Plate Lunch: Two Scoops Of Hapa

Aloha nui loa, Hip Hapa Homeez! As we say in Hawai’i, komo mai or welcome. He hale keia a (this is the house of) our multiethnic and cross-cultural agenda featuring folks we like to call da kine Hip Hapa Homeez.

This week’s featured Hip Hapa Homee is another Watermelon Sushi Associate Producer, Scott Lee, pictured above in mid-tea toast. Below, are photos of my fave dishes that Scott always orders for us at our preferred Waikiki eatery on Kapi’olani Boulevard. That’s cake noodle on top, and eggplant with tofu beneath it. Mmm. So ono da kine! No siree, no plate lunch here. If you’re hip, then you know the typical Hawai'ian plate lunch includes two scoops of white rice, or one of macaroni or potato salad.

Scott, who lives on Oahu where he’s a skillful chef, has been a reliable source for financial investment information for our independent film, Watermelon Sushi. If you have any ideas you’d like to discuss with Scott, do drop a line to yourhiphapa@me.com and we’ll forward your email to him.

Q: What makes you a Hip Hapa Homee?

A: I'm Chinese, Korean and Hawai’ian, which is considered a Poi Dog here in Hawai’i. Growing up in Honolulu in a working class family (that sacrificed to send me to private school in my early years only for me to end up in the secondary public system), I was exposed to both ends of the tracks. The multi-cultural culinary field in a predominately tourism economy allowed me exposure to the ‘rainbow’ diversity and, more importantly, acceptance of Hawai’i living as experienced by President Obama. I have lived here all my life visiting other states on occasion and, I look forward to experiencing more of what this planet has to offer.

Q: How did you grow up?

A: My parents were both educators and with it came all the bells and whistles of underachievement and accomplishments necessary for parental unit approval; more so the end result of my life working in the food industry. Personally, I don’t feel it matters what I do being that all the families with a long history here in Hawai’i descended from farm life in the pineapple and sugar cane fields.  

Q: What's your role in Watermelon Sushi?

A: To be honest, I really do not consciously know what my role is with Watermelon Sushi. Between all of you out there and me, I sometimes believe Yayoi keeps me around as a Hawai’ian pet in need of attention. Actually, for the past 15 years to mix up the sometimes "Groundhog Day" eventless mastery of my culinary career, I decided to experience some opportunistic activities in my spare time leading to a wealth of knowledge and useful contacts I believe will become assets to the production of Watermelon Sushi.

Q: What else do you do?

A: Paying the bills falls on my ability to food service particular working class clients who have had the chance to sample my 25 years experience in the hotels and restaurants of Oahu at "sub fast food prices".  When or if the economy improves anytime soon, I will be increasing my efforts in this arena.

Q: As a renowned chef, do you have a recipe to contribute to The Official Watermelon Sushi Cookbook?

A: Yes!  Mix your favorite b-b-q sauce with your favorite teriyaki sauce one part to one part and use it on everything; get rid of your favorite ketchup.  

Q: What impact do you think Obama's presidency has made on multiethnic agendas?

A: What! Are you kidding? It has everything to do with what our society has become culturally. I’m not talking about all the work the different ethnic backgrounds have produced in the last 50 years. I’m talking about forcing all the culturally ignorant individuals that were sitting on the fence deciding whether or not to accept publicly what they already knew in their hearts. Other than the few aliens roaming around lost on this planet, we are all 99.9% genetically the same. Just like all the doggy breeds, we have all the same genetics whether big, small, hairy, or not.

Q: Speaking of aliens, what do you see in Watermelon Sushi’s future?

A: Watermelon Sushi will kick start a revolution of all the people who have been looked down upon as being half-breeds in their perspective hometowns, in their home countries. It is now in the minority to be of only one cultural background.

Mahalo nui loa, Scott Lee! Moke shaka!

Remember, if you’re a Hip Hapa Homee with a story to share, email yourhiphapa@me.com so we can feature you here. Next up, look for our interview with author Teri LaFlesh discussing her book, Curly Like Me.

