VOL 30 NO 17 | 2011

VOL 30 NO 17 APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2011 FREE 29 YEARS YOUR VOICE

PRSRT STDU.S. Postage PaidPermit No. 746Seattle, WA

■ 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • [email protected] • [email protected] • www.nwasianweekly.com

THE INSIDE STORYPUB’S BLOGA very grand opening for Uwajimaya » P. 10

HAPPY NEW YEAR!Asians usher in the spring with celebrations » P. 11

NAMES IN THE NEWSWho’s doing what in the Asian community? » P. 2

WORLD NEWSJust how dangerous is driving a rickshaw? » P. 5

ON THE SHELFNWAW’s must-reads for moms » P. 7

By Jean WongNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

With the nuclear situation unclear in Japan, expats are urged to evacuate affected areas. Although the reac-tors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant have been in cold shutdown since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, according to the International Atomic En-ergy Agency (IAEA), the situation remains serious and radiation monitoring is ongo-ing. The U.S. State Depart-ment, among other agencies from other nations, is pro-

viding voluntary evacuation for American citizens who are currently in Japan. How-ever, many are refusing to leave despite the risk from radiation and inconsistent food supplies.

John Blakeney, an Irish student of urban planning at the University of Tokyo, expressed trust that the Jap-anese government is doing the best it can.

When asked why he chose to stay, he said, “To be hon-est, I never really thought about leaving. As it stands,

{see JAPAN cont’d on page 13}

Should I stay or should I go?Despite fears surrounding Japan’s nuclear situation, many expats stay put

An SH-60B helicopter flies over the port of Sendai to deliver more than 1,500 pounds of food to survivors of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami.

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By Constance WongNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Last Friday, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Interim Super-intendent Dr. Susan Enfield issued a letter to SPS employ-ees explaining that human resources head Ann H. Chan will be leaving due to reor-ganization. In the letter, En-field stated, “After five months as chief talent officer, Ann

Chan will be leaving the position. I appreci-ate her guidance during a difficult period for our

{see CHAN cont’d on page 15}

SPS superintendent cleans house, HR head a casualty

Beacon Hill: a cultural melting pot made of neighbors — P. 8

... and the Emerald City’s unofficial center for green thumbs — P. 9

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Site of Beacon Food Forest, facing south

Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield

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2 APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2011 asianweeklynorthwest

■ NAMES IN THE NEWSApril 5: Jeanne Chang is new Regal Bank director

Jeanne Chang has joined Regal Financial Bank as senior vice president and director of corporate affairs.

Chang has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services in-dustry. She most recently served as vice president and district marketing manager at KeyBank.

During her tenure at KeyBank, Chang held a number of leadership po-sitions, including district

marketing manager for Alaska, international banking center manger, and special projects manager in the international di-vision. She has worked with Northwest Audit & Adjustment Company, a subsidiary of Puget Sound Bank.

March 10: Social justice leaders honored at Legacy Event

The Center for Ethical Leadership (CEL) honored

three people at its 2011 Legacy Event. The event was held in the Rainier Room at Seattle Center.

Those honored were Executive Director of Chinese In-formation and Service Center Alaric Bien, Co-founder of Personal Safety Nets Judy Pigott, and Executive Direc-tor of Children’s Alliance Paola Maranan as Puget Sound leaders who have significantly advanced social, environ-mental, and economic justice.

March 26: Christopher Lu wins national music competition

Christopher Lu, of Redmond, won top hon-ors at the Music Teach-ers National Association (MTNA) Junior Piano Competition.

Lu is a 14-year-old fresh-man at Interlake High School in Bellevue. He was a national finalist in the 2010 MTNA Junior Piano Competition in Al-buquerque before winning this year’s competition. Lu was the first prize winner in the 2008 Seattle Interna-tional Piano Competition Junior Division. He made his orchestra debut at age

13 and has been featured on MSNBC, as well as local TV and radio stations. Lu has been a student of Peter Mack for the last four and a half years.

As a national competition winner, Lu received $1,000, provided by the Kawai America Corporation.

April 5: Seattleite Matt Chan represents Asians on reality power list

Local Asian American Matt Chan ranks 36 on The Hol-lywood Reporter’s Reality Power List. Chan, who is presi-dent of Screaming Flea Productions (“Hoarders,” “Sell This

House,” among many others), is the only person of color on the list. Additionally, Screaming Flea is the only company on the list not based in Los Angeles.

Chan graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Science in Speech/Broadcast Communications and Economics. Chan began his ca-reer in 1975, where he worked in Public Television in Portland, Ore. He was previously a pro-

ducer/director with KING-TV.

April 7: Sea Beez wraps up the year with finale party

Sea Beez, an ethnic media capacity building program, concluded its first phase a year after its launch with a finale party held on the third floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower. Featured at the party were local ethnic media outlets dis-plays — which will be exhibited until April 29. More than 100 people attended the event.

Sea Beez was founded by Dr. Julie Pham, who is man-aging editor of Northwest Vietnamese News/Nguoi Viet Tay Bac.

Jeanne Chang

Christopher Lu

Honorees (front, from left) Alaric Bien, Judy Pigott, and Paola Maranan stand with CEL Board Chair Roger Erskine (back, left) and CEL Executive Director Dale Nienow (back, right)

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Women of Power in law enforcement and the military

WHERE: New Hong Kong RestaurantADDRESS: 900 S. Jackson St. #203, SeattleWHEN: Friday, May 13, 2011 TIME: 11:30 a.m.—1:30 p.m.

Reservations for Luncheon:Discounted price of $25 if purchased by May 9. Full price

of $35 after May 9. Walk-ins $40. Student price of $15 with I.D. before May 9 ($25 for student walk-ins). No tickets will be mailed; confirmation is by e-mail only. To sponsor a table of 10 is $750 (Sponsor’s name will appear in the program flier. Sponsor’s name and logo will also appear in the North-west Asian Weekly.) Men are welcome!

To purchase tickets, go to www.brownpapertickets.com/event/93793 , or call us at 206-223-0623, or email [email protected].

For more information, visit womenofcolorempowered.com.

To reserve your space, fax this form to 206-223-0626 or send a check to Women of Color Empowered by May 9:

Women of Color EmpoweredP.O. Box 3468, Seattle, WA 98114

Name: __________________________________

Address: _________________________________

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Telephone: _______________________________

Fax: ____________________________________

Email: __________________________________

Organization: ____________________________

Title (if applicable): _______________________

Name of guests: __________________________

________________________________________

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Mastercard Visa

Card no.: ________________________________

Exp. date: _______________________________

Signature: _______________________________

Monica Hunter-AlexanderSergeantWashington State Patrol

Annette LouieCaptainKing County Sheriff’s Office

Colleen WilsonChiefPort of Seattle Police Dept.

Taylene WatsonChief of Social WorkDepartment of Veterans Admn. American Lake & Seattle

Traci WilliamsMilitary LiaisonSeahawks Security

Carmen BestCommunity Outreach Lieutenant Seattle Police Dept.

Erica HunterProgram AnalystSeattle Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration

Hisami YoshidaCorrectional Program ManagerStafford Creek Corrections Center

Denise “Cookie” BouldinDetective Seattle Police Dept.

Lisaye IshikawaCaptainKing County Dept. of Adult & Juvenile Detention

Linda HillNative American LiaisonSeattle Police Dept.

Parella LewisWeather Anchor/CorrespondentQ13 FOX News

Janice Mano LehmanColonelMadigan Army Medical Center

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PLANNING COMMITTEE:Winona Hollins-Hauge, Megumi Kobayashi, Bonnie Miller, Assunta Ng, Connie Sugahara, Elsie Taniguchi, Leny Valerio-Buford, Kiku Hayashi, Charlene Grinolds, Laurie Adams, Judy Lui, Elizabeth Younger, Elaine Kitamura, Lourdes Sampera Tsukada, Kathy Purcell, Angie Roarty, Sandra Sherman, Francine Griggs, and Yvonne Naum

Matt Chan

Julie Pham (center-right, in orange) with various Sea Beez ethnic media participants

29 YEARS YOUR VOICE APRIL 23 – APRIL 29, 2011 3

■ NATIONAL NEWS

■ COMMUNITY

The Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) will be hosting a meeting of the Chinatown-ID Clean Streets Committee on April 26, at IDEA Space in the Bush Hotel.

The meeting is the first of many regular meetings and will be a forum for information sharing regarding sanitation issues in the local community and how to solve them. The meeting will also aim to shape CIDBIA’s comprehensive Clean Streets Plan.

To join the committee or for more information, contact Julia Nelson at the CIDBIA at [email protected].

Chinatown-ID Clean Streets Committee looking for members

In light of the recent earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds Japanese nationals of certain U.S. immigration benefits available upon request.

The USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status. Temporary relief measures available to eligible Japa-nese nationals may include the following:

— Grant of an application for a change in or extension of non-immigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even when the request is filed after the authorized pe-riod of admission has expired;

— Re-parole of individuals granted parole by the USCIS;— Extension of certain grants of advance parole, and expe-

dited processing of advance parole requests;— Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of

requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 stu-

dents experiencing severe economic hardship;— Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate

relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (LPRs);— Expedited employment authorization where appropriate;— Assistance to LPRs stranded overseas without

immigration documents such as Green Cards. The USCIS and Department of State will coordinate on these matters when the LPR is stranded in a place that has no local USCIS office.

Visitors traveling under the Visa Waiver Program may visit a local USCIS office for assistance. Japanese nationals who are at a U.S. airport may contact the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office there.

For more information on USCIS humanitarian programs, visit www.uscis.gov or call the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.

Japanese nationals impacted by recent disaster may be eligible for immigration benefits

Flowers. Really, are they all that exciting? They just kind of sit there. Maybe they’re exciting if you’re a bee. Is your wife a bee? Is that what you’re saying to her when you give her flowers? “Hey honey, you’re a bee.” She’ll be ecstatic.

Want to give a real thrill? Give the small gift that could turn into something big.

Scratch odds vary by game. Must be 18 to purchase. Problem Gambling Helpline: 1-800-547-6133. Visit walottery.com for details.

By Kevin McGillTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Cao, the Vietnamese Amer-ican Republican who won, then lost a mostly Black, mostly Democratic con-gressional district in New Orleans, says he will run for statewide office this fall against Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, a recent

Republican convert. In an interview, Cao said that the state needs

a principled leader in the attorney general’s of-fice. He accused Caldwell of switching from the Democratic to the Republican party out of politi-cal expediency.

