singapore, he worked as an independent curator and critic in Bangkok from 2005 to 2009, and has since realized projects in Germany, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. His writings have appeared in Third Text, Afterall, LEAP Magazine, Art Asia Pacific, Artforum, and The Bangkok Post.

*****

Eileen Legaspi-Ramirez: I was asking him what he thinks about the relationships between institutions and quasi-institutions because they don't exist totally separate from each other. At some point, institutions validate what quasi-institutions produce.

David Teh: Well, again, I think I can't really give a very lengthy answer, because this is something that, I think, in the context that I'm most familiar with, we've really started to see happening, or at least has been getting critical mass quite recently.

I think Asiatopia is a really good example. Asiatopia was formed in the late ‘90s as a performance art festival, a very international, fun circuit. It's really almost more than a quasi-institutional kind of performance art circuit. It's artform-specific and therefore a little more modest in scale than say biennales and so on. But also, it doesn't involve collection, shipping, and these kinds of things. It’s quite a lightweight sort of organization. It was a really important embassy of the contemporary, from the late ‘90s to the early 2000s.

By the time I arrived, it was already really boring. They became kind of like institutions in a way, so that's one possible trajectory. I will still try to go to Asiatopia. I think some interesting things still happen there, but it became very predictable and repetitive. It became sort of a closed chapter to some extent. I think there was a lot of intent on the part of the organizers and founders to broaden the church and to bring new generations in. But, as you know, as is often the case with this kind of autonomous groups, people don't feel like it's theirs. Sometimes, if you come from a younger generation or another gender position, perhaps you might not feel like it's yours to take over. I think they had that problem. That left it, in a sense, a little bit vulnerable. Now, the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) has basically kind of latched on to it. It's more than a quasi-institutional kind of thing now, so that's one possible scenario.

The other is the artist-run space that kind of flourishes and dies. I think that's probably, by numbers, the most common. Sort of artist-run spaces are supposed to die. They're not necessarily, in many cases, designed for long term. I know we’re sitting within that kind of contrary case, which is a great thrill, but, I mean, I've been involved in these things too. Sometimes they gotta die. I think sometimes you shouldn't belly-ache about that. I think it's great when they die. Sometimes they need to, because otherwise they'll retard the development of some of the people that are involved in it.

The other thing, of course, is archiving. I think it becomes more and more important when you get this kind of regional institutional data like we have recently. I mean, if anyone has been to the National Gallery Singapore (NGS), it's like this scary mothership from outer space. It’s like a massive statement. It really is doing the stuff that a museum does. This is something that the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) never really pretended to do. SAM pretended to be a museum and sometimes it has been convincing in that, but it never had any pretenses towards historical scholarship or a historically informed collection. I mean, that wasn't what it was doing. I think most of the people I know that worked at SAM are reasonably honest about that; they knew they weren't experts in most cases and they were happy to admit that this is a different kind of institution.

I think the NGS really is a paradigm shift. It's some kind of a weird quantum leap where you're not just in the trappings of institutional existence that are there, but also actually some possibilities for genuine memory building. With objects, I think they can do that quite effectively. They can also initiate research a little bit. They've got more people who are interested in doing that and I think they've hired very carefully to get that, so I think it's changing.

Right now, the role of the quasi-institutions is often, kind of, trying to shift to serve that historicization and, maybe, sometimes also to thwart it. I would sit on the fence about what artist-run spaces should be doing with their memory or their legacy. In some cases, it may be the best thing to consign it to the institution that can keep the moisture out, keep the bugs off, and keep the coloring things and so on, right?

In some cases, I think, maybe one should just burn it all down and start again. People who have been asked to give things that are important, they would say, “You know, I would rather slit my wrists than give it to them, to that place. In my territory, we don't have these sorts of institutions, but it's not right for it to go and live there. That's not where it belongs.” I think that has to be taken seriously as artists have a relationship and the responsibility for the legacy of their past work that I think goes beyond some kind of hippie dippie sense of the “United Nations of Contemporary Art Collection.”

With Singapore, it plays that role too, I think, too convincingly. Often, people are a bit flattered when the institution comes knocking. I think my general kind of manifesto on this would be to make them earn it. I just wish that more artists in Southeast Asia had the foothold and the wherewithal to force institutions of that nature to really do their homework. I think artists, in my opinion, at least the ones that I've seen go through this process, have not been demanding and exacting enough in terms of the care that is taken to historicize that stuff.

But yeah, I can't generalize about them. It's really different. Groups like Forum Lenteng and ruangrupa, both in Jakarta, have massive archives of stuff. They have pretty much the smell-of-an-oily-rag sort of operation. Although they also have some very lucrative revenue streams these days, it's not a fancy pants institution. They don't have super archival conditions, etc. I would say, in their case, that's the best place for what they've got. It's really what they use; they hire people who specialize in making it available to people so it's very well-kept and very well-used. I think, in that sort of case, I don't really see a reason for trying to go the next step, to the kind of vaulting in the West or in Singapore where these will be buried. They can really do more with it by keeping it alive.

*****

Images and captions from David Teh:

1. Brutalist ethnography, National Museum of Myanmar, Yangon, 2015. 2. The crumbling facade of the Bhirasri Institute of Modern Art, Bangkok, Thailand. 3. Basement parking space of Teater Jakarta — Taman Ismail Marizuki, Jakarta Biennale 2013, Jakarta, Indonesia.

If you can: https://greenpapaya.art/donation

[surveysonfleek]

697.

5000 Question Survey Pt. 44 4201. Has your life lacked a miracle? i mean... not really. it’s my fault for not having the greatest motivation. 4202. Would you shoot a terrorist? if i had a gun and they were attacking people, then yes. otherwise i’d call the cops first. 4203. Were you an unlovely child? probably the opposite, i was very loud and talkative as a kid. 4204. In the recent Michael Jackson documentary was he treated fairly? haven’t seen any mj docs in years tbh. 4205. New York City and other places along the East Coast have recently been said to be the next terrorist targets. What do you think about this? this is a really old survey, so i’m taking this with a grain of salt.

4206. What should the last question in this survey be? not sure lol. 4207. Are you more likely to think so deeply about things that you forget to take out the garbage OR be wrapped up in your life and forget to think deeply about things? the first one. 4208. In what ways are you destructive? that i’m not thinking about the future enough. 4209. If you're not with the one you love can you love the one you're with? for me, no. 4210. Why is it that when you hang upside down the blood rushes to your head but when you stand up the blood doesn't rush to your feet? i actually have no idea. 4211. Do you demand a better future? sure. 4212. Does it make you uncomfortable to meet a person with a handicap or deformity (retarded, deaf, lacking a limb, etc.)? no? why would it. 4213. What did you think of the movie Vanilla Sky? never seen it. 4214. What is your favorite thing to dip into fondue? depends on what kind of fondue.  4215. Are you moe like Wayne or Garth? neither. 4216. SNL or Mad TV? neither. 4217. Best three REM songs: i can only name two tbh. 4218. Name something you do that might be considered eccentric: i’ve been into this paint by sticker thing lately. time consuming but fun lol. 4219. Are you hard or easy to love? pretty easy i’d like to think. 4220. Could you be the next american idol? no because 1. i cant sing and 2. i’m not american. 4221. If you were going on american idol what would you: wear? n/a sing? 4222. Is Simon Cowell sexy or does he suck? he is definitely not sexy to me lol. 4223. What was the last thing you used a credit card for? a christmas present lol. 4224. Do you like back or foot massages more? back. 4225. If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow why oh why can't I? ok. 4226. Why do teachers always want blue or black ink? well tbh i’d hate it if i had to read papers written in red or something light. 4227. What do you keep your change in? my wallet. 4228. Do you read playgirl or playboy for the articles? no. 4229. Are you old fashioned? In what ways? not at all. 4230. If you were going to get a mentor who would your top three choices be (out of everyone alive)? casey neistat, rihanna and oprah. 4231. Would you rather visit France or Thailand? i’ve been to france so probably thailand. 4232. You love your partner but they are a slob. They aren't likly to change. Your thoughts: i honestly cannot bear to live with a slob, so i’d have to talk to them about my concerns and get them to change their ways or i’ll probably just snap and leave them. 4233. Is anything brainwashing people? probably. How/in what ways? the media in general, being picky with what and how they portray world issues. 4234. If you were a sex psitols song which one would you be (some choices in case you aren't familiar with them: Holiday in the Sun, Bodies, No Feelings, Liar, Problems, Seventeen, Pretty Vacant, New York, E.M.I.)? i don’t know any of their songs. 4235. Are you more likely to drink moderately and often or drink within an inch of your life but only once in a while? i only really ever drink to get drunk. so not often at all. 4236. What scares you most about war? how it’ll affect my family and friends around the world. 4237. You find a man with wings (an angel?) half dead in your back yard. the first thing you do is: if someone’s home with me i’d get them asap. or i’d at least take a pic/video from afar then probably call the cops lol. i’d be too scared to check up on them myself. 4238. Why do people go to faith healers when there is so much proof that they are fake? some people just need a little hope sometimes. it’s just unfortunate that these fakes take advantage of them and take their money. 4239. When someone you care about is really angry with you how do you feel and how do you deal with that feeling? i feel pretty shitty. if it’s my fault i’ll do my best to make it up to them. 4240. There's a guy who sometimes get violent with his wife. He will scream 'I LOVE you!' While he hurts her. Do you think there could be any love there? hell no, i don’t think anyone should hurt someone they love... 4241. Name at least three things that make you want to cry. idk. 4242. Is John Malkovitch sexy? Is Billy Corgan? no to all. Is Michael Stipe? Is Moby? Is Sinead O'Connor? 4243. Imagine there's a lepper and he wants to be cured but instead of going away his sores sprout sunflowers? Would that be a miracle? Would that tell you anything about anything? i’d be freaked out. 4244. Do you watch people? sometimes. 4245. Do you have anything that doesn't belong to you? yes. 4246. what is normal? whatever you think it is. 4247. You are given your own private island. What would you name it, and who is allowed to live there with you? i’d name it after me and only my family, boyfriend and friends are allowed to live there lol. 4248. How can you prevent war? i don’t think i can tbh. How can we all prevent it? write to the government. 4249. If something is wrong in society and you don't like it butr you do nothing about it, i a way aren't you supporting it? no, i feel like supporting it is more about agreeing and spreading the word about it. 4250. Do you like Leslie Nielson? idk them. 4251. If you could make a new toothpaste flavor what would it be? apple. 4252, Have you ever called the police or the fire department? yes. Why and what happened? called the cops once coz there was a huge fight in broad daylight, called the fire department because i was driving home from work one night and a random tree was ablaze. 4253. What's more important, freedom or security and why? for me, security. i don’t really like facing the unknown without security. 4254. Who pays most of the taxes, rich people, or average people or poor people? everyone is basically paying the same cut. Who should pay the most? politicians lol. 4255. You are on the weakest link with these contestants: a monkey, Simon Coswell, Hayden Christensen, Cher, a guy in a teenage mutant ninja turtle costume and GW Bush. Who do you vote off as the weakest link and why? the monkey because it’s not human. 4256. Do you like: mint skittles? never tried. mint ice cream? sometimes. junior mints? never tried. 4257. Does protesting/demonstrating really have any effect? yes. it spreads the word and gives people a platform to protest something they are passionate about. 4258. After the world demonstrated against war with Iraq, Saddam was quoted as saying america was 'weak and isolated'. Do you believe this is so? i don’t know... i don’t know enough to comment. 4259. Have you ever wanted to be with someone who was off limits? no. 4260. Have you ever wanted someone so badly that you would kiss your hand imagining it was them? haha no. 4261. Are there any situations when cheating on someone is okay? only if you had some sort of agreement with your partner to be in an open relationship but then again it wouldn’t be classified as ‘cheating’. so idk. 4262. When you feel empty inside what do you fill yourself up with? Where does it come from? sleep. 4263. Would you rather be loved or desired? loved. 4264. When you remember something do you remember yourself to be more or less graceful/positive/smooth than you actually were? none? 4265. How can you tell the days of the week apart without using a calander? Are your days really different or all the same? just by comparing it with the dates and days of this week. 4266. Who started punk rock? idk. Who started goth? Who started hip hop? 4267. What 3 things about you have shaped your life the most? my family and upbringing, my boyfriend and my education. 4268. Is your mind awake? yes. Is your soul? yes. Were they always? i guess so. If not, can you remember a moment or a few moments that helped you wake up? 4269. Have you ever misperceived what was going on only to discover it when it was too late? not that i can think of. 4270. Do you understand the human heart? no. 4271. How important is your weight? How important is your partner's weight? important. and not super important for my partner, as long as they’re healthy. 4272. What color is the wind? nothing. 4273. Do you believe children or adults know more? adults for the most part. 4274. Do you believe you are crazy? no. 4275. Did you predict the ending to Joe Millionaire? Is there something you care about less than you care about Joe Millionaire? don’t remember. 4276. Snow blower or shovel? neither because it doesn’t snow here. 4277. List everything you ate in the last 24 hours? tuna, crackers, nutella sandwich, chicken, broccoli and rice. 4278. Have you ever plagerized? no. If yes, what and why? did you get caught? **** No one could act in that daredevil movie. The script sucked as well. This is not a question. **** 4279. Who specifically annoys you? my boyfriend. 4280. What is your favorite blanket like? i don’t really have a favourite. 4281. How do you feel about teachers coming on to their students? Students coming on to their teachers? both wrong. 4282. In what ways do you keep yourself entertained? youtube, netflix, surveys, reading. 4283. Entertainers (musicians, sports players) are the highest paid people in america. Why are we so obsessed with being entertained? it’s just part of society. 4284. Do you want a perfect body? i wish. 4285. Do you want a perfect soul? no. 4286. Which do you want more? body. 4287. Do you want people to notice when you're not around? huh? 4288. Are you more of a creep, a wierdo or special? none. 4289. Who wrote the bible? the disciples. 4290. Who wrote the book of love? what is the book of love? 4291. Who put the bomp in the bomp ba bomp ba bomp? idk. 4292. Who rocks the party that rocks the party? idk. 4293. If you could pick 5 things to study with no limits what 5 things would you pick? space, i.t., history, geography and science. 4294. Do you study any of them on your own? no. 4295. What's more important, learning or getting the hell out? learning. 4296. What is your favorite highlighter color? purple. 4297. Give everyone some advice: be the best version of yourself. 4298. Are you practically perfect in every way? no. 4299. Are you nasty and tricksy? no. 4300. Where is the precious? idk.