And, here are some updates from past Watermelon Sushi World interviewees:

Filmmaker Joe Doughrity’s Akira’s Hip Hop Shop—

(December 2, 2009, Anime, Hip Hop, Japan And Joe http://watermelonsushiworld.blogspot.com/2009/12/hip-hapa-homee-joe-and-japanese-hip-hop.html) 

one of the finalists in BETs’ “Lens On Talent”--is now available through Amazon. 

Check it out here. You go, Joe!

Actor Tony (Juan Carlos) Insignares 

(January 13, 2010, In Character With Tony Insignares http://watermelonsushiworld.blogspot.com/2010/01/welcome-back-hip-hapa-homeez-this-weeks.html) 

has a role in a film released on April 17 called The Harps. 

Here’s the link:

http://www.theharpsmovie.com/

Finally, congratulations to iPrince, Richard Todd Smith, last week’s featured Hip Hapa Homee. iPrince has been hustling so hard on behalf of our Watermelon Sushi film that he earned a promotion to Co-Producer! Congrats, and big up. Please friend iPrince Smitty on Facebook or email him at iprincemsmitty@gmail.com with any questions you have about production. Since our interview last week, iPrince forwarded this photo below of Detroit’s Chinatown. What a Hip Hapa Homee!

Remember, if you’d like to show your support, purchase a Hapa*Teez 

t-shirt and earn a rear crawl credit on the film. Also, join our Hip Hapa Homeez Group page on Facebook to stay informed about all the news pertaining to multiethnic communities and transracial adoptees. Become a fan of our Watermelon Sushi Fan page on Facebook to be kept up-to-date about our film. You can also follow the Watermelon Sushi World blog on Facebook. And, if all of that’s not enough to show us love, follow watermelonsushi on Twitter. We promise to follow back!

That’s all she wrote for now, but I am and always will be

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

iPrince: The Monarchy Of A Multi-Culti Mind

Welcome back to Watermelon Sushi World! Please enter the portal to our universe of mixed-ness where cultures cross and ethnicities blend. Kick back and make yourself at home, Hip Hapa Homeez.

This week, Your Hip Hapa profiles one of several Watermelon Sushi Associate Producers located around the globe. What’s a Watermelon Sushi Associate Producer? Watermelon Sushi is our feature film, which our Associate Producers are dedicated to producing and bringing to the silver screen for you. The worldly Mr. Richard Todd Smith, better known as iPrince, explains. Above is his face, below his thoughts.

Q: What makes you a Hip Hapa Homee?

A: I'm African American and live in the inner city of Detroit Michigan. We’re internationally known as the Motor City and where the Motown musical legends came from.

But last year in 2008, I lived in Phoenix where I worked with the Latino population. As a youth and community developer, I partnered with the downtown, centrally located, YMCA. I established youth enrichment programs, summer camp programs, basketball and soccer tournaments, swim teams, Friday night jams, and parties with local radio stations. The YMCA has different partnerships, like with Arizona State University. Youth At Risk is another organization that we worked with; and, also six local high schools and four elementary schools in the district. There were over 100 participants in our program.

Not only was I able to eat great Latino meals in Phoenix, but I also learned the culture of the population, which is centered on food and family. Besides the hot weather, I was also exposed to bilingual speaking and learned some Spanish. I ate hot tamales, quesadillas and soft tacos with sun-dried tomatoes and jalapenos all day long, as well as lots of fresh fruits—apples, oranges, bananas and plantains; a Latino staple.

Q: What's your role in the Watermelon Sushi film--past and future?

A: My thing is outreach. I enjoy reaching out to multiethnic communities and sharing with them even as I learn more about their histories. I’m interested in teaching others about cross-cultural agendas and mixed-race people, and the message and motivation of Watermelon Sushi. I plan to approach diverse cultures and expose them not only to the producers behind the film project, but the project itself. I want to inform younger generations, teenagers, and my peer group--the 30 somethings, the Gen Xers—and reach out to educate them about crossing cultures and what it means to be multiethnic. I want to speak to an international audience. This project is an international project, and I want to teach about it globally. 

As a project for this summer, I’m also working on sponsoring a basketball team to buy Hapa*Teez t-shirts which advertise and finance the Watermelon Sushi film. We’ll approach, say, a local grocery store and ask them to donate a number of shirts to our team. 10% of the funds raised will be donated to the film’s production. This will give us the spin of outreach. I want to sponsor those ball players and take photos of them to be part of the film. I'm looking forward to doing my part. I plan to showcase these types of activities to potential financiers, especially in an urban setting.