One campaign point is likely to be the state’s reaction to last year’s BP oil spill. Caldwell’s campaign website says Caldwell hasn’t been afraid to stand up to the oil giant, but Cao says he will be more aggressive in protecting the state’s economic, environmental, and health interests.

Ex-Rep. Cao says he’ll seek AG job

Former U.S. Rep. Joseph Cao


■ WORLD NEWS

■ NATIONAL

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi says she hopes that a new U.S. special envoy to Myanmar will be able to help usher in true democratic reforms in her country.

President Barack Obama last week nominated Derek Mitchell, a defense official and Asia expert, as U.S. special envoy to Myanmar. He would have the tough job of negotiating with its military dominated gov-

ernment and pushing for reform. The post still needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

“I’m a cautious optimist,” Suu Kyi told reporters Sunday. “As a special envoy, he probably sees that his duty is to try to bring about democratization of Burma as smoothly and quickly as possible. So we look upon him as a friend.”

Myanmar is also known as Burma. Suu Kyi’s opposition party, which won previous elec-

tions in 1990, but was blocked from taking power by the military, boycotted the last vote in November, calling it unfair.

Much of the international community also dismissed the elections as being rigged in favor of the junta.

Suu Kyi’s disbanded party, the National League for De-mocracy, held a religious ceremony in honor of Myanmar’s traditional New Year, which started Sunday after four days of festivities.

For the New Year, Suu Kyi said she wished for “peace and happiness and hope for the future.”

“Let’s hope that even if we do not get peace and happi-

ness immediately, we will have great hopes of peace and happiness to come,” Suu Kyi said.

The party also held a ceremony for three people it named as “the unsung heroes” — Buddhist monk U Aindaka and two party members, Khin Win and Than Naing. All three are serving long prison sentences for their pro-democracy work.

In the past 18 months, the Obama administration has shifted the long-standing U.S. policy of isolating Myan-mar’s generals, attempting to engage them while retaining sanctions imposed because of the military’s poor record on human rights and democracy.

The policy has made little headway. The United States says it is premature to lift sanctions. It is urging Myanmar to release its more than 2,000 political prisoners and open up its politics. Washington is also concerned about Myan-mar’s alleged nuclear ambitions and trade in weapons with North Korea.

Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi welcomes U.S. envoy nomination

Aung San Suu Kyi

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The White House Initiative on Asian Ameri-cans and Pacific Islanders issued a call to action encouraging Asian Americans and Pacific Is-landers (AAPI) community members to consider making a difference in the lives of children by be-coming teachers. As the baby boomer generation retires, the U.S. anticipates losing more than a million teachers. Today, AAPIs make up less than 1 percent of all teachers.

In his 2011 State of the Union address, Presi-dent Obama highlighted the importance of teach-ers stating, “If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation, if you want to make a differ-ence in the life of a child, become a teacher. Your country needs you.”

Earlier this year, to promote the teaching pro-fession among AAPI youth, the initiative hosted a roundtable featuring Commissioner Sefa Aina, TEACH Campaign Director Taryn Benarroch, teacher and singer-songwriter Clara Chung, and singer-songwriter David Choi. The discussion focused on the vital role teachers can play both in the classroom and in reforming education, and steps young people can take to become teachers. The purpose of the event was to change the way the community thinks about the teaching profes-sion as a way to help shape the future.

“We need to inspire the next generation to make a difference in the lives of students. This is a conversation that needs to continue among AAPI communities across the nation,” Commis-sioner Aina said. “Teachers are the unsung heroes of our country and we need more AAPIs to join their ranks.” Learn more about how you can become a teacher at www.TEACH.gov. Video from the roundtable is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVJ0IPE5yac.

White House calls on more youth to become teachers


■ WORLD NEWS

The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community.

The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: ”To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article. Subscriptions cost $30 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and

$25 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper

may be reprinted without permission.

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412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. [email protected] • [email protected] • www.nwasianweekly.com

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By Anna MatthewsTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KOCHI, India (AP) — Traditional drums rolled as hundreds of spectators bid fare-well and good luck Sunday to scores of flimsy autorickshaws starting the ride of a lifetime, from India’s southern tip to its northeastern edge.

Keeping limbs intact will likely be a real challenge for the 180 people from 19 coun-tries, who began the more than 3,000-mile ride as part of the Rickshaw Run, a five-year-old charity event.

Riding in a 150CC, four-gear, three-wheeled autorickshaw through any crowd-ed Indian city for just a few miles (kilo-meters) can be quite a thrill. A two-week

journey tackling the country’s highways, back lanes, mountains, and valleys in what the organizers describe as a “glorified lawnmower” qualifies as a bona fide adven-ture sport.

The run kicked off in Cochin in the southernmost state of Kerala and will end in Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya in the northeast.

“We are risking life, or at least a limb, for charity,” said Jenny Lucas, part of a three-woman team from the United States. “And for adventure, of course.”

The Rickshaw Run, which started in 2006, equips teams with an autorickshaw, permits, a starting point, and a destination,

{see RICKSHAW cont’d on page 12}

Ride of a life: Adventurers risk limbs to drive rickshaws in India

By Hyung-jin KimTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A day after meeting the school psychiatrist, a 19-year-old mathematics student at South Ko-rea’s most prestigious engineering college jumped to his death from a high-rise apart-ment. He was distressed over low grades.

The gifted student’s suicide last week was not an isolated incident — three other students have killed themselves since Janu-ary at the Korea Advanced Institute of Sci-ence and Technology, a school that admits only the brightest South Korean students.

The deaths of four young people might not normally draw attention in a nation all too familiar with suicide. South Korea has one of the world’s highest rates and the highest in the developed world. Several high-profile South Koreans, including for-mer President Roh Moo-hyun, have taken

their own lives in recent years. But by their occurrence at a university

that aspires to be a local version of Amer-ica’s vaunted Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the suicides have jolted the na-tion and left many wondering if South Ko-rean society’s unabashed pursuit of over-achievement has gone too far.

“We tend to consider everyone other than the first-place winner as losers,” said Kwak Keum-joo, a psychologist at Seoul National University. “As the society gets modern-ized, human relations have been subse-quently cut, as people don’t have friends to share their hardships and listen to their problems.”

The obsession with academic success has even given rise to a new expression among young people, “umchinah,” or my mother’s friend’s son — the elusive competitor who excels at everything.

The pressure to perform begins in high school. Classes begin around 8 a.m. and finish around 4 p.m., but in some schools, students are required to stay as late as 10 p.m. Many students turn to private tutor-ing; some even study with tutors until 2 a.m. ahead of key exams.

Getting admission into colleges like KAIST is the ultimate dream of most high school science students.

According to Education Ministry figures, three elementary school students, 53 junior high students, and 90 high school students committed suicide in 2010 alone.

Investigations are under way to determine

{see SUICIDES cont’d on page 12}

Student suicides jolts nation and lead to soul-searching in South Korea

An autorickshaw in Bangalore, India

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Students are forced to pay 60,000 won ($55) for every 0.01 point drop in grade point average below 3.0. So, a student with a 2.5 grade point average would end up paying 3 million won ($2,760), which is equal to one month’s salary for graduates entering the job market.


■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR

EVERY THURSDAY 10am -11am, 4pm - 5pm,

10pm - 11pm

EARN 10X POINTS ONSLOTS , TABLES & POKER

EVERY FRIDAY5am - 5pm


EVERY SUNDAY12 Noon - 8pm


SAT 4/23

WHAT: First Annual ACLF Family Breakfast!WHERE: Nisei Vets Hall, 1212 S. King St., SeattleWHEN: 9 a.m.–12 p.m.COST: $8/children, $10/adultsINFO: 206-625-3850, [email protected]

WHAT: No Caravan of Despair: A Harp Concert Fundraiser of Original Music to Benefit Japan ReliefWHERE: Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church, 14724 1st Ave. N.E., ShorelineWHEN: 7:30 p.m.COST: $10, www.brownpapertickets.comINFO: 206-898-4972, www.

pluckmusic.com

WHAT: Annual Massive Monkees Day, proceeds to be donated to Japan ReliefWHERE: Cirque Event Center, 131 Taylor Ave., SeattleWHEN: 6–11 p.m.COST: General admission: $12, VIP seating: $20, tickets can be purchased at the doorINFO: 206-604-7839, www.facebook.com/massivemonkees

THRU SUN 4/24

WHAT: “Blossom: Develop. Mature. Thrive.” exhibit, featuring contemporary Asian inspired works by Northwest artistsWHERE: Seattle Center, Northwest Craft Center, 305

Harrison St., SeattleINFO: 206-728-1555, www.northwestcraftcenter.com

MON 4/25

WHAT: National Society of Hispanic MBAs and NAAAP-Seattle host Microsoft Diversity Recruiting & NetworkingWHERE: The Commons, Microsoft Redmond CampusWHEN: 6–9 p.m.COST: Free REGISTER: diversityseattle2011.eventbrite.com

WED 4/27

WHAT: ID Spring RollWHERE: Union Station, 401 S. Jackson St., SeattleWHEN: 6–9 p.m.COST: $100/general admission, $175/VIPINFO: www.idspringroll.org

FRI 4/29 WHAT: Eat. Drink. Love Japan. Includes raffle items from Urban Yoga Spa, Microsoft, Adobe, and more. WHERE: PNK Ultra Lounge, 600 Pine St., Seattle WHEN: 6–9 p.m.SUGGESTED DONATION: $20, 100% of proceeds go directly to charity INFO: 206-229-3113, [email protected]

THRU SAT 4/30

WHAT: “Sex in Seattle 19,” an

ongoing play: The One that Got Away, by Kathy HsiehWHERE: Richard Hugo House, 1634 11th Ave., SeattleWHEN: 8–10 p.m.COST: $6–$15, 206-323-9443, [email protected], brownpapertickets.com/event/156456INFO: [email protected], www.sexinseattle.org

SAT 4/30

WHAT: 2011 Sukiyaki DinnerWHERE: Japanese Baptist Church, 160 Broadway, SeattleWHEN: 2–7 p.m.COST: $8–$12INFO: 206-622-7351, www.jbcseattle.org