[emilyelizabethfowl]

Fic Wars [LLSB] Chapter 1

This is the first chapter of a fanfic @littleladysongbird​​ and I are writing for the Fic Wars! The official event’s blog is @fandomficwars!

Fandom: Camp Camp Tags: Dadvid Ratings: G [general]

Enjoy!

On the last day of spring the camp was empty.

On the first day of summer there was two people and the Quartermaster.

Obviously, the campers weren't meant to come for another week or two, but the counselors had to prepare the camp and check if anything needed any repairs.

Or, to be precise, the counselor, singular.

Gwen still had some personal matters to tend to, and wouldn’t get to the camp until a day or two before the first campers would show up.

So who was the other person at the camp?

It was the one, who always came first and always left last, despite claiming to hate that place.

The one who always scoffed at his parents for sending him away for the whole summer and some more, even though he probably considered that their only good quality.

The person in question is, of course, Max.

***

“Ahhhh, I missed the camp!” David sighed, jumping out of the car. “Nothing’s better than some good old forest!”

“You literally take care of a park for a living.” Grumbled Max, clambering out of the car.

“But it’s not the same! Here… Here I just feel more alive than ever!”

The man enthusiastically circled the car and opened the trunk, revealing an old, neat bag and a small, freshly-bought backpack.

“I still can’t believe your parents let you go with your things in a trash bag!”

Max only shrugged, not looking at him.

“The backpack fell apart half an hour before you were supposed to pick me up, they had to improvise. And the trash back was the biggest bag we had at our place. Besides, you bought me a fucking new one, so there’s no problem now.”

David took the baggage out, letting Max take his backpack out of his hands. He closed the trunk, lost in thoughts.

“It really isn’t a good sign. Caring parents should always-”

“They literally called you to take me to the camp weeks before it’s starting, David. Which part of this is screaming caring parents to you?”

That seemed to get through the thick cocoon of optimism David submerged himself into, and his smile diminished a little.

“If I was your legal guardian, you’d be here now too.” He pointed out.

“Yeah, but you’d be with me and you’d actually want me to be with you. Knowing my parents they’re either on the airport or already at the plane to whatever place they chose to go to this year.”

They slowly made their way over to the councilors cabin. Few steps before the doors the smile came back on his face.

“Well, all that matters now is that you are with me and I want you to be here!” He said cheerfully. “Let’s settle down our luggage and prepare for the best summer camp ever!”

Max’s groaned, but there was no emotion behind it.

***

“Alrighty, the tents are up! What’s next on our list?” David asked, wiping the sweat off his forehead.

Max glanced at his pad.

“Checking the camp activities’ sites for any damage,” he read, “You’re seriously doing that? I thought these stuff are just left until they rot completely, judging by their looks.”

“We never had any proper funding before.” The man gulped down what was left in his water bottle. “We never could do much to fit the safety requirements, but somehow it never was an issue during the inspections.”

He picked up the tool set and made his way over to where the camp activities’ stands were placed. Max obediently toddled after him.

“Campbell bribed them?” he guessed.

“Possibly, yes.”

“So he got no money to fix the stands, but he’s got plenty of cash to bribe the inspectors not to see any problems?”

David laughed.

“Yes, it seems so.” He said. “Apparently the Camp Critic Committee is very eager to look the other way if they get to avoid paying taxes in Thailand.”

Max was so surprised he stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the fuck are they even doing in Thailand?”

“Language, Max,” David scolded gently, going more by habit than any real hope for change. “I guess they do something with really high taxes to need the tax relief.”

“That really doesn’t help at all.”

***

“The last on the list is… Did you really put in ‘Remember to eat and get a goodnight’s sleep!’?”

David put the last stone, creating a pull circle around the place designated for campfire at the opening day of the camp.  

“Eating and sleeping schedule is very important, Max!” He said, wiping his hands on his trousers. “Besides, we need to check the mess hall anyway!”

Max just sighed and followed the way too happy adult to the most used building in the whole camp - second only when counting the bathrooms, especially after some more special meals made by Quartermaster.

But soon his mood got significantly better when they discovered that some of said meals got leftover from last year, and promptly took over the kitchen when no one was looking.

“No inspection will overlook this,” Max managed to gasp out while rolling on the floor, laughing his ass off.

David looked like someone just forced him to kick a puppy, looking around the molded shelves, trying to asses the damage.

“Yeah,” he agreed softly, “And it looks way to bad for us to handle alone. I’m afraid we’ll have to call a specialist.”

He tried to poke a particularly big piece of fungi, but reasonably decided not to when it attempted to eat his finger.

“Maybe two specialists.”

Max laughed so hard he started crying.

***

They ended up getting pizza that night.

Max ate silently, trying not to think about the last time they ate one together, and failing miserably.

Noticing his bad mood, David tried to cheer him up a little, or at least make him forget whatever was troubling him.

“Pizza might not be the healthiest of all meals, but it’s definitely one of the easiest to make and tastiest to eat!” he exclaimed, waving around his slice, ignoring the cheese slowly trying to escape on the ground.

Max stared at the poster on the wall, slightly irked by how askew it was. He was definitely going to level it the first chance he got.

“My parents say it’s the lowest of all foods and never let me get any.” He said out of social obligation not to leave David hanging.

The man gasped loudly.

“But it’s one of the very few things you genuinely enjoy!”

“Do you really think my parents give a shit about it?” he sneered, waving away some wisties that got to the cabin through the open window and very persistently tried to steal olives from his pizza. “I thought we established that already.”

David was silent for a while, sitting still enough for the wistie to try and steal the olive from his slice.

He obviously let the little creature have it, even though it was his favorite part. The man was simply too kind for his own good, literally.

“I just… I still can’t believe how anyone can treat their child that way…”

Max looked him directly into the eyes.

“I was an accident,” he said, voice unwavering. He took another bite of the pizza, feeding off of both the food and David’s disturbance.

“What?” he asked, probably still hoping he just misheard him, the damn optimist.

“I wasn’t planned. My mom didn’t want to marry dad, but she was forced to by her influential family. They didn’t want a scandal, they could’ve made her life a living nightmare if they wanted to, and she was perfectly aware of it. Mom never wanted to have kids too, and wanted to get an abortion, but she was having sex with anything that moved and grandparents wanted to punish her for it.”

David sat speechless, his pizza long since forgotten. Max continued before he could bet coherent enough to speak.

“And this is what she got. A sarcastic little shit. She was so ashamed of having me, that she forced her parents to let her move here.” He shook his head. “Can you blame her?” he laughed dryly.

“Yes,” David answered without a second of hesitation. “I can and I do.”

Now it was Max’s turn to look at him without a word.

“Are you serious?”

David didn’t even need to answer - the look on his face, more serious than any other time Max could remember seeing his face without a smile on it, said it all.

“She’s your mother. She should love you. She shouldn’t be ashamed - she should be proud of you.”

If Max opened his eyes any wider, he just new his eyeballs would fall out of the sockets.

“Proud of me?” he asked. “Proud of fucking what? Loving me? For what? I’m not exactly the loveable kind of a son!”

Knowing David, his hands itched really hard to reach and hug Max. But being aware the boy didn’t like this kind of behavior, he didn’t act out on this desire.

“Every kind of a son is loveable!” He said, every bit of passion he would’ve used in the hug going into that exclamation. “And you’re really intelligent and talented! Your crocheting is extraordinary!”

Max raised his brow.

“Newsflash, I’m an asshole.” He said simply.

“It doesn’t matter!” David countered, “You’re just a child! You deserve to be loved!”

That single word took Max back to all the hours spent on listening to his parents arguments. They never missed the opportunity to tell him he should be glad he was alive.

That he didn’t deserve the things they’ve been getting him. That he didn’t deserve the food, or the house he was living in.

That he didn’t deserve to be born.

“Max…?”

He couldn’t answer, but he didn’t need to; the man couldn’t stand watching the boy being miserable anymore, and wrapped his arms around him in what was probably the tightest hug anyone has given him.

Come to think of it, he couldn’t remember anyone but David even wanting to hug him before.

He let David hold him for a while, but all good things had to end sometime. He didn’t even know he was crying until he noticed the spot his tears left on David’s shirt. He winced, expecting to get punished for it, before he remembered it was David he was dealing with.  

“I don’t deserve to be loved.” He mumbled. “I can’t be loved.”

“Max,” David said quietly, “Max, look at me.”