I’m also researching film credits, incentives and tax breaks offered by the Michigan Film Office. Soon, I’ll be contacting some key players in that organization to see how we can work together on Watermelon Sushi. To quote Joe Biden, this is a big blankety-blank deal!

Q: What else do you do?

A: I'm a part-time student at Wayne State University where I study urban development and political science. I also work in the field of fine art and antiques; primarily 20th Century American furniture. I also read a lot to stay informed; mostly magazines like Architectural Digest, Fine Wine, Forbes, and Your Hip Hapa’s cousin’s, Oprah's, publication—O.

Q: How did you grow up?

A: I was born and raised on the east side of Detroit. My family is middle-class and, as business owners, gave me the incentive to be entrepreneurial. My folks owned re-sell shops, a gas station and a local Dairy Queen. The majority of my time was spent being involved in after-school programs, and sports for exercise and staying healthy.

Growing up, I attended a private Catholic school, St. David, where we had mixed populations with both black and white roots. Any mixed-race students were predominantly black and white although some had Asian mothers and black fathers. In Detroit, we have a Chinatown, so our family would go there to eat out. We also have a Mexicantown and Africantown--where West Africans from Ghana display their dance culture.

Q: What impact do you think Obama's presidency has made on multiethnic agendas?

A: I don't think he’s made an impact directly, but indirectly by his image because those communities benefit from his having an image of color. By us having a multiethnic president, it sends a hopeful message to multiracial people of color.

Q: Do you have a recipe for The Official Watermelon Sushi Cookbook?

A: You better believe it! It's going to be my caveat to being a part of the project. I'm not much of a cook though. I have sisters, so I eat and wash the dishes. Yes, that sounds sexist, but we role-play. I stay in my lane and they stay in theirs. I'm a willing participant of it. Even if I cook, my sisters taste the food and are like, “Well…” And, then, they may not wash the dishes, so I'll be stuck washing dishes and cooking, too.

Having said that, I may consider submitting a recipe for a fruit salad with watermelons, cherries, strawberries and apple slices. And, I’ll use hummus and olives rolled in rice and seaweed for what I’ll call “Middle Eastern Sushi.” It sounds terrible, but it is catchy.

Q: What do you see in Watermelon Sushi’s future?

A: Not only will it be a film, but a brand--a household name. It will be in your library as a novel, in your kitchen as a cookbook, in your den on a DVD, in your child’s room as a paper doll, and even in your home as houseware like china and linens. It will be in all kinds of homes of all different races as a constant reminder of what it takes to work together in the world. We live to learn about each other so what is it going to take for us to exist together? I see Watermelon Sushi educating the world about the ways and principals of how to relate and understand other ethnic groups and other cultures. 

Wow! No wonder Watermelon Sushi is growing so successfully—thanks to Associate Producers like iPrince. btw, HAPA birthday, iPrince! (Friday, April 9)

To contact Richard Todd Smith:

Email him at iprincesmitty@gmail.com or mrtsmitty@hotmail.com

Friend him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iPrinceSmitty

Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mrtsmitty

Stay tuned, Hip Hapa Homeez, as we continue to present Watermelon Sushi Associate Producers from around the planet along with regular profiles in the coming weeks. We’ll also be developing The Official Watermelon Sushi Cookbook where your vegan recipes will be published along with your photo and story. For more info about the cookbook, email yourhiphapa@me.com

Now, here’s a shout-out to our Hapa*Teez supporters. Remember, if you make a purchase, contact us at hapateez@me.com for your rear crawl credit. This week’s featured Hip Hapa Homee in Hapa*Teez t-shirt is British beauty Sogba Bruce Jaja. Looking good, girl!

And, here’s an announcement from Andrew Grant-Thomas, Deputy Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity (Ohio State University). Andrew is soliciting a wide range of views on the subject of future race relations and besides tapping advocates, researchers and other professionals, he’s also looking for “bloggers, poets, writers of speculative fiction, futurists, young and old, immigrants, poor and working class people of color and just plain folk.” Get more info at this link:

http://www.race-talk.org/?page_id=3512

Speaking of Obama, this week’s featured Amazon product is Watermelon Sushi Associate Producer Pearl, Jr.’s on-demand video titled Barack Obama: The Power of Change.