WHAT: World Dance Party, a free multicultural, intergenerational celebration meant to bring together community membersWHERE: Central Area Senior Center, 500 30th Ave. S., SeattleWHEN: 5–10 p.m.INFO: 206-268-6702, [email protected]

SUN 5/1

WHAT: Japan Friendship Benefit, a family event includes Japanese dance, origami, koto music, calligraphy, silent auction, and food WHERE: Kitsap Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4418 Perry Ave., Bremerton WHEN: 2:30 p.m.INFO: 360-377-7812, 260-393-

8935

WHAT: Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month CelebrationWHERE: Seattle CenterWHEN: 12–5:30 p.m.INFO: 206-684-7200, www.seattlecenter.com

THU 5/5

WHAT: Seattle Sushi Chef Dream Team Dinner to benefit Japan relief effortsWHERE: Bell Harbor Pier 66, 2211 Alaskan Way, SeattleWHEN: 5 p.m.COST: $175–$200INFO: www.sushichefdreamteam.com

WHAT: The Wing’s historic hotel tour and meeting with Christina Lagdameo, deputy director of the White HouseWHERE: Wing Luke Asian Museum, 719 S. King St., SeattleWHEN: 10 a.m.–8 p.m., experience historic hotel tour; 6:30 p.m. to meet Christina LagdameoINFO: 206-623-5124 extension 119, www.wingluke.org

WHAT: Seattle’s Women’s University Club celebrates women with its 9th annual Brava celebration, which will honor fashion designer Luly Yang, activist Maggie Walker, and Heritage College founders Sister

Kathleen Ross and Martha YallupWHERE: The Women’s University Club of Seattle, 1105 6th Ave., Seattle.WHEN: 6 p.m.INFO: Rhonda Staton, [email protected]

Wednesday, April 27

Have an event to promote?

Please send us the details at

least 14 days in advance to

[email protected].


By Samantha PakNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

“My Mom is a Fob”By Teresa Wu and Serena WuPenguin Group, 2011

For Asian Americans, the term “fob” is not new. If anything, it’s commonly used to refer to those moments we have that lean more toward the Asian part of our upbring-ing than the American.

Fob, or “Fresh Off the Boat,” has previ-ously been used in a derogatory manner, but Teresa and Serena Wu have taken the word and turned it into one of pride, spe-cifically when it comes to mothers.

In “My Mom is a Fob,” the sisters share moments in their lives where their mother exhibits particularly fobby behavior. But rather than being embarrassed about it, they reminisce fondly over the memories, knowing their mother — no matter what she had said or done — was only looking out for them with the best intentions.

The book is also a compilation of other fobby mom moments collected from their blog, mymomisafob.com, and submitted by others.

As a daughter of Asian immigrants, I found myself laughing out loud at some of the entries. I could easily imagine my own mother doing or saying similar things. From wearing ridiculously large hats for sun protection to opening my mail, to giv-ing me brutally honest and unsolicited ad-vice about what to eat, wear, pursue as a career, etc., my mom would fit right in with the rest.

“My Mom” will have readers, both Asians and non-Asians alike, in stitches. The former because they’re probably anx-ious to get to a computer to submit their own entries, and the latter because, well, the things these women say and do are just plain funny.

In addition to thinking about their moth-ers’ antics, I’m sure some readers may also think about their own. I certainly did and admit to having inherited fobby tendencies in certain aspects of my life.

And while in the past, this may have been embarrassing, like the Wu sisters, I em-brace it and proudly wave my fob flag (one of the 24 napkins I’d taken from Starbucks, tied to a chopstick) up high.

“Mad at Mommy”By Komako SakaiArthur A. Levine Books, 2000

If there’s one thing children are good at, it’s showing their emotions. And one of the strongest emotions they have no problem expressing is anger.

There is nothing quite like the image of an angry child — arms crossed, head down, brow furrowed, and frowning with the bot-tom lip pouting out. You just want to hug that child and fix whatever the problem is. Put that facial expression on a young bun-ny, as in “Mad at Mommy,” and the urge increases ten-fold.

Originally published in Japan, “Mom-my” is the story of a little bunny who is very angry with his mother, and he pro-ceeds to list the reasons why: from sleeping in late and not letting him watch cartoons, to being late in picking him up from school and forgetting to wash his clothes. The little bunny has many reasons to be upset! But despite his anger, the young bunny realizes that he loves his mommy and that she loves him, too.

Although it is about fictional rabbits, “Mommy” explores very real feelings young children can have. The book recog-nizes things that we as adults may not think are big deals but that can be huge for chil-dren. This was one of my favorite things about the story. I also loved the story’s les-son of forgiveness and the mother’s uncon-ditional love for her son, which I think is something children need to see.

The illustrations are wonderful, perfect-ly capturing the bunny’s anger, which I pre-sume was not easy to achieve. I especially loved the cover.

“Mommy” is a story children young and old will enjoy. I read it to a family friend’s 4-year-old daughter and she adored it. She made me read it to her multiple times in a single sitting and then at least once during the next few times I saw her, which I did gladly since I loved it as well.

“My Korean Deli”By Ben Ryder HoweHenry Holt and Company, LLC, 2010

One of the rules for running a business is to never do it with family.

Yet, this is exactly what Ben Ryder Howe does.

As if living in his in-laws’ basement wasn’t enough familial involvement for him, Howe goes into business with them

after his wife Gab, the daughter of Korean immigrants, buys a deli as a way to repay her mother’s lifetime sacrifices.

And before he can comprehend the idea of repaying one’s mother, Howe finds him-self commuting from his in-laws’ home on Staten Island to the Upper East Side to his editor job with the “Paris Review.” He fin-ishes his day at their Brooklyn deli, only to return to Staten Island to repeat the routine

the next day.“My Korean Deli” is the true story of one

man risking everything for a convenience store: money, marriage, sleep, and sanity. Along the way, we meet the Paks, Gab’s family. There’s Kay, Howe’s sharp, but stubborn mother-in-law. Edward is a ghost of a father-in-law and refrigerator repair-man who drifts in and out of the story as he works on air conditioning. And finally, we meet Gab, whose background in law has made her the go-to person when it comes to contracts and other paperwork.

We also meet the assortment of characters who frequent the store, from Dwayne, the big African American employee they inherit from the previous owner, to Super Mario, a Dominican regular who has no qualms about changing the radio station as he sees fit.

With so many people from such var-ied backgrounds, wills battle and cultures clash as everyone feels they have a say in what is best for the store, even the cus-tomers — especially the customers. Howe does an excellent job describing everyone and showcasing their distinct personalities. As a reader, you feel like you really get to know these people and feel for them as they struggle to make the store a success.

Samantha Pak can be reached at [email protected].

Beacon Food ForestCome Grow With Us!

The Friends of Beacon Food Forest invite you to join us in creating a unique community food resource central to the Beacon Hill neighborhood in South Se-attle. Up to seven acres are reserved for this purpose on land owned by Seattle Public Utilities.

Food Forest Kickoff MeetingWednesday, May 4, 20116:30 pmGarden Club Headquarters House2336 15th Ave. S.

Food Forests are designed to copy natural forests to grow a variety and abun-dance of food. They incorporate fruit and nut trees, bushes with edible fruits, vines and lower layers of edible plants to supplement other sources of locally grown foods. The design of the Beacon Food Forest will include foods the com-munity desires and will showcase the principles of permaculture—a system of growing food than conserves water, enhances yields, and builds biodiversity.

We are working with a Small and Simple grant from Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods to hold community design meetings this summer. We will craft a design that reflects the needs and desires of our neighbors and we’ll also de-velop a plan to manage and sustain the Forest for the future.

Curious? The Food Forest site can be accessed by foot from 16th Ave. S. and S. Dakota St. It is the large grassy slope along 15th Ave. S. between S. Spokane St and S. Dakota St. It lies directly west of Jefferson Park Join the Friends of Beacon Food Forest in creating a unique community food growing space. Visit our website at www.jeffersonparkfoodforest.weebly.com and leave your name in the comment section. We’ll let you know when our next event pops up.

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■ ON THE SHELF

NWAW’s April must-reads: laughs in honor of moms


Hill with his family ever since.

“There are a lot of Chinese and Vietnam-ese living on Bea-con Hill [currently],” Nguyen said. “There used to be more Japa-nese, though.”

Nguyen said the dif-ferent ethnic groups on Beacon Hill get along well — it’s not something residents have to work hard at. “We don’t try. It just happens,” said Nguyen.

Cowles said that new immigrants, when

they first arrive in the States, tend to settle where their families are. Residents pass their houses down from one generation to another.

Local businessesThe central location of Beacon Hill has

made it easier for new immigrants to adapt and thrive. “It is on a good bus line (no. 36), close to downtown and the freeway,” Executive director of El Centro de La Raza Estela Ortega said. “Historically, Beacon Hill has been a diverse neighborhood, and

{see BEACON cont’d on page 16}

Jocelyn Chui NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

When residents on Beacon Hill were asked to name their favorite aspect of the neighborhood, diversity was always on top of the list.

“I’d definitely prefer to live here than anywhere else in Seattle just because of the diversity,” said local resident Way-lon Dungan, who works at a coffee shop named The Station.

Located to the south of the International District, Beacon Hill is a popular settling spot for many new immigrants. Overlook-ing downtown Seattle, the International District, and the Industrial Building and Elliot Bay, Beacon Hill is subdivided into North Beacon Hill, Mid-Beacon Hill, Holly Park, and South Beacon Hill. Ac-cording to 2000 Census data, the Asian and Pacific Islander population in Beacon Hill makes up about 40 percent. Latinos make up about 9 percent.

“The amazing thing is that we all get along,” said local resident Reynaldo Sch-neck. “I can’t remember the last time there was a racial riot on Beacon Hill.”

Having lived on Beacon Hill for 13 years, Luis Rodriguez, owner of The Station, listed four reasons why the neighborhood feels like home to him — diversity, the view, the people, and how everything is closely located.

“Everybody knows everybody,” Ro-driguez said. “You walk out on the street at 2 a.m., nothing is gonna happen. We’re a mix of everything. You have only been here [in the coffee shop] for five min-utes, but you have already seen Latinos, Blacks, whites, half-Blacks, half-Lati-nos, and Asians.”