The boy did so, however unwillingly.

He saw an emotion in the man’s eyes. Emotion he saw when other parents were looking at their children, but it was never directed at him.

“I love you, Max,” David said, his voice gentle, comforting.

“You love everyone!” Max tried to argue. He was used to disappointment, but this was too much. He didn’t want to be given love, just for the man to take it back at the end of the summer.

He wouldn’t be able to take it; He preferred to make it look like he hated David, like he couldn’t stand him.

Because when people don’t care about you, they forget. And when they forget, they can’t hurt you.

Max knew it far too well for a child his age. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up, and he wasn’t going to be let down.

Especially not by David.

“I do love lots of people,” the man agreed, “But that doesn’t mean I love you any less.”

That feeling, when you promise yourself that you won’t do something, and then you end up doing it. Max hated that feeling. But the hope he had, the hope for David to mean what he was saying, he hated it even more.

“And so what?” He said, as rudely as he only could, trying to discourage David from going any further. “So what? It won’t change a thing about my situation! Once the summer’s over, you and your precious love will be miles away!”

David looked like he wanted to say something about it, but he seemed to change his mind.

“But the summer isn’t over yet!” He said instead, “And it won’t be for another three months!”

Max couldn’t believe his own ears. He was doing everything he could to push the man away… But the man was holding on to him, and wasn’t letting him go that easily.

“You’re the bane of my existence,” he said dejected, for he knew it wasn’t going to end well for either of them.

But David just grinned, as if Max agreed with him.

“I love you too,” he said, confirming the boy’s suspicion. “But now, beds! We’ve still got lots to do tomorrow!”

The boy gladly accepted the end of their conversation, obediently going to sleep at Gwen’s yet unoccupied bed.

And soon the room is silent, save for the wisties stealing the remains of their food, the quiet sounds of two people breathing, and ominous sounds of Quartermaster moving outside.

[toraonice]

Yuri on Ice BD choreography commentary translation - Volume 3

I’m alive... There were too many things this month, I can’t believe we’re already halfway through. Anyway, finally, here’s the full translation of the choreography commentary from the BD/DVD vol.3. The commentary is by Kenji Miyamoto & Mitsurou Kubo, as usual. This time it’s Minami’s FS, Phichit’s SP, Leo’s SP and Chris’ SP. More programs so of course it’s longer than usual.

Notes: -It’s two people talking, not a written interview, so expect them to hop from one subject to another within the same sentence… Even if it sounds a bit unconnected at times, that’s how they said it. -I still arranged it a little to make it easier to understand as written material, by removing lots of “ehm” “uuhm” “you know” “yes” (I especially removed all instances where someone says “yes” in the middle of the other speaking) and fumbled words. -Amusingly enough both their initials are KM/MK, but I used the surname initials so M is Miyamoto and K is Kubo. -I put (LOL) when they’re laughing because otherwise some lines might sound serious while they’re actually joking.

***VERY IMPORTANT*** Do NOT use this translation for subtitles, in ANY way. I don’t support the upload of bonuses contained in BDs/DVDs, as they are meant to be (as the word says) bonuses for the people who spent money to purchase them. If you like a series so much that you absolutely need to watch the bonus contents, please buy the BDs/DVDs.

Translation under the cut since it’s twice the usual length.

Kubo: Hello, I’m the original planner Mitsurou Kubo. Miyamoto: I’m the choreographer Kenji Miyamoto. K: Here we are with the 3rd volume. M: Yes. K: Oh, look, you just started skating so lively, Kenji-sensei. M: Yeah, seriously. K: It’s not like Kenji-sensei is like that normally, he’s acting out the lively Kenjirou Minami based on our instructions. This song, “Minami’s Boogie”, was very well received, and I also hear many people say that you can really see it was choreographed by you. You currently create choreographies for many young skaters, don’t you? M: Yes. K: So I guess lots of people have an idea of what your choreographies look like. What do you think about that? M: I guess maybe it’s the way I use the free leg, or the toe… I guess I have my own particular style. K: This is a program I’d really like to see performed by a skater who just left the junior section. M: I remember you saying that. K: Yes. M: What’s interesting about this is that it’s uptempo even though it’s a free skating program. K: Well, why not make the free uptempo too? M: But you know, it’s 4 minutes and a half, it’s tough when it’s so long. K: (LOL). Indeed, you were really tired after this song. M: Of course I was. It’s all uptempo, you have no break at all. K: We rented the rink for a week, and every day we would record the choreographies of about 2 songs. I remember that since this song is so tiring you couldn’t decide whether it was better to do it as the first or the second. M: Exactly. In the end I thought that if I did this first I would have no strength left for another choreography, so I asked to do this as the second song and just skated it with the last of my strength. K: (LOL). Oh, you really look so energetic in this one, Kenji-kun (LOL). M: On a second thought, I should have set my hair a bit better. K: (LOL). What are the important points of this choreography? M: Instead of sliding on the ice it’s more like bouncing on the ice, since the song has a light pace and… oh! K: So jaunty~ M: Really jaunty. Was that a bass? (LOL) K: It was air bass. I’ve seen air guitar, but I rarely see air bass (LOL). M: Please stop it, it’s embarrassing. K: Oh no, this part here, so cute. M: I was trying to be lively but if you look at my face it’s so serious. K: (LOL). It’s because you were doing your best to skate it properly. M: I was. K: By the way, in the anime this was the Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu Regional Tournament, which is a local tournament. It’s the only match set in Japan, so I wanted to use a song that would rouse the local spectators. M: Ah, that’s right. You wanted the free to be a song people could easily clap their hands to, to stir up the crowd. K: I went to the actual Chu-Shikoku-Kyushu that was held in Okayama, and I really liked its atmosphere. M: I was surprised when I watched the anime. It’s really like that. K: Yes, and also the Okayama Kokusai skating rink, they were so kind to let us use it for the show. M: There’s Kanako-sensei too. K: Yes, Kanako-sensei. Actually, the woman who is Minami-kun’s coach in this tournament is the real Kanako-sensei, the one who is skating with the handy camera in this footage. She filmed all the choreographies from a close angle. And her recording techniques even improved progressively. [translator’s note: They are referring to Kanako Odagiri, Miyamoto talks about her in his interview that was on the booklet of vol.2] M: Exactly (LOL). K: She got better and better at filming Kenji-sensei up close, and thanks to the footage she took we could create extremely realistic sequences in the anime. Thank you so much Kanako-sensei! Uwah Kenji, so energetic (LOL). M: That’s embarrassing (LOL). K: This was Kenjirou Minami’s free skating, “Minami’s Boogie”. It’s over. Ok, next.

K: Next up is the choreography for Phichit Chulanont’s short program, “Shall We Skate?” from the movie “The King and the Skater”. “The King and the Skater” is a fictional movie, a play within the play, or better, a movie within the play. I created a story that is basically an imitation of “The King and I” and requested a musical song based on that. Kenji-sensei, what instructions did we give you for the choreography? M: Well, since it’s “Shall We Skate?”, it should show skating in a more gentlemanly way. K: Right. M: It’s a king, so he bows neatly, and it’s conveying the message “will you dance with me?”. K: Right. Right, I did create that kind of lyrics. M: (LOL). K: In “The King and I” too there’s the famous “Shall We Dance?” part where she teaches the king how to skate, I mean, how to dance, and you know, in actual ice shows they do use songs which are popular at that time and, well, I haven’t really heard about songs actually created for an ice show, or with lyrics created for that. M: Yes, it’s not something you see recently. K: Was it different in the past? M: In the past there were lots of things. K: Uwah, well, if there aren’t any new ones I’d really like people to experience the atmosphere of a musical with this song. Phichit-kun is an entertainer, after all. M: Did you notice that I’m actually skating as if there is another person by my side? K: Ah. M: We’re holding hands, and such. K: That’s… M: Are you ok? (LOL) K: Yes, I noticed of course! Also, you actually went to Thailand to create choreographies for skaters there, didn’t you? M: Yes, I did. K: So Phichit-kun’s coach is the real Muramoto-sensei, who is actually in Thailand. Her name also appears as the coach’s name. M: Really? (LOL). K: In the voice actor part, where the voice actors are introduced, there are all characters’ names, and I think her name is written exactly as it is. [translator’s note: She refers to Satsuki Muramoto, ex-competitive skater who is now coaching in Thailand. Phichit’s coach is supposed to be Celestino, but I guess he has two coaches…? It’s the woman that you can see sitting on Phichit’s left side in the kiss & cry after the short program in episode 6. By the way, I actually didn’t spot her name in the voice actor credits, at least not in episode 6, but I haven’t checked the others.] M: I think she will be happy about it (LOL). K: I really hope figure skating becomes popular in Thailand too. So this was “Shall We Skate?” from “The King and the Skater”. Ah, it’s not over yet. Ah, right, in the end we asked you to bow in the Thai style. M: It’s “khob khun krab”. [translator’s note: “Thank you” in Thai] K: Khob khun krab. M: You do the skating salute, and then khob khun krab. K: Do real Thai skaters use it too? M: Yes, everyone does it like that. K: I see. I remember seeing female skaters do it. Ah, are you tired, sensei? (LOL) M: I’m not tired (LOL).

K: I see (LOL). Ok, the next one is Leo de la Iglesia-kun’s short program, “Still Alive”. Let’s take a look at the choreography. We had “Still Alive” created as a hip hoppish song that we would like to be performed by a young American boy, so we said “Ken-chan, we have some hip hop for you”. Are you good at hip hop, Kenji-sensei? M: Well, I did do hip hop, though I’m not sure I can say I’m good at it. K: I see. Well, you actually created a famous hip hop program, so it was a bit pointless to ask you that (LOL). M: I guess I did (LOL). [translator’s note: Unfortunately my skating knowledge is not enough to guess which program they are referring to, if anyone has any idea let me know..] K: This part of the song isn’t hip hop yet. In this song WISE-kun… I guess I shouldn’t call him “-kun” since it’s not like I’m his friend… He’s a bilingual MC and he’s doing the rap part in this song. He’s also in a group called TERIYAKI BOYZ. I thought it would be interesting to have a boy who choreographs his own programs, as a character. An American of Mexican origin. M: By the way, after I choreographed this program the song kept on playing in my head. K: This song is really popular. M: Oh, is it? K: The character’s voice actor also said that he really liked it as the song he skated, and it was praised a lot by overseas fans too. M: Oh. K: I’m really happy, because we wanted a song that would sound familiar to foreigners too, and that would be convincing as an overseas hit tune, or well, a hit tune in the world of the anime, and that’s really how it turned out. Also, your choreography is absolutely cool. M: That sounds like such a forced compliment (LOL). K: (LOL). I’ve been meaning to say it but I said it too fast, this is a short program so I was afraid there wouldn’t be enough time left… M: I was actually careful to keep my arms relaxed and not use fingers. Since it’s hip hop I thought it would be better to use light movements. K: Ohh. M: Yes, I paid attention to the fingers. K: Ah, right, you said that you are always careful to create choreographies where the fingers look tridimensional. Uwah, we have no time. Ok. I guess we’ll talk about that another time. This was Leo de la Iglesia’s short program, “Still Alive”.