Let’s end with a BIG UP to all you Hip Hapa Homeez Group members and Watermelon Sushi Fans on Facebook, and to you tweeting Twitterers. Anyone can join us, so please do. And, keep your comments and emails coming. Like iPrince, above, we love it when you reach out. Soon we’ll meet again, and until then, I am

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Blasian, Blackanese And Beautiful

Ni Hao, Hip Hapa Homeez! In case you’re not familiar, that’s “hello” in Mandarin. This week’s greeting is in honor of our featured Hip Hapa Homee, Kimberly Campbell, who has lived in China with her family. What’s so unusual about that, you may well ask? Well, Kim, her husband and two children are African Americans--which really shouldn’t be all that remarkable. Yet, most people still consider it significant when blacks live abroad, and we don’t mean in Africa or the Caribbean either.

That’s Kim with her Chinese students in the photo above and below, a spread of her family.

Q: Why China, Kim?

A: I’m a professor in the Communication Department at Texas Southern University, and am conducting interviews and holding meetings about ways to build bridges between African American and Asian American communities. I appreciate all the bridge builders who have been working towards that end for many years. Anyone who would like to connect, share resources, and/or exchange ideas should email me at kdctheory@msn.com 

Q: When did you first develop an interest in Asia?

A: As a child, I was interested in traveling and learning about various cultures. I recall being attracted to Asian philosophies, books, and films as a high school student. I do have some pretty early memories of connecting with Chinese stories and people as a very young child. I remember enjoying the Seven Chinese Brothers book, and recall enjoying the accent of a Chinese woman who worked at my pre-school. So, perhaps my attraction to Chinese culture was ignited early on. 

I also recall really enjoying Bollywood musicals and dance routines. Hopefully, I will get to visit India in the near future. I am definitely open to other cultures and find that learning about them is a great way to learn about myself. I love to share my Blasian stories!

Q: Did you or your husband grow up in multicultural environments?

A: My husband and I both grew up in predominately African American environments within Detroit. Both of us, even as young people, demonstrated an openness to people and friendships with persons of diverse backgrounds. Our parents were open to diversity in professional settings, but maintained almost exclusive African American personal friendships--at least while we were children. Nonetheless, once I became a teenager, I recall that my mother’s circle of friends became more inclusive of diverse persons and has continued that way today.   

Q: How long did your family stay in China?

A: From 2006 to 2008, we lived and worked in south China in a city called Shunde, about 25 miles south of Guangzhou and about an hour and a half north of Hong Kong. Our children are fluent in Chinese and are culturally Blasian, or Blackanese as some refer to them, in many ways.

Q: What did you do there?

A: My husband and I worked at a K-12 private international baccalaureate school. I worked with high school juniors and seniors teaching critical thinking and helping them prepare for admission to colleges/universities in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia. Teaching high-schoolers was new to me as my entire career before going to China had been teaching at the college level for about 13 years.

Q: And, your kids?

A: Our children attended the international school where we taught for the first year. The teachers in the lower grades spoke very little English so our children learned Mandarin quickly. After only five months, both children (7 and 9 when we arrived in China) were fluent! At the end of their first year, they were ranked 1st (daughter) and 2nd (son) in Mandarin speaking, reading, and writing out of about 200 foreign students. Our children often served as translators for my husband and me, and for other foreigners living in China.

Q: What was it like being black in Asia?

A: I was the first African American woman, or woman of African descent period, to have worked/taught at the school. There was another African American man from Texas who started teaching there when my husband and I did, so my husband was one of the first African American men to teach at the school. After two years, the school made very generous offers for us to stay. After we left, the school recruited five African Americans to teach there. We really feel we were trailblazers and cultural ambassadors for the school!

Q: Did you visit other Asian countries?

A: Over the two years, we had the opportunity to travel to Thailand, Philippines and throughout China. The exposure was quite enriching for our family. It was very rare to see other African Americans--especially ones traveling with a family. We wouldn't trade the experience for anything. We will always remain connected to Asian culture.

Q: What did you guys eat? 