Early settlers and immigrantsWhen the first houses on Beacon Hill

were built in the 1890s, the settlers were mostly white. During the 1900s, the Bea-con Hill community began to experience rapid growth and change due to estab-lishment of the Boeing airplane factory and other industries nearby. The hill was called “Boeing Hill” by local residents in the 1950s and 1960s because of the large number of workers who lived there.

As the Boeing employees moved to the suburbs in the 1970s, Asian immigrants started settling in the area because of its close proximity to Chinatown. The lack of restrictive real estate covenants and the availability of low-cost housing helped to create an encouraging environment for the bloom of Blacks, whites, Chinese, Jap-anese, Filipinos, and other ethnic groups.

Site of a national historic placeExamples of major landmarks on Bea-

con Hill include the former Amazon headquarters and Jefferson Park, and the Turner-Koepf House, which was built by

Edward A. Turn in 1883, is listed as one of the historic places on the National Reg-ister. Originally built in Italian style with a pyramidal roof, the two-story house was remodeled by its next owner, Frederick Koepf, in Victorian style in 1907.

In 1916, the house was bought by the Jefferson Park Ladies Improvement Club, which contributed to the community’s edu-cation, living conditions, and enrichment projects. The house is now home to the Washington State Garden Club headquar-ters.

The communityThe experience of visiting the Beacon

Hill branch of the Seattle Public Library is similar to walking into a tourist informa-tion center. Every sign is written in multi-ple languages and the background sounds are mostly of non-English conversations.

“The major languages are Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese,” said children’s librarian Diane Cowles, who has been around the neighborhood for 20 years. “There are changes over the years. They used to have more Chinese and Vietnam-ese, but [there are] more Latinos now.”

Thach Nguyen, founder of Thach Real Estate Group, immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 1978 as a war refugee. He has been living on Beacon

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Beacon Hill: a cultural melting pot made of neighbors

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By James TabafundaNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Some Asian Americans view garden-ing as an enjoyable hobby. For others, growing food is simply a matter of sur-vival. Asian farmers — in China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam — produce almost 90 percent of the world’s total supply of rice.

In Seattle’s Beacon Hill district, both forms of urban agriculture are planned to occur on a large scale within the next few years.

Beacon Food Forest, formerly known as the Jefferson Park Food Forest, got its start from a design exercise in a permaculture class. It later received a $20,000 grant from the Department of Neighborhoods.

“In a sense, this is like growing a food bank,” said Glenn Herlihy, a Beacon Hill gardener, sculptor, and one of seven members of the project’s steering com-mittee. “The excess can go to other food banks and other people of need in the neighborhood.”

Beacon Food Forest is set to be lo-cated on public land at the intersection of South Dakota Street and 16th Avenue South, southwest of Jefferson Park.

“Right now, it’s all grass and is really not producing anything of much quality other than open space.”

It will also be a gathering space and an ecosystem designed to mimic the benefi-cial relationship between plants and ani-mals found in a natural forest. This con-cept, says Herlihy, “goes way, way back. As a matter of fact, there are 2,000-year-old food forests in Vietnam that are well documented on YouTube.”

Beacon Food Forest is intended to produce high yields of produce with low maintenance. “We’re not going to make a wild area. We’re going to tend it well, and it should look nice and neat, but they’re all going to be a little bit denser in order to self-mulch themselves, keep

the weeds down naturally with their own leaves, use different plants to keep the weeds down,” he said. “Success for the project will be if we can gather enough support from a variety of people to (also) help maintain the food forest.”

He emphasized, “We can literally grow plants from around the world here in this area.” Plums, apricots, and maybe even loquats will be grown alongside many perennials.

“We’re not going to plant the entire four acres,” he added. “These plants would all work in time together as far as their blooming and their fruit produc-tion. They would work as a small eco-system within themselves.”

The project’s steering committee en-courages Asian Americans living in the district to help plan and support Beacon Food Forest. “They’ve set examples of old-world techniques of growing vegeta-bles in a varieties of ways,” said Herlihy. “And, that’s where we need the knowl-edge of the Asian community. That’s

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what we’re looking for.”The steering committee includes Chris-

tina Olson, Jackie Kramer, Bob Redmond, Briar Bates, Brian DeBenedetti, and Julie Haack.

“We’re trying our hardest to get the word out to have a variety of ethnic backgrounds for this committee to be able to go for-ward.”

Growing fresh fruits and vegetables lo-

cally, instead of importing them, enables people to meet and know each other and save money, says Herlihy. “That’s huge for our future, to be able to provide people a place to grow their food when food gets too expensive,” states Herlihy.

Droughts, freezing temperatures, and

{see GARDEN cont’d on page 15}

As the weather warms in Seattle, the gardeners in Beacon Hill are starting to show off their green thumbs with brightly colored tulips.

Glenn Herlihy, steering committee member, stands on the four-acre site of Beacon Food Forest.

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OPINION

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG

■ EDITORIAL

Want to get the inside scoop on the latest happenings of Seattle’s Asian American community? Follow Publisher Assunta Ng’s blog at nwasianweekly.com under the Opinion section.

Walking into the newest Uwajimaya su-permarket in Bellevue, I noticed that many smart ideas have been incorporated into this fourth store. The Bellevue store, locat-ed at 699 120th Ave. N.E., just celebrated its grand opening last Saturday.

So what is great about this new store?It realizes that it’s not necessary to be the

biggest. It realizes that location matters. It lets vendors be a part of the store. It knows how to target non-Asian customers.

The right locationOf the five Asian grocery stores in Bel-

levue, Uwajimaya seems to have the most ideal location; it is surrounded by businesses, a hospital, and residents. The city is 27.5 per-cent Asians with 33,659 people, an increase of 77.1 percent since the 2000 Census. The businesses and Asians will be a good lunch crowd for its deli since it has a Chinese bbq counter. It is also close to the freeway and another competitor, Whole Foods.

“It’s good to be close to Whole Foods because we complement each other,” said Tyler Moriguchi, a third-generation owner. “Those who shop at Whole Foods will also come to us. We were busy right away when we opened two weeks ago.”

Biggest not the bestThe entire former Larry’s Market space,

about half of which Uwajimaya now leases, is 60,000 square feet. But the family chose to negotiate only about half of the space. It is a smart strategy. A few years ago, anoth-er Asian grocery store took over the entire space in Seattle, and it proved to be waste-ful and overwhelming for the owners when they couldn’t fill the store with the right merchandise.

“We have to do what we are good at — Asian groceries,” said Tomio Moriguchi. He pointed out that the family had dis-cussed the size of the store extensively. They decided that 35,000 square feet is good enough for its purpose and to mini-mize risk. Each square foot costs about $200.

Moving and expanding from its old Bel-levue space of 15,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet, the store not only doubled its

size, but it has a brand new style. It might not be as big as the flagship store in Chi-natown/International District, but the aisles are much wider and are more comfortable for shoppers to browse around in.

“The gift department does not have as high of a turnover as food,” he said. But it needs other Asian products to showcase Asian cultures.

With the busy traffic that Uwajimaya brings into the strip mall, Tomio thinks the city could attract another business to move in next door.

Bellevue Deputy Mayor Conrad Lee has already suggested a community center.

Mainstream Asian groceries

While the Asian market provides the bread for Uwajimaya, the much bigger market is the mainstream community. To pursue that market, Uwajimaya presents an upscale image, clean and warm, which fits nicely with the Bellevue clientele.

“We need to make mainstream the most popular Asian cuisine for the non-Asian market,” said Hiroshi Hibi, store director for both the ID and Bellevue stores. He wants his non-Asian customers to come in and become familiar with phad thai, stir-friend broccoli and beef, and other Asian dishes.

It’s an cultural experience for our cus-

tomers, he said, which helps the main-stream community become comfortable with cooking Asian dishes regularly.

Vendors’ kiosk

In nearly every corner of the store, a vendor was present to promote food on grand open-ing day. Close to the entrance, a big kiosk was built to feature vendors and their goods.

In fact, Hiroshi said vendors would be in a better position to promote their food than his own staff. This would save the store manpower and staff time.

The succession planWhen three generations of the Moriguchi

family performed the ribbon-cutting cer-emony at the Bellevue store, a question lin-gered, “Who will carry the torch one day?”

Does it have to be a Moriguchi who runs the 83-year-old business worth more than $80 million?

And the answer is not only quite surpris-ing, but it shows the flexible and realistic thinking of the Moriguchi family.

“Who is the best person [for the job]?” said Tomio, chairman of Uwajimaya. To-mio isn’t the eldest son, but he quit his en-gineering job in 1963 and went to work for his family’s business after his dad passed away. At the time, business was good, but the Moriguchi siblings saw that their

mother was working too hard. The seven of them, which include Kenzo, Suwako, Aki-ra, Hisako, Toshi, and Tomoko, helped it grow the family business into an icon in the Asian community. Besides its four stores in Washington state and Portland, Uwajimaya also has other retail ventures and wholesale businesses.

“It is desirable to have family members [run it],” Tomio said. However, he realizes that his own children and some of his sib-lings’ kids have other dreams.

“You can’t force your children,” he said. That’s the dilemma many successful family businesses face because the younger gen-erations have another plan. Tomio wants his kids to do what they are happy doing.

To help the third generation learn about the business, Tomio said he and his sister, Tomoko Matsuno, CEO of Uwajimaya, tried to stay far away from them when they were picking the site for the Bellevue store.

According to research, the first genera-tion can build a successful business, but it is challenging for the younger generations to sustain. Tomio said the first generation works with their hands, the second genera-tion works with their brains, and if the third generation can also work with their brains and not their hands, that means the family has secured the business well into future generations.

What sets Uwajimaya apart from other groceries?

This week, we learned that Seattle Public Schools (SPS) Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield announced that Ann Chan, head of human resources, will be leaving at the end of the month.

Chan was hired by former Superintendent Maria Good-loe-Johnson after a nationwide search, and she started working for SPS on Nov. 1, 2010.

Chan, according to activist Frank Irigon, is the only Asian American in the central office of SPS.

According demographic information released by SPS, the district was 44 percent white and 56 percent non-white on October 1, 2010. Asian and Pacific Islander students comprise about 21.5 percent of all students, grades K–12, in this 2010–2011 school year.

Of course, in a district that is mostly made up of people

of color, it’s a cause for concern. Irigon has taken the first step by reaching out to the SPS board, letting the board know that it concerns him that diversity doesn’t seem to be valued by the new administration.