K: Ok, the last one is the short program of Swiss athlete Christophe Giacometti. The song is “Intoxicated”. We asked you to make the rink wet with sex appeal. M: You said a shower (LOL). K: (LOL). M: You said a shower, didn’t you (LOL). K: A shower. Yes, we asked you to start the program as if he is having a shower. M: Yes. K: This one is really… Of all the choreography footage by Kenji-sensei that we put as bonus in the discs, this is the one I want people to watch the most. M: Oh, I took a shower. [translator’s note: He means in the footage of course.] K: You did! M: And wiped myself with a towel. K: (LOL). Really, this program is extremely popular. M: Is it? I’m glad it is. K: I mean… Yuuri Katsuki-san’s short program has eros as its theme, but this one is still different, it’s like he is representing a more mature type of eros, and in the anime too it turned out to be an extremely convincing program in that regard. What are the most important points of the choreography? M: Basically, the fingers are moving last. It’s like, I move the part from the shoulder to the elbow first, and then the fingers last, so the movements look a bit slippery. K: Ohh, so there is a technique for slippery movements too. M: Yes, and I also pay attention to keeping the articulations relaxed as much as possible. K: So to dance in a sexy way you must keep your articulations relaxed. M: Yes, well, that’s how I do it. If you put too much strength into the movements they would end up looking stiff, right? Are you ok? K: This part is super nice. M: Super nice? (LOL) K: Yes, it’s super nice. I really love this choreography. Well, I really love Chris too. M: Also, this free leg. I was thinking whether to make it a free leg or skating leg, so I’m skating kind of in a subtle position. K: Ah, the ass! M: No need to say “ass” (LOL). K: The butt. Chris’ butt received lots of compliments, and you did a great job sliding up your hands over the ass like that. I think we yelled “Kenji-sensei, nice ass move!” or something. M: Yeah, you did (LOL). Actually, to skate so that it looks slippery you need to pay a lot of attention to the free leg. It was quite difficult. K: So if you tell someone “skate this” it’s like, it’s not something that can just be taught right away? M: Well, I choreographed it, so of course I can do it. K: (LOL). Ah, yes, this last pose is nice too. I remember we thought a lot about the last poses, didn’t we. M: We did (LOL). K: They kind of end up looking similar. To other choreographies too. M: What does? K: I mean, an impressive last pose. Since there are so many characters with different personalities we also wanted different last poses, and you asked us whether we had any idea, and neither me nor the director could come up with anything decent, and we were like, “sorry” (LOL). M: Well, but you know, it’s easier to have other people tell you something, even just a word, than to think by yourself… K: Ah, I guess that when you teach actual skaters, you don’t really find people that give you concrete instructions or tell you “please make the pose a bit more impressive”, right? M: Yes. But for example, like that part before, if you say “like pouring rain”, or when talking about getting wet you say “like taking a shower”… If I hear that, I understand what you mean. If someone just tells me “make it sexy” it’s difficult to understand what they mean, while if they use a concrete example like you and the director it’s easier to turn it into a movement. K: I see. Ah, sensei, usually how long do you remember a choreography? Since you create a lot. M: I remember everything for one year. K: Ah, so the old ones gradually… M: They gradually vanish from my head (LOL). K: They vanish (LOL). Ahh, well then, see you again in vol.4! Say “see you” with me. M: See you~. K: See you~.

Final note: I’m really curious as to which program Kubo referred to when she was talking about the “famous hip hop program” created by Miyamoto... If any of you hardcore figure skating fans has any idea please let me know, as I’d really like to watch it!

[erincardenthailandblog]

Bali, Indonesia

From Laos Sam and I flew to Bali, Indonesia, the third and final country I visited during my summer holiday. We stayed in Ubud, a town located in the north of Bali and known for its traditional crafts and dance. Beautiful Hindu temples and shrines surround Ubud. There is an extraordinary variety of ornamental woodwork and carvings. During my stay in Ubud I saw a lot of carved mythical figures- lions, horses, cats, humans, ornate panels, doors, and windows. Hundreds of carvings and wooden art line the narrow, winding roads.  

We stayed in a beautiful hotel garden called Puri Garden, which got its name from the fact that it was quite literally a garden. From our room we had to walk through the garden and along a walkway made with stone slabs placed on top of dirt in order to exit the hotel. I liked Puri Garden because of the garden but also because it proved to be a hotel that represented the authentic spirit of Bali for it was decorated with magnificent Balinese statues. Every door of every room was wooden and decorated with ornate, gilded designs.

Our first day in Bali began with an accidental purchase of colored SPF chap stick. Sam and I entered an Xtra Mart looking for sunscreen when we spotted the chap stick. During my last visit to the beach in Koh Phagnan my lips got terribly burned by the sun and so although the chap stick was unusually expensive, we both thought it a wise purchase. When I took the cap off to apply the chap stick I saw that the stick was blue but thought nothing of it. Then, as I put it on, I watched Sam’s eyes widen and her face break into an enormous grin as she exclaimed laughing, “oh my god.” As she said that I knew I had just smeared bright blue chap stick all over my lips. Sam opened hers and found that hers was yellow. She reassured me that at least mine was “cool.” It could potentially “look good” whereas her yellow chap stick made it look like she had “just finished puking.”

Our second day in Bali was spent visiting Monkey Forest, a nature reserve and Hindu temple complex where hundreds of monkeys live. It was incredible how physically close we were to them. The babies were indescribably adorable. Some looked like they were only a few days old. At first Sam and I were freaked out. The monkeys are so used to people that they have no problem jumping on you at any given moment. Half the time I felt as if I were trapped in a Planet of the Apes movie. There were a few stalls selling bananas. People were meant to buy the bananas and hold them up to their shoulder so that the monkeys would perch on them and eat the banana. I bought a banana and experienced it for myself. I envisioned a cute little monkey climbing up my leg, hopping on my shoulder and munching on the banana. It wasn’t as I imagined at all. It was terrifying. The monkeys were fast as lightening. The entire thing lasted about five seconds. One second I had a banana in my hand, and the next thing I know a monkey is flying out of a tree, landing on my head, grabbing fistfuls of my hair, and snatching the banana out of my hand. I closed my eyes the entire time. When I opened them the monkey was gone. One of the women who sold us the bananas took pictures of us. In all of the photographs we’re shielding our faces as if under attack. In one photograph you can see the monkey pulling my hair. I want to frame this picture. It is definitely one of the best photographs of all time.

On our third day in Bali Sam and I went to Pandawa Beach, a beach about 1.5 hours away from Ubud, and which was hidden behind large limestone cliffs. These cliffs are unique because they’re installed with deeply carved arches that hold 6 large statues draped in colorful Balinese cloth.  Each statue depicts hero characters from the Hidu epic story “The five Pandavas.” Along the beach local stalls sold snacks, grilled seafood, local cuisine, sandwiches, burgers, and drinks. The sand was white and the water, although very shallow, was a striking combination of both blue and green. We found a perfect little spot to spend the afternoon, a bar with beanbag chairs and a sun umbrella. We laid out, looking at the blue green water, and dug our toes into the soft sand.

After spending several hours at the beach bar Sam and I decided to change locations in search of some deeper water so that we could swim. As we started walking down the beach we saw hundreds of teenagers, all fully clothed in various matching colored shirts, which made it seem like they were all on some sort of school trip. What would have been a five minute walk turned into a thirty-five minute walk. We could not walk for longer than one minute without getting stopped to have our photograph taken. A group of seventeen-year-old girls asked if they could speak to us and filmed our conversation. At first I was somewhat annoyed by all the attention, these swarms of students felt like paparazzi, and I wanted to enjoy my day at the beach without feeling like a zoo animal. But after meeting these sweet girls I was quiet flattered and charmed by their politeness and eagerness to speak English with us. They told us that they were not from Bali, but from another part of Indonesia, which made perfect sense because Bali is extremely touristy and if these students had been from Bali they would not have been so amazed to see foreigners.

To put it lightly, Sam and I had a very hard time leaving the beach. Around 5 pm we decided it was time to leave and find somewhere to have dinner. We walked to the entrance of the beach, which was a fifteen-minute walk up a steep, windy road, in order to call a taxi because we didn’t have cell phone service near the water. After waiting twenty minutes the taxi cancelled. By this time the sun had set and so we decided to walk back down to the beach to see if there might be a taxi there, or if someone could help us call one. It was dark and there were no streetlights along the road and so it was quite scary walking down because we were afraid of getting hit by one of the many motorbikes and cars speeding past us. When we finally reached the beach area we found that there were no taxis. In fact, there were no people at all. The hundreds of students that we had seen only an hour ago were all gone. All the shops had locked up their gates and turned off their lights. It was as if the entire area was evacuated. It was spooky. Thankfully there was one security guard who we asked to call us a taxi but he spoke hardly any English and so it took some time trying to communicate to him that we needed help. We showed him that we didn’t have service on our cell phones and we needed to get back to our hotel. Eventually he understood what we had asked of him but when he called the taxi dispatcher he told us there were no taxis. “What do you mean there are no taxis?” We asked. “We have to get back to our hotel. How can we get back to our hotel? How do we leave?” We didn’t understand why he couldn’t find a taxi for us. It was only 7 pm! It was clear that we were concerned but the guard just looked at us and laughed, not a genuine laugh, but an unsettling, suspicious, malignant laugh. He gave me the creeps. He wasn’t taking us seriously at all. All of a sudden I pictured the end of our life. This man was going to kill us. There we were, stuck on a deserted beach on the southernmost tip of Bali, standing in the dark with no cell phone service and no where to run to, with a man who told us we could not leave. Wonderful. At this point the panic was starting to kick in so I kneeled over and pretended I was sick. I clutched my stomach and pleaded, “Please. Taxi. Sick.” At this point the guard seemed to register my “pain” and chuckled, “okay okay” as he proceeded to make another call. I prayed he was calling a taxi to come to our rescue. After exchanging a few words in Indonesian, the guard ended the call and told us to sit and wait for twenty minutes. “Taxi?” We asked. “No taxi.” He told us. “My friend.”

I did not sit. I paced back and forth in the dark and exchanged worried looks with Sam. Obliviously we had both been raised with the rule to “never get in a car with a stranger” but this seemed to be our only option to escape the beach and the creepy guard. Soon a mini van arrived and we got in. The driver didn’t speak any English but we gestured to him to drive straight ahead just so that we could gain cellphone service again and use our GPS. As we sped up the mountain, out of the darkness and onto the road lit by traffic lights, a wave of relief passed through my body. We soon gained cellphone service and used Sam’s Google maps to tell the driver to drop us off at the nearest hotel. We decided we wanted to get out of the car as soon as possible and we were sure the hotel would help us call a legitimate taxi. The entire ride lasted only five minutes but we paid almost an equivalent of $10.00. We didn’t care. We were just happy to be alive.

Our last day in Bali was spent taking in breath taking views and embarking on an awfully terrifying biking tour. The beginning of the day started off wonderfully. First we drove about thirty minutes north of Ubud to Tegallalang Rice Terraces, famous cliffs of expansive, lush, rice terraces. I have lived for nine months now in rice field heaven, and while Thailand is scattered with flat rice paddies, Ubud is surrounded by rice terraces, which gave me a new perspective on the beauty of rice farming. After visiting the rice terraces we went to a coffee plantation called Teba Sari where we learned about Kopi Luwak, otherwise known as “cat poo” coffee. This is how “cat poo” coffee is made: A civet cat (a small cat native to tropical areas of Asia and Africa) eats these coffee beans found in the wild, and then poops the beans out. It’s that simple. Locals collect the poop, wash it, and then clean and dry it. An outer skin covers every coffee bean. When the beans are dry, locals pound them together to break off the outer layer. After this the beans are removed, dry roasted, and viola, they’re ready to be brewed. After learning about this miraculous, though slightly disgusting gourmet coffee, we were invited to sit down around a large wooden table under a thatched roof. We were then served numerous small cups filled with a variety of tea and coffee. I tried lemon tea, lemongrass tea, Balinese coffee, and vanilla and coconut coffee. My favorite was the vanilla coffee. After the tasting we were taken to a restaurant for breakfast. The restaurant was located along the edge of a mountain that offered a panoramic overlook of the glorious rice terraces and majestic mountains. It was definitely the best view I had ever had while enjoying a meal. It was as if I was staring at a painting.

After breakfast our bike tour began. I didn’t like the tour for these reasons.

1. The bikes were old, damaged, and falling apart. I was sure the bike was going to break into pieces as I was riding it.

2. The biking was down steep hills that were poorly paved so I was afraid I was going to hit a bump or one of the wheels was going to get stuck in a pot hole and I would fly off the handle bars.

3.The tour guide led us down a tiny dirt “path” that was filled with deep craters. I almost fell of my bike twice. I don’t understand why this was part of the tour. It was so clearly dangerous.

4. There was absolutely no warning about the type of biking this tour entailed. The tour was advertised for “beginner bikers” and yet this was not biking for beginners. This was race down steep hills while dogging craters and potholes and pray for your life kind of biking.

5. We didn’t stop enough during the tour. It was a beautiful ride but everything whizzed completely past me. I couldn’t appreciate the beauty we were riding through because I was so stressed out about the fact that I could die any second.  

6. The bike didn’t fit me. I had to reach way too far in order for my hands to touch the handlebars. It gave me horrible back pain and riding through the potholes killed my butt. I could hardly walk once the tour was over.

One of my favorite and most memorable experiences in Bali was visiting Tirta Empul Temple, otherwise known as the Holy Water Temple. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu god of water. It is both a temple and a bathing structure that is famous for its spring water. Balinese Hindus go to Tirta Empul for ritual purification because it is believed that the spring water is holy. There are 30 waterspouts that feed into one large pool of water. You are meant to dip your head under each spout. Once you “cleanse” yourself under the first spout you move to the second spout and so on. You are meant to continue this process until you have cleansed yourself under each of the 30 waterspouts.

I took part in the cleansing ritual. I changed into a green sarong and slipped into the cool water. I dipped my head under the gushing waterspout, closed my eyes, and counted my blessings.

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Here's What The American Dining Scene Would Look Like Without Immigrants

In light of President Donald Trump’s recent threats to immigrants in the United States, these days we’re becoming more and more aware of the value that other cultures bring to our nation. A quick look at the current American dining scene, and this value becomes instantly palpable.

You can taste it in the kebab carts on the street corners of New York. You can smell it walking past French bakeries that pop up in our metropolitan areas. In fact, entire neighborhoods in big American cities are defined by immigrant cuisine. Think Koreatown in New York City, Little India along Devon Ave. in Chicago, or Thai Town in Los Angeles.

You can also see it in small cities and towns across America. Take, for example, the small city of Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Northampton, also known as The Paradise City, is located in Western Massachusetts, 35 miles shy of the Vermont border and just east of the Berkshires. It feels like a place where the American dream is alive and strong. The small city of nearly 28,000 residents is a charming locale where small businesses, restaurants and bakeries thrive.

Northampton is the kind of place where people still stroll along Main Street, where folks linger in downtown Pulaski Park, and where you’ll likely see at least familiar face during an outing. Northampton also happens to be where I live.

There is one area, however, where Northampton fails and that’s in its diversity. According to the United States Census, as of 2010 Northampton is almost 88 percent white. (Nearly seven percent Latino, four percent Asian and about three percent black.) This is not representative of the demographics of the United States as a whole, in which 77 percent of the population is white, 13 percent black, nearly 18 percent Latino and close to 6 percent Asian as of 2015.

Despite these disproportionate numbers, this small New England city represents the people of the world through its cuisine in a big way. Just walking along Main Street ― the main thoroughfare that runs just below Smith College ― one comes across 33 dining establishments, nearly half of which showcase foods from other nations. 

A close look at this small city ― which in many ways represents a lot of smaller American communities across the nation ― demonstrates just how scarce our dining scene would be without the influence of other countries. Without immigrants to introduce those cuisines, our options would be cut in half, and our lives would be blander because of it.

We made a map so you can see for yourself. The yellow dots indicate each of the 33 restaurants located in Northampton. Scroll to the right, and you’ll see the current restaurant scene in town. Scroll to the left, and you’ll see how many restaurants would remain without the influence of immigrant cuisine ― only 16 remain.

Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam are just some of the nations represented in downtown Northampton’s 17 immigrant-influenced restaurants ― and it’s all thanks to non-native residents who have influenced the way we eat. 

The Banh Mi Spot, located at the east end of Main Street, serves traditional Vietnamese sandwiches that rival some of the best in Brooklyn. It’s been in business for three years in Northampton and is an appreciated part of the dining scene. “The Northampton community has been very welcoming,” manager Sitha Ok told HuffPost. “We actually won Best of the Valley Advocate three times in a row.”

The Banh Mi Spot is owned by Ok’s family friends, who are Vietnamese and Cambodian ― and his family works closely with them. Ok manages the place and his brother is one of the cooks in the kitchen. Ok, born in Amherst, Mass. to Cambodian parents, wants to make banh mi as known and loved as burritos. “Everybody knows Mexican food, but not many people know Vietnamese food ― how different it is, and how fresh. We’re just trying to help people be more aware, and it helps that everybody loves food.”

This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food." Restaurant owner Martin Guillermo Carrera

Directly across the street is La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant, which has been in business on Main Street since 1989. The Mexican-born owner, Martin Guillermo Carrera, says that when he first moved to Northampton you couldn’t find any Mexican food products anywhere. The only corn tortilla he could get his hands on came out of a can. When he opened up shop he had to ship in all his ingredients from Chicago. As a bigger Mexican population moved out east, ingredients became easier to locate. “This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food,” Carrera told HuffPost. 

Carrera, who has 11 brothers and sisters, discussed the current president during our talk. “All twelve of us were all insulted when Trump said Mexico sends its worst ― we served in the military ― his words cheapened our contribution to this country,” he shared.

But Carrera’s contribution with La Veracruzana has been well appreciated within the Northampton community. And still, within his own restaurant, his staff is affected by Trump’s words and his stance on immigration. “I think people are all nervous for some family members or friends they may have,” Carrera explained.

Adam Dunetz, owner of the breakfast and lunch spot the Green Bean and popular coffee shop The Roost, offers another perspective on how non-native speakers have shaped our American dining scene ― and his insight all happens behind closed doors.

Hiring [immigrants] has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. ... I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.” Restaurant owner Adam Dunetz

Dunetz has been in business for over nine years now, and he says he’s never had many non-native speakers in his employment ― until recently. All within the past year, Dunetz told HuffPost, that has changed drastically ― reaching close to 18 percent of his staff ― and he couldn’t be more thankful. His non-native speaking staff is mostly from El Salvador and Mexico.

“The work ethic is unlike anything that I’m familiar with in my experience running these restaurants. I’ve done the Green Bean for nine and a half years, The Roost for six years, I’ve worked with phenomenal employees,” Dunetz told HuffPost. But “these guys work for me for eight hours as hard as I’ve seen anyone work for me, and they usually go on to another job where they do the same thing at night ― probably for another eight hours and probably just as great over there ― they go to bed and do it again in the morning, happy to be there with a smile on their face.”

Dunetz said that this change in his staff came when he was starting to lose some steam in the restaurant industry. “Hiring these folks has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. How could it not influence everybody to see these people that are so appreciative of the work, that work so hard, that are going to work somewhere else when they’re done with here? I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.”

“Their addition to my team in both places has been incalculable in ways that’s just really hard to measure, but really significant,” Dunetz sums up.

All that would be lost in an America where immigrants are no longer welcome. 

Here’s a list of the restaurants on the main thoroughfare ― which includes Main Street and a small section where Main becomes Bridge Road ― that are represented on the map above. Restaurants that primarily feature immigrant cuisine are bolded:

Amanouz Cafe ― 44 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium ― 141 Main St. Northampton MA 01060

Bueno Y Sano ― 134 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Bruegger’s Bagels ― 96 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Dobra Tea ―  186 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Filo’s Greek Taverna ― 279 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Fitzwilly’s ― 23 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Go Berry ― 80 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Green Bean ― 241 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Haymarket Cafe ― 185 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

India Palace ― 28 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant ― 31 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Local Burger ― 6 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Mama Iguana’s ― 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Moshi Moshi ― 4 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Noodle’s ― 257 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Nourish Wellness ― 10 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Oriental Taste ― 41 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pho Vietnam/The Bahn Mi Spot ― 18 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pinocchio Pizzeria ― 122 Main St #3, Northampton, MA 01060 

Pita Pocket ― 193 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe ― 235 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 (though this restaurant serves pizza, most of its fare is considered American)

Spoleto ― 1 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Starbuck’s ― 211 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sweeties Fine Chocolates And Confection ― 68 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Tart Baking ― 192 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Teapot ― 116 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Thai Garden ― 2 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Dirty Truth ― 29 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Foundry ― 24 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Roost ― 1 Market St, Northampton, MA 01060

Toasted Owl Tavern ― 21 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Viva Fresh Pasta ― 249 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

  type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58c0813fe4b0ed718269ade8,56cdbd74e4b0ec6725e48381,58ca981ee4b0be71dcf1e511

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[rtawngs20815]

Here's What The American Dining Scene Would Look Like Without Immigrants

In light of President Donald Trump’s recent threats to immigrants in the United States, these days we’re becoming more and more aware of the value that other cultures bring to our nation. A quick look at the current American dining scene, and this value becomes instantly palpable.

You can taste it in the kebab carts on the street corners of New York. You can smell it walking past French bakeries that pop up in our metropolitan areas. In fact, entire neighborhoods in big American cities are defined by immigrant cuisine. Think Koreatown in New York City, Little India along Devon Ave. in Chicago, or Thai Town in Los Angeles.

You can also see it in small cities and towns across America. Take, for example, the small city of Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Northampton, also known as The Paradise City, is located in Western Massachusetts, 35 miles shy of the Vermont border and just east of the Berkshires. It feels like a place where the American dream is alive and strong. The small city of nearly 28,000 residents is a charming locale where small businesses, restaurants and bakeries thrive.

Northampton is the kind of place where people still stroll along Main Street, where folks linger in downtown Pulaski Park, and where you’ll likely see at least familiar face during an outing. Northampton also happens to be where I live.

There is one area, however, where Northampton fails and that’s in its diversity. According to the United States Census, as of 2010 Northampton is almost 88 percent white. (Nearly seven percent Latino, four percent Asian and about three percent black.) This is not representative of the demographics of the United States as a whole, in which 77 percent of the population is white, 13 percent black, nearly 18 percent Latino and close to 6 percent Asian as of 2015.

Despite these disproportionate numbers, this small New England city represents the people of the world through its cuisine in a big way. Just walking along Main Street ― the main thoroughfare that runs just below Smith College ― one comes across 33 dining establishments, nearly half of which showcase foods from other nations. 

A close look at this small city ― which in many ways represents a lot of smaller American communities across the nation ― demonstrates just how scarce our dining scene would be without the influence of other countries. Without immigrants to introduce those cuisines, our options would be cut in half, and our lives would be blander because of it.