“Asian and Pacific Islander communities want to be as-sured that the educational needs of our children will be ad-dressed by a superintendent and a board who are aware of our existence,” stated Irigon, in a letter to the school board.

At the same time, we want to make the point that Enfield has the right to appoint and hire whomever she thinks is best for the district.

However, we want to urge her to consider candidates of diverse backgrounds in her selection process. Differing perspectives will bring a certain controlled discourse to the table that can ultimately benefit the district and its students.

The more avenues and solutions that are considered, the more thorough the discussions will be.

Additionally, increasing diversity can be a source of in-spiration to students of this diverse school district. Con-sider what a difference it would make to you, if you were a student of color, to look at the people running your schools and see that they look just like you.

This week, Enfield and Chan were away and unable to provide additional thoughts or comments on the situation.

However, it should be noted that SPS’ media relations department was eager to schedule an interview for a time when Enfield will be available. Perhaps this means that SPS is aware of the community’s perception on this issue and is ready to address it. We hope that it’s sooner rather than later.

Seattle Schools needs voices for diversity

Bellevue Deputy Mayor Conrad Lee (left) with Uwajimaya chair Tomio Moriguchi, standing on front of a poster of Uwajimaya’s founders (Tomio’s parents)

The fourth generation Moriguchi kids (front row) cut the ribbon at the grand opening. Adults, from left: Brian Bernoff, Tom Phillips, Hiroshi Hibi, Conrad Lee, Tomio Moriguchi, and Tomoko Matsuno


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By Tessa SariNORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Unlike the Gregorian calendars that start the year on Jan. 1, most South Asian countries use luniso-lar calendars that start the year at the beginning of spring. Some of the countries that use this system include Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangla-desh, Thailand, and Cambodia.

How did the traditions come about?

In Nepal, the New Year is known as Navavarsha. Nepal has its own official calendar that begins on the first day of the first month — Baisakh. The first day of Baisakh usually falls in the second week of April, but this will change in the future as stars move further away. The word Baisakh is derived from the astronomical position of the sun near the star Bishakha. The month of Baisakh is a time when many seasonal fruits, especially mangos and jackfruits, become available.

In Bangladesh, the Bengali New Year, or Pohela Boishakh, falls on April 14. Pohela Boishakh is celebrated in both Bangladesh and West Bengal, and in Bengali communities in Assam and Tri-pura in India.

The calendar started 455 years ago, when Bengali was under the Mughal Emperor Akbar. Under the Mughals, agricultural taxes were collected corresponding to the Hijri or Islamic calendar. However, the Hijri calendar is based on the lunar calendar. It does not match with the harvest season, so farmers were hard-pressed to pay taxes out of season. In order to streamline tax collec-tion, the Mughal Emperor Akbar ordered a calendar reform.

In Sri Lanka, people celebrate

the Sinhala New Year, or Aluth Avurudu. It marks the end of the harvest season and also coin-cides with one of two instances when the sun is directly above Sri Lanka. The traditional Sinha-lese’s New Year begins at a time determined by astrological calcu-lations. The ending of the old year and the beginning of the New Year occur several hours apart from each another. This span of time is usually 12 hours and 48 minutes. This period is referred to as the Nonagathe, or the “neu-tral period.” During this time, Sri Lankans are encouraged to refrain from material pursuits and engage solely in either religious activities or traditional games.

People in Thailand celebrate their traditional New Year, called Songkran, which takes place from April 13 to April 15. Songkran falls during the hottest time of the year in Thailand. The temperatures can rise above 100°F. Derived from the

Sanskrit language, the word song-kran means “to pass or move into.”

Cambodia recognizes the Khmer New Year, or Chaul Chnam Thmey, which literally means “to enter a new year.” The holiday lasts for three days, usually starting on April 13 or April 14, at the end of the har-vest season. This is when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins.

The majority of Khmers are farmers. Farmers reap and harvest their crops from the rice fields all year long, except during April. This is because there is no rain and it is very hot. Therefore, the farm-ers rest from working in the rice fields and celebrate the New Year.

Unique ways of celebrating

To celebrate Navavarsha, peo-ple in Nepal go on picnics and have get-togethers with family and friends. In the morning, peo-ple will typically make their way

to the temple to perform Puja, a ritual offering presented to their gods. Then, the Nepali walk around the temple in a clockwise direction while ringing the bells that are attached to the temple.

Nepal’s New Year is accompa-nied by Bisket Jatra, or the Festi-val of Bisket in Bhaktapur. It’s a commemoration of the renowned battle of Mahabharata. The palan-quins of Hindu deities are wor-shiped with offerings of coins, flowers, and blood. A tug-of-war takes place with residents from the lower part of Bhaktapur com-peting against those from upper Bhaktapur. The group that wins is believed to be blessed with a won-derful year ahead.

The celebration of Pohela Boishakh connects all the ethnic religious and regional differences of Bengalis. The day of Pohela Boishakh is also the beginning of all business activities in Bangla-desh and the neighboring Indian

state of West Bengal. The traders each purchase a new accounting book, called the Halkhata — or the new book of accounts. The shops offer sweets and other gifts to customers.

In Sri Lanka, celebration of the Sinhala New Year begins with peo-ple cleaning their house and light-ing an oil lamp. Families mingle in the streets. Homes are thrown open. The children are let out to play. The celebration is also celebrated by lighting up loud firecrackers. In some communities, women play the Raban (a type of a drum) together to announce the coming change in the year. A feast commonly includes Kiribath (milk rice), Kavum (small oil cake), and Kokis (a crisp and light sweetmeat).

Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks. But the most common practice of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thai people roam the streets with containers of water, water-guns, or garden hoses to drench each other. The water is a symbol of washing away all the bad omens. The water is sometimes scented in the traditional manner with fra-grant herbs. In Thailand, people also wash their Buddha shrines in households and monasteries by gently pouring water, which is in-fused with a Thai fragrance. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year.

In Cambodia, the first day of the New Year is called Moha Sang-kran, meaning “welcoming new angels.” Khmer people clean and decorate their homes and prepare

{see NEW YEAR cont’d on page 16}

■ CULTURE

Happy New Year (in April)! A spotlight on Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Cambodia’s new year celebrations

Pohela Boishakh (Bengali New Year) celebration in Dhaka, Bangladesh

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The King County Library System recognizes strength and value within our communities, and we encourage all interested and qualified service providers to review

our public bid construction opportunities.

Contact Kelly Iverson, Facilities [email protected] or 425.369.3308

{RICKSHAW cont’d from page 5}

after which participants are pretty much on their own. They are expected to drive their vehicles, a skill they learn a couple of days before the event, to the destina-tion in the stipulated time.

Each team must raise at least $1,600 toward charities working in India. This year, Social Change and Development, a rural development charity, and Interna-tional Rescue Corps are the main ben-eficiaries.

“Online registration starts a year in advance and we sell out in a minute,” said Matt Dickens of The Adventurists, the British-company that organizes the event.

“With the heat, this year is going to be a tough run.”

For Lucas, the idea of “Indian traffic and going uphill in the rickshaw” was far more nerve-wrecking than the heat.

“Our friends think we are a bit nuts,” said her teammate Ellen McLean, as they waited around to have their rick-shaw painted like an Indian truck.

The rickshaws take on many avatars. There are tigers and elephants paint-ed on. There is a huge plywood dove mounted on one. However, Indian truck art is the most popular.

Irish couple Tracy Purcell and Gor-don O’Neill have painted theirs like an Irish police car, with a “Garda” on it.

“We are hoping that it will help Indian traffic to part before us,” says O’Neill, who signed on for the event “to see the little visited parts that are not frequent-ed by tourists.”

That was Thomas Morgan’s inten-

tion when he started The Adventurists, which also organizes a 7,500-mile Afri-ca Rally, where cars with under 1000cc engines drive from London to Uganda in four weeks.

“My own favorite experiences have been when things have gone wrong on a trip,” said the 31-year-old. “We’ve had broken arms and legs, and some par-ticipants run into areas of political un-rest in this event, but largely, the local people are hospitable and helpful, and participants come away with memories for life.”

The shaky nature of the vehicle be-comes obvious when Morgan shows how it works to one of the teams.

“This lever works the wiper,” he ex-plains to South African Ross Macbean and New Zealander David Harrow. “But it is absolutely useless when it rains.”

{SUICIDES cont’d from page 5}

what led the four KAIST students — all males between 19 and 25 — to kill themselves, but blame is being heaped on the university’s U.S.-educated president, Suh Nam-pyo, and his ambitious efforts to create an ultra-com-petitive environment meant to carve an inter-national name for the university.

“Now, we are becoming like a saw-toothed wheel of a huge machine. We cannot spare even 30 minutes for our friends even if they get into some trouble. We only study subjects that we can get higher grades in,” the student council said in a statement. “President Suh, you are wrong!”

After taking over in 2006, Suh ordered most of the university’s classes taught in English and financially penalized students with poor grades. Otherwise, the state-funded college provides free education.

Students are forced to pay 60,000 won ($55) for every 0.01 point drop in grade point aver-age below 3.0. So, a student with a 2.5 grade point average would end up paying 3 million won ($2,760), which is equal to one month’s salary for graduates entering the job market.

Looking to boost KAIST’s worldwide rep-utation, Suh made it easier to fire professors falling behind certain standards.

Suh’s moves initially drew strong support, and KAIST’s placing in world university ranks rose dramatically. Proponents lauded the 74-year-old as the icon of South Korean campus reform.

The adulation didn’t last long, however. His actions have been fiercely debated this year amid news reports that the four dead students suffered immense stress over their school-work.

In January, a 19-year-old freshman, who had been placed on academic probation, killed himself by taking an overdose of sleeping pills. Two students jumped to their deaths last month.

The latest, identified only by his surname Park, had graduated from a special science high school for gifted students before joining KAIST, where he was majoring in mathemati-cal science. University officials say he had ap-plied for a leave of absence, citing depression, and had consulted the school psychiatrist on April 6, a day before he plunged to his death.

Adding to the debate, a KAIST professor

was found dead Sunday, hanging from a gas pipe at his home following a government in-vestigation into allegations that he embezzled official research funds.

Politicians, activists, and liberal professors outside KAIST are calling for Suh’s immedi-ate resignation. He was questioned Tuesday at a parliamentary committee meeting about the recent deaths.