We made a map so you can see for yourself. The yellow dots indicate each of the 33 restaurants located in Northampton. Scroll to the right, and you’ll see the current restaurant scene in town. Scroll to the left, and you’ll see how many restaurants would remain without the influence of immigrant cuisine ― only 16 remain.

Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam are just some of the nations represented in downtown Northampton’s 17 immigrant-influenced restaurants ― and it’s all thanks to non-native residents who have influenced the way we eat. 

The Banh Mi Spot, located at the east end of Main Street, serves traditional Vietnamese sandwiches that rival some of the best in Brooklyn. It’s been in business for three years in Northampton and is an appreciated part of the dining scene. “The Northampton community has been very welcoming,” manager Sitha Ok told HuffPost. “We actually won Best of the Valley Advocate three times in a row.”

The Banh Mi Spot is owned by Ok’s family friends, who are Vietnamese and Cambodian ― and his family works closely with them. Ok manages the place and his brother is one of the cooks in the kitchen. Ok, born in Amherst, Mass. to Cambodian parents, wants to make banh mi as known and loved as burritos. “Everybody knows Mexican food, but not many people know Vietnamese food ― how different it is, and how fresh. We’re just trying to help people be more aware, and it helps that everybody loves food.”

This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food." Restaurant owner Martin Guillermo Carrera

Directly across the street is La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant, which has been in business on Main Street since 1989. The Mexican-born owner, Martin Guillermo Carrera, says that when he first moved to Northampton you couldn’t find any Mexican food products anywhere. The only corn tortilla he could get his hands on came out of a can. When he opened up shop he had to ship in all his ingredients from Chicago. As a bigger Mexican population moved out east, ingredients became easier to locate. “This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food,” Carrera told HuffPost. 

Carrera, who has 11 brothers and sisters, discussed the current president during our talk. “All twelve of us were all insulted when Trump said Mexico sends its worst ― we served in the military ― his words cheapened our contribution to this country,” he shared.

But Carrera’s contribution with La Veracruzana has been well appreciated within the Northampton community. And still, within his own restaurant, his staff is affected by Trump’s words and his stance on immigration. “I think people are all nervous for some family members or friends they may have,” Carrera explained.

Adam Dunetz, owner of the breakfast and lunch spot the Green Bean and popular coffee shop The Roost, offers another perspective on how non-native speakers have shaped our American dining scene ― and his insight all happens behind closed doors.

Hiring [immigrants] has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. ... I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.” Restaurant owner Adam Dunetz

Dunetz has been in business for over nine years now, and he says he’s never had many non-native speakers in his employment ― until recently. All within the past year, Dunetz told HuffPost, that has changed drastically ― reaching close to 18 percent of his staff ― and he couldn’t be more thankful. His non-native speaking staff is mostly from El Salvador and Mexico.

“The work ethic is unlike anything that I’m familiar with in my experience running these restaurants. I’ve done the Green Bean for nine and a half years, The Roost for six years, I’ve worked with phenomenal employees,” Dunetz told HuffPost. But “these guys work for me for eight hours as hard as I’ve seen anyone work for me, and they usually go on to another job where they do the same thing at night ― probably for another eight hours and probably just as great over there ― they go to bed and do it again in the morning, happy to be there with a smile on their face.”

Dunetz said that this change in his staff came when he was starting to lose some steam in the restaurant industry. “Hiring these folks has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. How could it not influence everybody to see these people that are so appreciative of the work, that work so hard, that are going to work somewhere else when they’re done with here? I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.”

“Their addition to my team in both places has been incalculable in ways that’s just really hard to measure, but really significant,” Dunetz sums up.

All that would be lost in an America where immigrants are no longer welcome. 

Here’s a list of the restaurants on the main thoroughfare ― which includes Main Street and a small section where Main becomes Bridge Road ― that are represented on the map above. Restaurants that primarily feature immigrant cuisine are bolded:

Amanouz Cafe ― 44 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium ― 141 Main St. Northampton MA 01060

Bueno Y Sano ― 134 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Bruegger’s Bagels ― 96 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Dobra Tea ―  186 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Filo’s Greek Taverna ― 279 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Fitzwilly’s ― 23 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Go Berry ― 80 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Green Bean ― 241 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Haymarket Cafe ― 185 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

India Palace ― 28 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant ― 31 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Local Burger ― 6 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Mama Iguana’s ― 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Moshi Moshi ― 4 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Noodle’s ― 257 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Nourish Wellness ― 10 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Oriental Taste ― 41 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pho Vietnam/The Bahn Mi Spot ― 18 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pinocchio Pizzeria ― 122 Main St #3, Northampton, MA 01060 

Pita Pocket ― 193 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe ― 235 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 (though this restaurant serves pizza, most of its fare is considered American)

Spoleto ― 1 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Starbuck’s ― 211 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sweeties Fine Chocolates And Confection ― 68 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Tart Baking ― 192 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Teapot ― 116 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Thai Garden ― 2 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Dirty Truth ― 29 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Foundry ― 24 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Roost ― 1 Market St, Northampton, MA 01060

Toasted Owl Tavern ― 21 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Viva Fresh Pasta ― 249 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

  type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58c0813fe4b0ed718269ade8,56cdbd74e4b0ec6725e48381,58ca981ee4b0be71dcf1e511

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[rtscrndr53704]

Here's What The American Dining Scene Would Look Like Without Immigrants

In light of President Donald Trump’s recent threats to immigrants in the United States, these days we’re becoming more and more aware of the value that other cultures bring to our nation. A quick look at the current American dining scene, and this value becomes instantly palpable.

You can taste it in the kebab carts on the street corners of New York. You can smell it walking past French bakeries that pop up in our metropolitan areas. In fact, entire neighborhoods in big American cities are defined by immigrant cuisine. Think Koreatown in New York City, Little India along Devon Ave. in Chicago, or Thai Town in Los Angeles.

You can also see it in small cities and towns across America. Take, for example, the small city of Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Northampton, also known as The Paradise City, is located in Western Massachusetts, 35 miles shy of the Vermont border and just east of the Berkshires. It feels like a place where the American dream is alive and strong. The small city of nearly 28,000 residents is a charming locale where small businesses, restaurants and bakeries thrive.

Northampton is the kind of place where people still stroll along Main Street, where folks linger in downtown Pulaski Park, and where you’ll likely see at least familiar face during an outing. Northampton also happens to be where I live.

There is one area, however, where Northampton fails and that’s in its diversity. According to the United States Census, as of 2010 Northampton is almost 88 percent white. (Nearly seven percent Latino, four percent Asian and about three percent black.) This is not representative of the demographics of the United States as a whole, in which 77 percent of the population is white, 13 percent black, nearly 18 percent Latino and close to 6 percent Asian as of 2015.

Despite these disproportionate numbers, this small New England city represents the people of the world through its cuisine in a big way. Just walking along Main Street ― the main thoroughfare that runs just below Smith College ��� one comes across 33 dining establishments, nearly half of which showcase foods from other nations. 

A close look at this small city ― which in many ways represents a lot of smaller American communities across the nation ― demonstrates just how scarce our dining scene would be without the influence of other countries. Without immigrants to introduce those cuisines, our options would be cut in half, and our lives would be blander because of it.

We made a map so you can see for yourself. The yellow dots indicate each of the 33 restaurants located in Northampton. Scroll to the right, and you’ll see the current restaurant scene in town. Scroll to the left, and you’ll see how many restaurants would remain without the influence of immigrant cuisine ― only 16 remain.

Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam are just some of the nations represented in downtown Northampton’s 17 immigrant-influenced restaurants ― and it’s all thanks to non-native residents who have influenced the way we eat. 

The Banh Mi Spot, located at the east end of Main Street, serves traditional Vietnamese sandwiches that rival some of the best in Brooklyn. It’s been in business for three years in Northampton and is an appreciated part of the dining scene. “The Northampton community has been very welcoming,” manager Sitha Ok told HuffPost. “We actually won Best of the Valley Advocate three times in a row.”

The Banh Mi Spot is owned by Ok’s family friends, who are Vietnamese and Cambodian ― and his family works closely with them. Ok manages the place and his brother is one of the cooks in the kitchen. Ok, born in Amherst, Mass. to Cambodian parents, wants to make banh mi as known and loved as burritos. “Everybody knows Mexican food, but not many people know Vietnamese food ― how different it is, and how fresh. We’re just trying to help people be more aware, and it helps that everybody loves food.”

This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food." Restaurant owner Martin Guillermo Carrera

Directly across the street is La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant, which has been in business on Main Street since 1989. The Mexican-born owner, Martin Guillermo Carrera, says that when he first moved to Northampton you couldn’t find any Mexican food products anywhere. The only corn tortilla he could get his hands on came out of a can. When he opened up shop he had to ship in all his ingredients from Chicago. As a bigger Mexican population moved out east, ingredients became easier to locate. “This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food,” Carrera told HuffPost. 

Carrera, who has 11 brothers and sisters, discussed the current president during our talk. “All twelve of us were all insulted when Trump said Mexico sends its worst ― we served in the military ― his words cheapened our contribution to this country,” he shared.

But Carrera’s contribution with La Veracruzana has been well appreciated within the Northampton community. And still, within his own restaurant, his staff is affected by Trump’s words and his stance on immigration. “I think people are all nervous for some family members or friends they may have,” Carrera explained.

Adam Dunetz, owner of the breakfast and lunch spot the Green Bean and popular coffee shop The Roost, offers another perspective on how non-native speakers have shaped our American dining scene ― and his insight all happens behind closed doors.

Hiring [immigrants] has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. ... I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.” Restaurant owner Adam Dunetz

Dunetz has been in business for over nine years now, and he says he’s never had many non-native speakers in his employment ― until recently. All within the past year, Dunetz told HuffPost, that has changed drastically ― reaching close to 18 percent of his staff ― and he couldn’t be more thankful. His non-native speaking staff is mostly from El Salvador and Mexico.

“The work ethic is unlike anything that I’m familiar with in my experience running these restaurants. I’ve done the Green Bean for nine and a half years, The Roost for six years, I’ve worked with phenomenal employees,” Dunetz told HuffPost. But “these guys work for me for eight hours as hard as I’ve seen anyone work for me, and they usually go on to another job where they do the same thing at night ― probably for another eight hours and probably just as great over there ― they go to bed and do it again in the morning, happy to be there with a smile on their face.”

Dunetz said that this change in his staff came when he was starting to lose some steam in the restaurant industry. “Hiring these folks has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. How could it not influence everybody to see these people that are so appreciative of the work, that work so hard, that are going to work somewhere else when they’re done with here? I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.”

“Their addition to my team in both places has been incalculable in ways that’s just really hard to measure, but really significant,” Dunetz sums up.

All that would be lost in an America where immigrants are no longer welcome. 