“I don’t think it’s right for him to stay on the job after five people have passed away,” Chung Doo-un, a senior member of the ruling Grand National Party, told the meeting.

Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik has said that officials must first determine why the stu-dents killed themselves before holding Suh re-sponsible. He said Suh has made positive con-tributions to South Korea’s education reform.

South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the 31 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, an association of wealthy, industrialized nations. The rate of suicide soared to 28.4 per 100,000 people in 2009, an increase from 18.7 in 2002, the Health Ministry said, citing an OECD fig-ure.

Suicide is also the leading cause of death for South Koreans in their 20s and 30s amid fierce competition for jobs and other economic pres-sures, ministry officials said.

It is not just ordinary people who have com-mitted suicide.

Roh, the former president, jumped to his death in May 2009 while embroiled in a cor-ruption investigation. Choi Jin-sil, one of South Korea’s most famous actresses, commit-ted suicide in 2008, and her younger brother, also an actor and singer, hanged himself last year. Last October, a TV personality known as the “happiness preacher” killed herself with her husband.

Before Park’s death, Suh defended his poli-cies, saying smart students won’t come to a university that doesn’t challenge them. He lat-er offered a public apology for the deaths and pledged to abolish financial penalties for low grades and ease the requirement for English-only classes.

But he said the competitive academic pro-gram may not be the only reason for the sui-cides and that he has no plans to step down immediately.

“I think it’s proper to leave after completing the work I began to some extent,” Suh said.

RFP Number P00096P11King County Procurement & Con-

tracting Services Section invites Job Order Contractor (JOC) inter-ested firms to submit proposals.

King County has made the deter-mination that the use of Job Order Contracting will provide an effec-tive means of reducing total lead-time and cost for public works proj-ects.

Minimum Committed Amount to be contracted with the JOC is $50,000.

Maximum amount that may be awarded under each JOC shall not exceed $4 million per year.

The Unit Price Book utilized is RS-Means Building Construc-tion Cost Data, and all other R.S. Means cost data manuals as need-ed.

Voluntary Overall Small Business Goals are: 20% Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS), 10% Minority Business Enterprises (MBE), and 6% Women Business Enterprises (WBE).

Firms desiring consideration shall submit an unbound original and five bound copies of their sub-

mittals prior to 3 p.m. on May 20, 2011. Mail or deliver submittals to the attention of Edward Walker, Procurement Section, Department of Executive Services, 401 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor, CNK-ES-0300, Seattle, WA 98104.

A Pre-Proposal Conference will be held Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 121 of the Chi-nook Building, 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA, to address questions regarding this RFP.

The Request for Proposals, all addenda and current document holder’s list are available on the internet at http://www.kingcounty.gov/procurement. The County will not mail, ship, or fax RFPs and addenda.

Interested firms must register with King County at time of down-load and ensure that a valid contact email address is given. Notification of addenda will be sent to the reg-istered email address. Failure to register will result in the proposer not being notified of any addenda, which may result in rejection of the proposal.

KING COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EXECUTIVE SERVICESJOB ORDER CONTRACTING

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS ADVERTISEMENT

“My own favorite experiences have been when things have gone wrong on a trip. We’ve had broken arms and legs, and some participants run into areas of political unrest in this event, but largely the local people are hospitable and helpful, and participants come away with memories for life.”

— said the 31-year-old


{JAPAN cont’d from page 1}

the science says that in Tokyo, which is more than 200 kilometers from the nuclear plant in Fukushima, we are not likely to be affect-ed by the radiation. [There’s] a worry that it might get into the water, but I am trusting that if it does, this will be picked up by the many independent people who are monitor-ing it.”

Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), operator of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, is work-ing on keeping the nuclear crisis under con-trol. According to the release on Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, “there is no influence of radioactivity outside as of now.” Experts such as Matthew Bunn, professor at Harvard Uni-versity, doubt the accuracy of this information, as well as whether the company was really caught unaware by the situation, “The limited and often conflicting information that TEPCO has made available about the plant has also raised questions about its decisions.” Blakeney expressed a similar view of the company. He stated that “TEPCO [is] a joke, mind you, but at least they are now being monitored closely.”

Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, Japan is no stranger to disaster, and the nation is well equipped to deal with it. Children are taught from a young age how to behave when an earthquake strikes. “The risk of earthquakes has always [been] and will always be here in Japan; that hasn’t changed,” added Blakeney. “There are regu-lar aftershocks, which rattle the nerves, but these are not necessarily related to the prob-ability of there being another ‘big one.’”

Leza Lowitz, an award-winning poet and owner of Sun and Moon Yoga in Tokyo, blogged about the nonchalant way everyone reacted when the earthquake first struck. “When the shaking started, I looked around to see if any-one else was alarmed. No one was. Tokyoites are famous for their calm in the face of earth-quakes, which are frequent and even expected here in Japan,” she states. Although her family and friends overseas repeatedly urged her to leave, she refused. She is aware of the dangers of subsequent quakes and radiation, but she also sees an opportunity to help those less fortunate and has opened up her yoga studio as a refuge for others who chose to stay and has even con-tinued holding classes there every day.

Emily Miller, an American student at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, was pre-paring to leave for Shinjuku when the earth-quake struck. She was on the phone with her fiancé, Wataru Yamanaka, who told her to get under the table. Yamanaka is a Japanese na-tional who works for Real Intech, a company

that fixes and replaces water mains and pipes in Tokyo. Her first instinct was to go outside, because at her home in Kansas, whenever there was a tornado, she would always look outside to see if she could see it coming.

Miller explained why she chose to stay in Japan. “I feel like Japan is where my home is now, and my house is pretty far away from the nuclear plant and the evacu-ation zone, so I don’t feel like my life is in immediate danger.” She watches the news daily to stay informed. “I think one of the reasons a lot of expatriates left is because they probably couldn’t understand the news in Japanese, and that’s scary.” Yamanaka is in Fukushima now, helping to restore the water supply to one of the hardest hit ar-eas. Miller is worried about his safety, but remains optimistic and proud of his efforts.

Although Blakeney and Miller opted to stay in Japan, they both left Tokyo because the nuclear situation was still unclear. After-shocks were causing a considerable disruption to the trains, and there was a lack of food in the shops.

Paul Blustein, a former Tokyo correspon-dent for The Post, thinks that the risk of ra-diation is low for most of the residents of Japan. He is confident that the government will prevent the consumption of contami-

nated foods. This will significantly lower the risk of the radiation’s adverse effects. In his article, entitled, “Why I’m not fleeing Japan,” Blustein writes, “It hardly seems sensible for people like us to pack up and leave. Nor does it seem sensible or fair for people here or abroad to act as if Japan is a hotbed of fissile material. All those heartfelt expressions of sympathy for quake victims aren’t going to mean much if overreaction to the nuclear mess worsens Japan’s plight.”

Although Blakeney, Lowitz, Miller, and Blustein’s other halves are Japanese, this is only one of many factors in deciding to stay in Japan. They consider Japan a second home, and they think that a mass exodus would only be detrimental to the country. They also believe that they are fairly safe from the effects of radiation and the dan-gers of subsequent earthquakes.

Although many chose to stay, many also weighed the risks of radiation and opted to leave, at least for a while. Concerned not only for their own safety but for their chil-dren’s, parents constitute a large portion of the evacuees. Nancy Singleton Hachisu blogs about her agonizing decision to leave the country for a few weeks, citing that it was a “decision I had to make for the kids and for their future.” Nancy is an American

freelance writer and is also the owner and director of Sunny-Side Up, an English im-mersion pre-school in Saitama, Japan. Like Blakeney, she has trouble trusting informa-tion disseminated by TEPCO, but despite her continuing fears, she has returned to Japan to resume her normal routine and provide whatever aid she can offer to refugees. As an advocate of home cooking, she grows her own food and has concerns about radiation contamination. Nevertheless, she continues to tend the garden and hopes for the best.

“Being a student, and having contacts in other parts of Japan, I have more of a safety valve, so I have some sympathy with for-eigners who have arrived more recently, can’t access the Japanese media as easily, and feel somewhat isolated and vulnerable,” said Blakeney. “The current advice from the Irish embassy is that there is no need to leave, although they have obtained a stock of potassium iodine to cover any worst case scenarios. Some people have joked that they just couldn’t afford to fly us home given the current economic situation!”

For more information, visit www.iaea.org, www.tepco.co.jp, or www.indigodays.com,

Jean Wong can be reached at [email protected].

■ ASTROLOGY

RATYou have a natural gift for seeing things as they are. Seeing through all the hype is one way you stay on top.

OXWhy try to be something you are not? As simple as it sounds, being yourself is really the best option.

TIGERStart the day on a high note by making a healthy choice. You will be more inclined to keep the trend going as the day wears on.

RABBITHas someone else’s comment put you in a sour mood? Stop and think about whether you want to give this person that much power over you.

DRAGONAlways have the same compliment for your partner? Instead, try saying it with flowers or with an unexpected display of affection.

SNAKEYou will become fast friends with a recent acquaintance with whom you have much in common.

HORSEFinding what really matters can be a frustrating process. However, that shouldn’t stop you from looking.

GOATThere are times when you have your doubts, but in the end, patience and kindness will win the day.

MONKEYThough some may try to rush you, going along at a leisurely pace is more your speed right now.

ROOSTERIf the price seems too good to be true, don’t be surprised if what you get doesn’t quite live up to your expectations.

DOGA nice gesture from out of nowhere has you scratching your head. To your delight, there is more goodness coming your way.

PIGBeing a part of something bigger than yourself is an eye-opening experience. You will soon have a chance to do it again.

For the week of April 23 — April 29, 2011

What’s your animal sign?Rat 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 Ox 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 Tiger 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 Rabbit 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 Dragon 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000 Snake 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001Horse 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002 Goat 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003 Monkey 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 Rooster 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 Dog 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Pig 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

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“Secret Asian Man” comic books are now available at the Kinokuniya bookstore in Seattle.

{CHAN cont’d from page 1}

school district, but I am moving human resources in a new direction.”

Enfield has made other major changes to top positions of the school district. Just a month into her current position, she dissolved other top positions in human resources, in addition to eliminating positions in finance, operations, research, le-gal, and communications departments.

Enfield is bringing new faces to the fray. According to The Seattle Times, only two out of 10 employees on Enfield’s leadership team have been in their respective positions for more than a year. Enfield has said she wants to focus on mov-ing the Seattle Public School system toward new objectives. New leaders are expected to fuse fresh elements into the ex-ecutive atmosphere.