Here’s a list of the restaurants on the main thoroughfare ― which includes Main Street and a small section where Main becomes Bridge Road ― that are represented on the map above. Restaurants that primarily feature immigrant cuisine are bolded:

Amanouz Cafe ― 44 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium ― 141 Main St. Northampton MA 01060

Bueno Y Sano ― 134 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Bruegger’s Bagels ― 96 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Dobra Tea ―  186 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Filo’s Greek Taverna ― 279 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Fitzwilly’s ― 23 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Go Berry ― 80 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Green Bean ― 241 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Haymarket Cafe ― 185 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

India Palace ― 28 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant ― 31 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Local Burger ― 6 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Mama Iguana’s ― 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Moshi Moshi ― 4 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Noodle’s ― 257 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Nourish Wellness ― 10 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Oriental Taste ― 41 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pho Vietnam/The Bahn Mi Spot ― 18 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pinocchio Pizzeria ― 122 Main St #3, Northampton, MA 01060 

Pita Pocket ― 193 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe ― 235 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 (though this restaurant serves pizza, most of its fare is considered American)

Spoleto ― 1 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Starbuck’s ― 211 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sweeties Fine Chocolates And Confection ― 68 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Tart Baking ― 192 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Teapot ― 116 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Thai Garden ― 2 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Dirty Truth ― 29 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Foundry ― 24 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Roost ― 1 Market St, Northampton, MA 01060

Toasted Owl Tavern ― 21 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Viva Fresh Pasta ― 249 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

  type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58c0813fe4b0ed718269ade8,56cdbd74e4b0ec6725e48381,58ca981ee4b0be71dcf1e511

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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[grgedoors02142]

Here's What The American Dining Scene Would Look Like Without Immigrants

In light of President Donald Trump’s recent threats to immigrants in the United States, these days we’re becoming more and more aware of the value that other cultures bring to our nation. A quick look at the current American dining scene, and this value becomes instantly palpable.

You can taste it in the kebab carts on the street corners of New York. You can smell it walking past French bakeries that pop up in our metropolitan areas. In fact, entire neighborhoods in big American cities are defined by immigrant cuisine. Think Koreatown in New York City, Little India along Devon Ave. in Chicago, or Thai Town in Los Angeles.

You can also see it in small cities and towns across America. Take, for example, the small city of Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Northampton, also known as The Paradise City, is located in Western Massachusetts, 35 miles shy of the Vermont border and just east of the Berkshires. It feels like a place where the American dream is alive and strong. The small city of nearly 28,000 residents is a charming locale where small businesses, restaurants and bakeries thrive.

Northampton is the kind of place where people still stroll along Main Street, where folks linger in downtown Pulaski Park, and where you’ll likely see at least familiar face during an outing. Northampton also happens to be where I live.

There is one area, however, where Northampton fails and that’s in its diversity. According to the United States Census, as of 2010 Northampton is almost 88 percent white. (Nearly seven percent Latino, four percent Asian and about three percent black.) This is not representative of the demographics of the United States as a whole, in which 77 percent of the population is white, 13 percent black, nearly 18 percent Latino and close to 6 percent Asian as of 2015.

Despite these disproportionate numbers, this small New England city represents the people of the world through its cuisine in a big way. Just walking along Main Street ― the main thoroughfare that runs just below Smith College ― one comes across 33 dining establishments, nearly half of which showcase foods from other nations. 

A close look at this small city ― which in many ways represents a lot of smaller American communities across the nation ― demonstrates just how scarce our dining scene would be without the influence of other countries. Without immigrants to introduce those cuisines, our options would be cut in half, and our lives would be blander because of it.

We made a map so you can see for yourself. The yellow dots indicate each of the 33 restaurants located in Northampton. Scroll to the right, and you’ll see the current restaurant scene in town. Scroll to the left, and you’ll see how many restaurants would remain without the influence of immigrant cuisine ― only 16 remain.

Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam are just some of the nations represented in downtown Northampton’s 17 immigrant-influenced restaurants ― and it’s all thanks to non-native residents who have influenced the way we eat. 

The Banh Mi Spot, located at the east end of Main Street, serves traditional Vietnamese sandwiches that rival some of the best in Brooklyn. It’s been in business for three years in Northampton and is an appreciated part of the dining scene. “The Northampton community has been very welcoming,” manager Sitha Ok told HuffPost. “We actually won Best of the Valley Advocate three times in a row.”

The Banh Mi Spot is owned by Ok’s family friends, who are Vietnamese and Cambodian ― and his family works closely with them. Ok manages the place and his brother is one of the cooks in the kitchen. Ok, born in Amherst, Mass. to Cambodian parents, wants to make banh mi as known and loved as burritos. “Everybody knows Mexican food, but not many people know Vietnamese food ― how different it is, and how fresh. We’re just trying to help people be more aware, and it helps that everybody loves food.”

This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food." Restaurant owner Martin Guillermo Carrera

Directly across the street is La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant, which has been in business on Main Street since 1989. The Mexican-born owner, Martin Guillermo Carrera, says that when he first moved to Northampton you couldn’t find any Mexican food products anywhere. The only corn tortilla he could get his hands on came out of a can. When he opened up shop he had to ship in all his ingredients from Chicago. As a bigger Mexican population moved out east, ingredients became easier to locate. “This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food,” Carrera told HuffPost. 

Carrera, who has 11 brothers and sisters, discussed the current president during our talk. “All twelve of us were all insulted when Trump said Mexico sends its worst ― we served in the military ― his words cheapened our contribution to this country,” he shared.

But Carrera’s contribution with La Veracruzana has been well appreciated within the Northampton community. And still, within his own restaurant, his staff is affected by Trump’s words and his stance on immigration. “I think people are all nervous for some family members or friends they may have,” Carrera explained.

Adam Dunetz, owner of the breakfast and lunch spot the Green Bean and popular coffee shop The Roost, offers another perspective on how non-native speakers have shaped our American dining scene ― and his insight all happens behind closed doors.

Hiring [immigrants] has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. ... I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.” Restaurant owner Adam Dunetz

Dunetz has been in business for over nine years now, and he says he’s never had many non-native speakers in his employment ― until recently. All within the past year, Dunetz told HuffPost, that has changed drastically ― reaching close to 18 percent of his staff ― and he couldn’t be more thankful. His non-native speaking staff is mostly from El Salvador and Mexico.

“The work ethic is unlike anything that I’m familiar with in my experience running these restaurants. I’ve done the Green Bean for nine and a half years, The Roost for six years, I’ve worked with phenomenal employees,” Dunetz told HuffPost. But “these guys work for me for eight hours as hard as I’ve seen anyone work for me, and they usually go on to another job where they do the same thing at night ― probably for another eight hours and probably just as great over there ― they go to bed and do it again in the morning, happy to be there with a smile on their face.”

Dunetz said that this change in his staff came when he was starting to lose some steam in the restaurant industry. “Hiring these folks has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. How could it not influence everybody to see these people that are so appreciative of the work, that work so hard, that are going to work somewhere else when they’re done with here? I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.”

“Their addition to my team in both places has been incalculable in ways that’s just really hard to measure, but really significant,” Dunetz sums up.

All that would be lost in an America where immigrants are no longer welcome. 

Here’s a list of the restaurants on the main thoroughfare ― which includes Main Street and a small section where Main becomes Bridge Road ― that are represented on the map above. Restaurants that primarily feature immigrant cuisine are bolded:

Amanouz Cafe ― 44 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium ― 141 Main St. Northampton MA 01060

Bueno Y Sano ― 134 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Bruegger’s Bagels ― 96 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Dobra Tea ―  186 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Filo’s Greek Taverna ― 279 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Fitzwilly’s ― 23 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Go Berry ― 80 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Green Bean ― 241 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Haymarket Cafe ― 185 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

India Palace ― 28 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant ― 31 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Local Burger ― 6 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Mama Iguana’s ― 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Moshi Moshi ― 4 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Noodle’s ― 257 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Nourish Wellness ― 10 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Oriental Taste ― 41 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pho Vietnam/The Bahn Mi Spot ― 18 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pinocchio Pizzeria ― 122 Main St #3, Northampton, MA 01060 

Pita Pocket ― 193 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe ― 235 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 (though this restaurant serves pizza, most of its fare is considered American)

Spoleto ― 1 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Starbuck’s ― 211 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sweeties Fine Chocolates And Confection ― 68 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Tart Baking ― 192 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Teapot ― 116 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Thai Garden ― 2 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Dirty Truth ― 29 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Foundry ― 24 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Roost ― 1 Market St, Northampton, MA 01060

Toasted Owl Tavern ― 21 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Viva Fresh Pasta ― 249 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

  type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58c0813fe4b0ed718269ade8,56cdbd74e4b0ec6725e48381,58ca981ee4b0be71dcf1e511

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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[pat78701]

Here's What The American Dining Scene Would Look Like Without Immigrants

In light of President Donald Trump’s recent threats to immigrants in the United States, these days we’re becoming more and more aware of the value that other cultures bring to our nation. A quick look at the current American dining scene, and this value becomes instantly palpable.

You can taste it in the kebab carts on the street corners of New York. You can smell it walking past French bakeries that pop up in our metropolitan areas. In fact, entire neighborhoods in big American cities are defined by immigrant cuisine. Think Koreatown in New York City, Little India along Devon Ave. in Chicago, or Thai Town in Los Angeles.

You can also see it in small cities and towns across America. Take, for example, the small city of Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Northampton, also known as The Paradise City, is located in Western Massachusetts, 35 miles shy of the Vermont border and just east of the Berkshires. It feels like a place where the American dream is alive and strong. The small city of nearly 28,000 residents is a charming locale where small businesses, restaurants and bakeries thrive.

Northampton is the kind of place where people still stroll along Main Street, where folks linger in downtown Pulaski Park, and where you’ll likely see at least familiar face during an outing. Northampton also happens to be where I live.

There is one area, however, where Northampton fails and that’s in its diversity. According to the United States Census, as of 2010 Northampton is almost 88 percent white. (Nearly seven percent Latino, four percent Asian and about three percent black.) This is not representative of the demographics of the United States as a whole, in which 77 percent of the population is white, 13 percent black, nearly 18 percent Latino and close to 6 percent Asian as of 2015.

Despite these disproportionate numbers, this small New England city represents the people of the world through its cuisine in a big way. Just walking along Main Street ― the main thoroughfare that runs just below Smith College ― one comes across 33 dining establishments, nearly half of which showcase foods from other nations. 

A close look at this small city ― which in many ways represents a lot of smaller American communities across the nation ― demonstrates just how scarce our dining scene would be without the influence of other countries. Without immigrants to introduce those cuisines, our options would be cut in half, and our lives would be blander because of it.

We made a map so you can see for yourself. The yellow dots indicate each of the 33 restaurants located in Northampton. Scroll to the right, and you’ll see the current restaurant scene in town. Scroll to the left, and you’ll see how many restaurants would remain without the influence of immigrant cuisine ― only 16 remain.

Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam are just some of the nations represented in downtown Northampton’s 17 immigrant-influenced restaurants ― and it’s all thanks to non-native residents who have influenced the way we eat. 

The Banh Mi Spot, located at the east end of Main Street, serves traditional Vietnamese sandwiches that rival some of the best in Brooklyn. It’s been in business for three years in Northampton and is an appreciated part of the dining scene. “The Northampton community has been very welcoming,” manager Sitha Ok told HuffPost. “We actually won Best of the Valley Advocate three times in a row.”

The Banh Mi Spot is owned by Ok’s family friends, who are Vietnamese and Cambodian ― and his family works closely with them. Ok manages the place and his brother is one of the cooks in the kitchen. Ok, born in Amherst, Mass. to Cambodian parents, wants to make banh mi as known and loved as burritos. “Everybody knows Mexican food, but not many people know Vietnamese food ― how different it is, and how fresh. We’re just trying to help people be more aware, and it helps that everybody loves food.”