“I am focusing on human resources because it is a key part

of restructuring our central office to best support teaching and learning,” Enfield stated in her letter. “It is time to closely exam-ine how we are organized, and this starts with human resources.”

Interim Chief Financial Officer Robert Boesche will tem-porarily lead the human resources department, until a new executive director is hired. Enfield said that a replacement will be found sometime after spring break.

“[The] central office has experienced significant changes in the past several months and I know this decision adds more uncertainty,” stated Enfield. “I appreciate your continued fo-cus on your work.”

The Seattle Public School District stated that it could not release more details regarding Chan’s departure due to per-sonnel reasons.

In a letter to the Seattle School Board, social activist Frank Irigon pointed out that without Chan, there are no Asians or Pacific Islanders in the central administration.

“This is unacceptable because it does not reflect the diversity of Seattle, where Asians and Pacific Islanders are the largest minority population, as well as in the Seattle Public Schools.”

According to the Department of Education Technol-ogy Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, which is responsible for official student statistics for the Seattle School District, the district was 44 percent white and 56 percent non-white on October 1, 2010. Asian and Pacific Islander students comprise about 21.5 percent of all stu-dents, grades K–12 for the 2010–2011 school year.

Chan’s last day will be April 30.Both Chan and Enfield were away this week and

were not available for further comments.Enfield took over as superintendent in March after

Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson was removed in a 6–1 vote by the Seattle School Board due to a financial scandal. Under Goodloe-Johnson, the small-business contract-ing program lost about $280,000 within the school dis-trict, and another $1.5 million was in question.

Five months ago, Chan was appointed as chief talent officer by Goodloe-Johnson. Chan comes from Chica-go Public Schools, where she served 11 years in vari-ous positions within its human resource department. She has been the director of human resources opera-tions, human resources manager, and benefits manag-er. Chan earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Enfield earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Lit-erature at U.C. Berkeley, her Masters in Education at Stanford University, and her Educational Doctorate in Urban Superintendents Program at Harvard Uni-versity. She served as the deputy superintendent of Evergreen Public Schools in Vancouver, Wash., from 2006–2009.

Constance Wong can be reached at [email protected].

API Coalition Against Tobacco • API Community Leadership Foundation • API Women and Family Safety Center • Asian Counseling and Referral Service • Bellevue College • Chinese Information and Service Center • City University • Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs • Gear Up • Girl Scouts of Western Washington • Goodwill • iLEAP • International Examiner • Mayflower Park Hotel • McDonald’s Asian Operators • Neighborhood House • Northwest Asian Weekly • Nikkei Concerns • Seattle Department of Neighborhoods • Seattle Police Department • US Environmental Protection Agency • UW American Ethnic Studies/EOP • Washington Education Association • Wing Luke Asian Museum

ASIAN

SUNDAY MAY 1, 201111:45 am to 5:15 pm

Seattle Center House

FREE EVENT

PACIFICISLANDERHeritage Month

Celebration

Asian Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center • Art Contest Winners • Franklin School Team Xbot • WPPC Nepal Foundation, Human Trafficking and

Modern Day Slavery

DISPLAYS

Visit seattleapi.com for more info.

FLOWETHICSfrom Southern California

MAIN ACT:

11:45 AM Filipino Youth Activities Drill Team12:00 PM Opening Remarks12:05 PM Welcoming Remarks12:15 PM Vovinam Martial Arts12:30 PM Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team12:45 PM Connie Sugahara, Fujima Dance Studio 1:00 PM Fraggle Rock Crew 1:15 PM Seattle Matsuri Taiko 1:30 PM JaSka Jazz Group 1:45 PM Kinnaly Music and Dance Troupe 2:00 PM Korean Children’s Choir 2:15 PM Indonesian Felllowship Club of Bellevue College 2:30 PM Ke Liko A’e O Lei Lehua

2:45 PM MAIN ACT: FlowEthics 3:15 PM Art Contest Winners Announced 3:30 PM Pacific Islander Group 3:45 PM Apna Bhangra Crew 4:00 PM Blue Lotus, Belly Dance 4:15 PM Tearama-Tahitian Group 4:30 PM Cambodian Dance Preservation Troupe 4:45 PM UW Lambda Phi Epsilon Step Dancers 5:00 PM Kaze Daiko Taiko 5:15 PM Nepal Seattle Society Dance Troupe

*Schedule is subject to change

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

floods in the United States and Mexico have combined to increase prices of fruits and vegetables.

During the past year, there was an over-all price increase of 2.8 percent for food bought at supermarkets, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistic’s most recent Consumer Price Index report.

Hassen Benedicto, a Filipino American, provides another option for people who pre-fer farm-raised food.

He operates a roadside business in the Beacon Hill district, selling Yakima-grown bell peppers and such Asian favorites as bitter melon, long beans, and eggplant. He says there are two reasons why this area has been one of the best places for him.

First, he gets repeat business from long-time customers. “There’s a lot of Filipino people out in that area, and our parents have been selling in that area for so long

already (since 1990) that they are a part of the community,” said Benedicto.

Second, he says his customers want fresh vegetables right away. “We pick them right off the vine, and we take them down there and sell them as soon as possible.”

Located across the street from the main entrance to the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Benedicto’s business will again open in June.

Beacon Hill Forest’s steering committee will hold its first design party at The Gar-den House, 2336 15th Ave. S., on Wednes-day, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. For more infor-mation about Beacon Food Forest, go to jeffersonparkfoodforest.weebly.com.

James Tabafunda can be reached at [email protected].

Site of Beacon Food Forest facing south.

Phot

o by

Jam

es T

abaf

unda

/NW

AW

Thank you for recycling this newspaper!

{GARDEN cont’d from page 9}

Have a story idea that you think would fit perfectly in Northwest Asian Weekly? We want to know about it.

Send it to us at [email protected].


{BEACON cont’d from page 8}

the vast majority of businesses in the neighborhood are owned by Asians and Latinos.”

One Asian business which caters both to Hispanic and Asian customers is the ABC Supermarket at 2500 Beacon Ave. S. There are huge sections of Mexican treats and Asian veggies.

“The original store had served Mexi-can customers and was also a remittance counter,” said Martha Che, one of the own-ers. “We decided to continue that and also add a Mexican deli. Our [Asian] staff also learned to speak Spanish because some customers don’t speak English.”

Some Mexican customers drive from outside of Seattle to shop at ABC, some coming from as far as Yakima, said Che.

Che said serving two different ethnic groups of customers actually turns over product faster. “Mexicans buy more meat and Asians more veggies,” she said.

Walking down Beacon Avenue South, from Filipino restaurants to Chinese mas-sage services, there are all kinds of busi-nesses owned by local residents.

Nguyen said that despite the fact that the living standard on Beacon Hill is on the rise now, “everything is still pretty affordable. … Things have never been that expensive before, which is good. We want Beacon Hill to grow and there are still lots of potential.”

Having been building houses for 15 year on Beacon Hill, Nguyen is currently de-veloping a new project on Beacon Ave S. and S. Orcas St. “We’re at phrase two now,” Nguyen said. “We have built four last year, sold two, and we are beginning to pour the foundation for the next three.”

Nguyen said that the houses, which are about 23,000 sq. ft. each, are designed for very large families — typically minorities.

Light railIt has been about a year since the Bea-

con Hill light rail station has been in use. “I’ll definitely say [that the light rail has

brought] positive changes because people are coming in to get to know us and Bea-con Hill,” said Yunuen Castorena, an ex-ecutive assistant at El Centro de la Raza.

Rodriguez said, “It makes this place more cosmopolitan.”

However, the light rail also makes resi-dential parking more difficult. Since the city wants to prevent people from mo-nopolizing the parking spaces around the station when they use the train, zoning tickets, which cost about $40 per year, are required for more than two-hour parking near the light rail station.

Some residents say that the tickets are almost necessary because many houses do not have a garage or parking space. It be-comes a hassle for friends and families who are just in the area for a one-day visit.

A community center Ortega said that when community ser-

vice center El Centro De La Raza was established in 1972, Beacon Hill was pri-marily an Asian community.

As young Asians moved out to the sub-urbs, more young white professionals moved in. In 1997, some white residents tried to purchase the land that was occu-pied by El Centro De La Raza on a lease.

“A lot of people from the local commu-nity were upset,” said Ortega. The staff of El Centro was lucky enough to get the approval from the local school district and had enough funding to purchase the land.

“Today, we have a good relationship,” Ortega said. “We plan to build a perform-ing arts center, a town center, and create a gathering space with that one acre of land in front of the center.”

While El Centro De La Raza serves as an important resource to the local Latino commu-nity, Ortega said they welcome everyone to the center, especially on social justice issues.

The most popular programs among the Asian community are child care, senior pro-grams, and the food bank, said Ortega.

Jocelyn Chui can be reached at [email protected].

fruits and drinks to welcome their new an-gels. Elderly people like to meditate or pray because they believe that any angel who comes into their home will stay with them and take care of their family for the whole year.

Throughout the Khmer New Year, street corners are crowded with friends and fami-lies, who are enjoying a break from their routine schedules. They fill their free time with dancing and games. One of the special dishes for the celebration is Kralan, a cake made from steamed rice mixed with beans or peas, and then served with grated coco-nut and coconut milk.

Did you know?Unlike the Gregorian calendar months,

which are a fixed number of days, the Nepali months are not predetermined in length; they change from year to year, varying from 29 days to 32 days.

The month of Boishakh in Bangladesh is notorious for the afternoon-storms called

Kalboishakhis. These storms usually start with strong gusts from the northwest, oc-cur at the end of a hot day, and cause wide-spread destruction.

The Asian Koel, a type of cuckoo bird, has a strong association with the New Year celebrations in Sri Lanka. The melodious “koo-ooo” call of the male bird is regarded as a heralding sign of the traditional New Year. This bird is known as the Koha in the Sinhala language of Sri Lanka.

Songkran in Thailand is also celebrated in many places with a pageant. Young women demonstrate their beauty and unique talents, and are then judged by the audience.

At the temple, the Khmer people create a sand hillock on the grounds. They mound up a big pointed hill of sand or dome in the center, which represents Sakyamuni Satya. This is the stupa at Tavatimsa where Bud-dha’s hair and diadem are buried.

Tessa Sari can be reached at [email protected].

The roads along the old moat of Chiang Mai are full of vehicles during the Songkran water splashing festival.

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“Shiseido” April 13 - 26, 2011

SPRING GIFT PROMOTIONBellevue Store Only

Purchase Shiseido Cosmetics of $55 ormore and Receive a FREE Gift Set

(limit one per customer, while supplies last)

GIFTSUwajimaya o�ers Great Ideas for the Home,Gifts for Giving, Largest Selection of Asian

Health & Beauty Products in the Paci�c NW!

New!“Zojirushi” Umami Micom

RICE COOKER/WARMERSetting for Enhanced Flavor, Soaks &

Steams Longer for Enhanced Depth of Flavor!5-Cup (NS-YAC10/Reg. 235.00)

189.9510-Cup (NS-YAC18/Reg. 249.00)

199.95FREE! TSURU

CERAMIC CRANEORNAMENT

with $15 or more Purchasein Our Gift Department

(one per customer, while supplies last)

All PHITEN PRODUCTSChoose from Our Large Selection of

Products for Your Good Health:Necklaces, Bracelets, Pain Relieving

Products and More!

20% Off

A Tradition of Good Taste Since 1928

From our New Sashimi Island(Bellevue store only)

Highest Quality & Selection Sashimi...plus Value-added Line of Products!

All SLICED SASHIMIIncludes: Tuna, Hamachi, Tako Octopus, Izumi-Dai, Salmon & More (selections vary by store)

10% Off

BELLEVUEGRAND OPENINGBELLEVUEGRAND OPENING

NEW LOCATION!699 - 120th Ave. NE • Bellevue, WA

Celebrating Sakura Health Products and Boy’s Day,Other Features, New Uwajimaya Spring Bag, Demos,

Free Gifts with Purchase, and Festivities!

ENTERTAINMENT• Sat., April 16, 2011 - Bellevue Grand Opening

with Stephen “Braddah” Gomes - 11:00 amPuri¡cation Ceremony, Ribbon Cutting,School of Taiko w/Ringtaro

• Sun., April 17, 2011 - Lion Dance at BellevueMaster Tony Au’s Martial Arts & Lion Dance Team - Noon

• Sakura Outdoor Festival at BeavertonSat. April 16, 2011Featuring Monmouth Taiko, Food, Games and More!

& SAKURA CHERRY BLOSSOM SALE& SAKURA CHERRY BLOSSOM SALETwo Weeks Sale • April 13-26, 2011

Sale Prices Good at All Uwajimaya Locations!

SEAFOODQuality Seafood Showcase, Chilled Section,

Sashimi Island (Bellevue Only) and Live Tank!

From our Seafood Showcase

WHITE PRAWNS(26/30 ct./prev. frozen) Ideal for Tempura,

Grilling or Hot Pot from Indonesia

5.99 lb.

“Myojo” (17.43 oz./Reg. 3.19)

NAMA YAKISOBAShoku - Original Flavor (3 servings)

2.29

“Shochikubai” (1.5 liter)

SAKEDry (Reg. 12.79) or

Extra-Dry (Reg. 13.69)

5.99

“Wei-Chuan” (Reg, 5.19)

DUMPLINGSPork & Celery, Pork & Cilantro, Pork &

Mustard Leaf, Beef & Green Onion, Pork &Green Onion, Pork Leek & Shrimp, Pork &

Spinach (21 oz.), Scallop & Shrimp (18 oz.)

3.79

“Lee Kum Kee” (Reg. 3.99)

STIR FRY SAUCESOriginal (19 oz.), Vegetarian Mushroom

(20 oz.), Kung Pao (18.5 oz.)

2.99

Japanese Cultured Seaweed w/Seasonings

WAKAME CHUKA SALADReady to Eat (prev. frozen)

4.99 lb.

Fresh from our Live Tank!

MANILA STEAMER CLAMSDirect from Totten Inlet, S. Puget Sound

3.99 lb.

From our Seafood Chill Section: FeaturingTofu to Konnyaku to Fish Cakes!

TACOMA TOFU(14 oz.) Extra Firm, Medium Firm or Soft.

Locally-made and Delivered for Freshness.Tofu’s a Good Source of Protein, Low in Fat.

.99 ea.

MEAT

“Painted Hills” All Natural USDA Choice

NEW YORK STEAK(NW Raised) No Antibiotics or Hormones -

100% Veg-fed

8.99 lb.

All Natural “Kurobata”

CENTER CUT PORK BUTTSliced Thin for Hot Pot

4.99 lb.

Featuring USDA Choice Items, Asian Flavored Marinated Meats, All Natural Pork Products,All Natural NW Grown & Raised Chicken, 100% Organic Air-chilled Smart Chicken!

“Smart Chicken” 100% Organic

ORGANIC THIGHSNo Antibiotics or Hormones- 100% Veg-

fed, Air-chilled, Humanely Processed

2.99 lb.

“Painted Hills” All Natural USDA Choice

BONE-IN SHORT RIB(NW Raised) No Antibiotics or

Hormones - 100% Veg-fed

4.99 lb.

“Kirin” 6 pk./12 oz. can (Reg. 8.39)

ICHIBAN BEER

5.79

“Maeda-en” (12 oz./Reg. 4.59)

MOCHI ICE CREAMChocolate, Green Tea, Red Bean, Mango,

Strawberry, Vanilla Flavors

3.29“Woori” (32 oz./Reg. 5.99)

KIMCHISliced Napa Chinese

Cabbage, Mild or Spicy,No MSG added

3.99

Seattle Store600 Fifth Avenue S.Seattle, WA 98104-2812Tel: (206) 624-6248

Bellevue Store699 - 120th Avenue NEBellevue, WA 98005-3009Tel: (425) 747-9012

Renton Store501 S. Grady WayRenton, WA 98057-3211Tel: (425) 277-1635

Beaverton Store10500 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale HwyBeaverton, OR 97005-3111Tel: (503) 643-4512

www.uwajimaya.com

WELCOME!WELCOME!

All HEALTH &BEAUTY PRODUCTS

Largest Selection of Asian Health &Beauty Products in the Paci¡c Northwest

(No discount for Shiseido, Sekkiseior Dr Ci Labo Products)

20% Off

DELIReady to Take Sushi Packs, Steam Table Hot Food Items,Made to Order Items, Chilled Items from Our Cooler!

Ask for Our NEW Sushi & Party Platter Menu!

Fresh from Our Sushi Cooler:

CALIFORNIA COMBO3 pc. California Big Roll, 4 pc.

California Roll (7 pc. pkg./Reg. 4.99

4.39 pkg.

Hawaiian Steamed Buns(3 pc. pkg/Reg. 4.69)

MANAPUASwith Assorted Fillings

(�avors may vary by store)

3.99

Fresh from Our Sushi Cooler:

SAKURA COMBO2 pc. Maki, Inari, 2 pc. Oshinko

& Shibaizuke (8 pc. pkg./Reg. 4.99)

4.39 pkg.

From Our Deli (Reg. 6.99)

GYU-DON BOWLSeasoned Sliced Beef & Onion

over Steamed Rice

5.99

PRODUCEFeaturing Fresh! #1 Quality Asian Produce

and #1 Quality Everyday Produce!

Large & Sweet Hawaiian Solo Variety

PAPAYAS

1.99 ea.

Large & Sweet

MANGOES

.99 ea.

Japanese White Yams

SATSUMA IMO

.99 lb.

Featuring a Full Line ofKITAZAWA VEGETABLE SEEDS

Just in Time for Spring Planting(selections vary by store)

10% Off

Fresh! Shanghai

BABY BOK CHOY

.99 lb.

GROCERYQuality Multi-Asian Products, Noodles,

Snacks, Sauces. Rice. Ready to Heat & ServeProducts & More!

“Myojo” (17.57 oz./Reg. 3.39)

NAMA YAKISOBACurry or Shio (Salt) Flavors (3 servings)

2.29

“MTR” (300g/Reg. 2.19)

INSTANT INDIAN MEALSFlavors Include: Shahi Paneer, Sambar Curry,Paneer Makhani, Pongal, Pineapple Sweet &Sour Curry , Alu Muttar Curry, Bisibele Bhath,Bhindi Masala, Dal Makhani, Dal Fry Yellow

Lentils, Mixed Vegetable Curry, NavratanKurma, Pav Haji, Paneer Butter Masala, PalakPaneer, Rajima Masala, Paneer, Tikka Masala

(selection may vary by store)

1.49

“Koka” (70g/Reg. 1.59)

INSTANT RICENOODLE BOWLS

(No MSG) Laksa , Spicy Seafood Marinara(gluten free), Thai Tom Yum (gluten free)

1.09

“Shirakiku” Premium Sanukiya

UDON NOODLES5 pc. Frozen (2.75 lb. pkg./Reg. 3.99)

2.99

“Kikkoman” (32 oz./Reg. 2.79)

ORGANIC SOYMILKOriginal, Vanilla, Green Tea, Co«ee Flavors

1.59

“Shirakiku” (15 lb. bag/Reg. 24.99)

SUKOYAKA GENMAIPremium Short Whole Grain Brown Rice

17.99

“Tamanishiki” Super Premium

SHORT GRAIN RICE(15 lb. bag/Reg. 27.29)

16.99

OURNEWTOTE!

Only 4.99! 10% OFF on Senior Tuesdays (8 am-11 am)and College Night (Friday: 6 pm-10 pm)Restrictions apply, see store for details.

Supplies of seafood or produce are subject tosupply or adverse weather conditions. “Yoshinoya” (6 oz. pkg./Reg. 4.79)

COOKED BEEF with ONIONReady to Heat & Eat in our Grocery Freezer

3.59

405

13A

11E

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OverlakeHospital

MeydenbauerCenter

LakeBellevue

The Bravern

A Tradition of Good Taste Since 1928

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1E

N .evA

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11E

N . evA

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NE 10th St.

Mercedes ofBellevue

Best Buy

Home Depot

13B

13A

11E

N .evA

ht2

NE 12th St.

NE 4th St.

City Hall

NE 6th St.

Bel-Red Rd.

1E

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MAP: 699 - 120th Avenue NE • Bellevue, WA

{NEW YEAR cont’d from page 10}

VOL 30 NO 17 | 2011

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Transcript of VOL 30 NO 17 | 2011