This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food." Restaurant owner Martin Guillermo Carrera

Directly across the street is La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant, which has been in business on Main Street since 1989. The Mexican-born owner, Martin Guillermo Carrera, says that when he first moved to Northampton you couldn’t find any Mexican food products anywhere. The only corn tortilla he could get his hands on came out of a can. When he opened up shop he had to ship in all his ingredients from Chicago. As a bigger Mexican population moved out east, ingredients became easier to locate. “This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food,” Carrera told HuffPost. 

Carrera, who has 11 brothers and sisters, discussed the current president during our talk. “All twelve of us were all insulted when Trump said Mexico sends its worst ― we served in the military ― his words cheapened our contribution to this country,” he shared.

But Carrera’s contribution with La Veracruzana has been well appreciated within the Northampton community. And still, within his own restaurant, his staff is affected by Trump’s words and his stance on immigration. “I think people are all nervous for some family members or friends they may have,” Carrera explained.

Adam Dunetz, owner of the breakfast and lunch spot the Green Bean and popular coffee shop The Roost, offers another perspective on how non-native speakers have shaped our American dining scene ― and his insight all happens behind closed doors.

Hiring [immigrants] has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. ... I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.” Restaurant owner Adam Dunetz

Dunetz has been in business for over nine years now, and he says he’s never had many non-native speakers in his employment ― until recently. All within the past year, Dunetz told HuffPost, that has changed drastically ― reaching close to 18 percent of his staff ― and he couldn’t be more thankful. His non-native speaking staff is mostly from El Salvador and Mexico.

“The work ethic is unlike anything that I’m familiar with in my experience running these restaurants. I’ve done the Green Bean for nine and a half years, The Roost for six years, I’ve worked with phenomenal employees,” Dunetz told HuffPost. But “these guys work for me for eight hours as hard as I’ve seen anyone work for me, and they usually go on to another job where they do the same thing at night ― probably for another eight hours and probably just as great over there ― they go to bed and do it again in the morning, happy to be there with a smile on their face.”

Dunetz said that this change in his staff came when he was starting to lose some steam in the restaurant industry. “Hiring these folks has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. How could it not influence everybody to see these people that are so appreciative of the work, that work so hard, that are going to work somewhere else when they’re done with here? I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.”

“Their addition to my team in both places has been incalculable in ways that’s just really hard to measure, but really significant,” Dunetz sums up.

All that would be lost in an America where immigrants are no longer welcome. 

Here’s a list of the restaurants on the main thoroughfare ― which includes Main Street and a small section where Main becomes Bridge Road ― that are represented on the map above. Restaurants that primarily feature immigrant cuisine are bolded:

Amanouz Cafe ― 44 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium ― 141 Main St. Northampton MA 01060

Bueno Y Sano ― 134 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Bruegger’s Bagels ― 96 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Dobra Tea ―  186 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Filo’s Greek Taverna ― 279 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Fitzwilly’s ― 23 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Go Berry ― 80 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Green Bean ― 241 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Haymarket Cafe ― 185 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

India Palace ― 28 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant ― 31 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Local Burger ― 6 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Mama Iguana’s ― 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Moshi Moshi ― 4 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Noodle’s ― 257 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Nourish Wellness ― 10 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Oriental Taste ― 41 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pho Vietnam/The Bahn Mi Spot ― 18 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pinocchio Pizzeria ― 122 Main St #3, Northampton, MA 01060 

Pita Pocket ― 193 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe ― 235 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 (though this restaurant serves pizza, most of its fare is considered American)

Spoleto ― 1 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Starbuck’s ― 211 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sweeties Fine Chocolates And Confection ― 68 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Tart Baking ― 192 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Teapot ― 116 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Thai Garden ― 2 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Dirty Truth ― 29 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Foundry ― 24 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Roost ― 1 Market St, Northampton, MA 01060

Toasted Owl Tavern ― 21 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Viva Fresh Pasta ― 249 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

  type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58c0813fe4b0ed718269ade8,56cdbd74e4b0ec6725e48381,58ca981ee4b0be71dcf1e511

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2pvkJAO

[repwincoml4a0a5]

Here's What The American Dining Scene Would Look Like Without Immigrants

In light of President Donald Trump’s recent threats to immigrants in the United States, these days we’re becoming more and more aware of the value that other cultures bring to our nation. A quick look at the current American dining scene, and this value becomes instantly palpable.

You can taste it in the kebab carts on the street corners of New York. You can smell it walking past French bakeries that pop up in our metropolitan areas. In fact, entire neighborhoods in big American cities are defined by immigrant cuisine. Think Koreatown in New York City, Little India along Devon Ave. in Chicago, or Thai Town in Los Angeles.

You can also see it in small cities and towns across America. Take, for example, the small city of Northampton, Massachusetts. 

Northampton, also known as The Paradise City, is located in Western Massachusetts, 35 miles shy of the Vermont border and just east of the Berkshires. It feels like a place where the American dream is alive and strong. The small city of nearly 28,000 residents is a charming locale where small businesses, restaurants and bakeries thrive.

Northampton is the kind of place where people still stroll along Main Street, where folks linger in downtown Pulaski Park, and where you’ll likely see at least familiar face during an outing. Northampton also happens to be where I live.

There is one area, however, where Northampton fails and that’s in its diversity. According to the United States Census, as of 2010 Northampton is almost 88 percent white. (Nearly seven percent Latino, four percent Asian and about three percent black.) This is not representative of the demographics of the United States as a whole, in which 77 percent of the population is white, 13 percent black, nearly 18 percent Latino and close to 6 percent Asian as of 2015.

Despite these disproportionate numbers, this small New England city represents the people of the world through its cuisine in a big way. Just walking along Main Street ― the main thoroughfare that runs just below Smith College ― one comes across 33 dining establishments, nearly half of which showcase foods from other nations. 

A close look at this small city ― which in many ways represents a lot of smaller American communities across the nation ― demonstrates just how scarce our dining scene would be without the influence of other countries. Without immigrants to introduce those cuisines, our options would be cut in half, and our lives would be blander because of it.

We made a map so you can see for yourself. The yellow dots indicate each of the 33 restaurants located in Northampton. Scroll to the right, and you’ll see the current restaurant scene in town. Scroll to the left, and you’ll see how many restaurants would remain without the influence of immigrant cuisine ― only 16 remain.

Thailand, Morocco, Mexico and Vietnam are just some of the nations represented in downtown Northampton’s 17 immigrant-influenced restaurants ― and it’s all thanks to non-native residents who have influenced the way we eat. 

The Banh Mi Spot, located at the east end of Main Street, serves traditional Vietnamese sandwiches that rival some of the best in Brooklyn. It’s been in business for three years in Northampton and is an appreciated part of the dining scene. “The Northampton community has been very welcoming,” manager Sitha Ok told HuffPost. “We actually won Best of the Valley Advocate three times in a row.”

The Banh Mi Spot is owned by Ok’s family friends, who are Vietnamese and Cambodian ― and his family works closely with them. Ok manages the place and his brother is one of the cooks in the kitchen. Ok, born in Amherst, Mass. to Cambodian parents, wants to make banh mi as known and loved as burritos. “Everybody knows Mexican food, but not many people know Vietnamese food ― how different it is, and how fresh. We’re just trying to help people be more aware, and it helps that everybody loves food.”

This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food." Restaurant owner Martin Guillermo Carrera

Directly across the street is La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant, which has been in business on Main Street since 1989. The Mexican-born owner, Martin Guillermo Carrera, says that when he first moved to Northampton you couldn’t find any Mexican food products anywhere. The only corn tortilla he could get his hands on came out of a can. When he opened up shop he had to ship in all his ingredients from Chicago. As a bigger Mexican population moved out east, ingredients became easier to locate. “This is how food changes this country, when immigrants bring their culture and their food,” Carrera told HuffPost. 

Carrera, who has 11 brothers and sisters, discussed the current president during our talk. “All twelve of us were all insulted when Trump said Mexico sends its worst ― we served in the military ― his words cheapened our contribution to this country,” he shared.

But Carrera’s contribution with La Veracruzana has been well appreciated within the Northampton community. And still, within his own restaurant, his staff is affected by Trump’s words and his stance on immigration. “I think people are all nervous for some family members or friends they may have,” Carrera explained.

Adam Dunetz, owner of the breakfast and lunch spot the Green Bean and popular coffee shop The Roost, offers another perspective on how non-native speakers have shaped our American dining scene ― and his insight all happens behind closed doors.

Hiring [immigrants] has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. ... I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.” Restaurant owner Adam Dunetz

Dunetz has been in business for over nine years now, and he says he’s never had many non-native speakers in his employment ― until recently. All within the past year, Dunetz told HuffPost, that has changed drastically ― reaching close to 18 percent of his staff ― and he couldn’t be more thankful. His non-native speaking staff is mostly from El Salvador and Mexico.

“The work ethic is unlike anything that I’m familiar with in my experience running these restaurants. I’ve done the Green Bean for nine and a half years, The Roost for six years, I’ve worked with phenomenal employees,” Dunetz told HuffPost. But “these guys work for me for eight hours as hard as I’ve seen anyone work for me, and they usually go on to another job where they do the same thing at night ― probably for another eight hours and probably just as great over there ― they go to bed and do it again in the morning, happy to be there with a smile on their face.”

Dunetz said that this change in his staff came when he was starting to lose some steam in the restaurant industry. “Hiring these folks has really been a significant cultural shift in my restaurant. How could it not influence everybody to see these people that are so appreciative of the work, that work so hard, that are going to work somewhere else when they’re done with here? I think that they’ve helped people recognize the value of having a good job.”

“Their addition to my team in both places has been incalculable in ways that’s just really hard to measure, but really significant,” Dunetz sums up.

All that would be lost in an America where immigrants are no longer welcome. 

Here’s a list of the restaurants on the main thoroughfare ― which includes Main Street and a small section where Main becomes Bridge Road ― that are represented on the map above. Restaurants that primarily feature immigrant cuisine are bolded:

Amanouz Cafe ― 44 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Ben & Bill’s Chocolate Emporium ― 141 Main St. Northampton MA 01060

Bueno Y Sano ― 134 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Bruegger’s Bagels ― 96 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Dobra Tea ―  186 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Filo’s Greek Taverna ― 279 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Fitzwilly’s ― 23 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Go Berry ― 80 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Green Bean ― 241 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Haymarket Cafe ― 185 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

India Palace ― 28 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

La Veracruzana Mexican Restaurant ― 31 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Local Burger ― 6 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Mama Iguana’s ― 274 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Moshi Moshi ― 4 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Noodle’s ― 257 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Nourish Wellness ― 10 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Oriental Taste ― 41 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pho Vietnam/The Bahn Mi Spot ― 18 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Pinocchio Pizzeria ― 122 Main St #3, Northampton, MA 01060 

Pita Pocket ― 193 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sam’s Pizzeria and Cafe ― 235 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 (though this restaurant serves pizza, most of its fare is considered American)

Spoleto ― 1 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

Starbuck’s ― 211 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Sweeties Fine Chocolates And Confection ― 68 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Tart Baking ― 192 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Teapot ― 116 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060 

Thai Garden ― 2 Bridge St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Dirty Truth ― 29 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Foundry ― 24 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

The Roost ― 1 Market St, Northampton, MA 01060

Toasted Owl Tavern ― 21 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Viva Fresh Pasta ― 249 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

  type=type=RelatedArticlesblockTitle=Related... + articlesList=58c0813fe4b0ed718269ade8,56cdbd74e4b0ec6725e48381,58ca981ee4b0be71dcf1e511

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

from DIYS http://ift.tt/2pvkJAO