A: The food in southern China was definitely different from the taste and style of Chinese food served in U.S. restaurants such as Panda Express. What an adjustment!  As we traveled to different parts of China, we became more knowledgeable about the diverse food and cooking traditions in those places. Lamain noodles--a long stretchy noodle from Islamic Chinese areas of Western China--were one of my family's favorite foods.

Q: What are you doing now?

A: I have returned to academia and currently serve as Interim Chair of the Speech Communication Department at Texas Southern University. My husband has started an ESL company in Houston.

I am involved in several research projects and am developing an organization designed to identify opportunities and overcome challenges in strengthening African American and Asian American relationships. Some of the projects also seek to uncover key differences in communication styles that may present cultural blocks for the two groups. By the way, I’m brainstorming ideas for a name for the organization I’m starting if anyone has any suggestions. Also, I'm writing about African American families living abroad, and at least three of the families reflect on their experiences living in Asian countries.

Q: What about your children?

A: The children attend an international baccalaureate school in Houston, and study Chinese at their school.

Xie xie, Kim! (That’s pronounced sheh sheh and means thank you.)

Now for some announcements:

Hip Hapa Homee Vanessa Chong is working on a Biracial Identity and Family Study for those who are half Asian and half Caucasian. This is a part of the University of Windsor’s multicultural research program in the Department of Psychology. You must be between 18 and 30, and live in the U.S. or Canada to participate. As a token of appreciation, participants will be entered in a drawing for $25 gift cards. The website link is  

http://uwindsor.ca/biracial and requires using “biracial” as your ID and “survey” as your password. For more info, contact Vanessa at brstudy@uwindsor.ca

And, Hip Hapa Homee Michelle Hughes sent us info about the 2010 Census and why it’s important for those of us identifying as being more than one race to complete the form. For more info, visit http://2010.census.gov or contact 2010 Census National Partner, Association of MultiEthnic Americans (Jungmiwha Bullock or Harold Gates ), at 818-230-2285 or amea2010census@gmail.com

Remember, your purchase of a Hapa*Teez t-shirt will help support our Watermelon Sushi film while earning you a rear crawl credit. You can also join our Hip Hapa Homeez Group page on Facebook, where we post the latest news for blendies, mixies and transracial adoptees, and our Watermelon Sushi Fan page where we keep you updated about the film. In the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling Watermelon Sushi Associate Producers on this blog, so keep coming back. You can also follow watermelonsushi on Twitter where we post excerpts from the film script.

If you're looking for a good book to read, check out my friend Nashieqa Washington's cleverly titled Why Do Black People Love Fried Chicken? Obviously, Nashieqa's never eaten lamain noodles. Nevertheless, buy her book. You won't be disappointed.

Finally, here’s a shout-out to all you Hip Hapa Homeez for your continuing loyalty. It’s so heartwarming to watch our numbers growing every day especially when so many of you are not mixed-race, a transracial adoptee, or even in an interracial relationship. The fact that you still champion the cause for those of us claiming our multi-ethnic heritages speaks volumes about your spirit.

Until we meet again, I remain

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi

Rockin' And Rollin' With The Bots

Greetin’s, Hip Hapa Homeez! Welcome back to Watermelon Sushi World. Your Hip Hapa missed you last week, but she’s making up for it by introducing you to TWO righteously talented guests this week.

The pix above and below are of The Bots, Afro-Caribbean-Asian brothers and Cali cuties with their own band. After you read the Q&A, check out their links below. Aren’t they precious? Thank you, Renee Tecco of Sweet Rice Chronicles for the heads up.

Respect, respect.

Q: What are two nice, mixed-race boys like you doing in a band named The Bots?

A: Well, we thought the name was catchy. It’s not short for robots and is not associated with robots. We used robots on our first album to go with the theme.

Q: How did you get your exotic birth names?

A: Our mother and father are Rastafarians and took our names out of the Holy Bible. Anaiah is 13. His name means ‘Jehovah has answered’. Mikaiah is 16. His name means ‘Who is like unto Jehovah’.

Q: Where and how did your Chinese father and Afro-Caribbean mother meet?

A: Our parents met at The Rastafarian Organization of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. It’s the same religious organization Bob Marley was a member of. Our dad said he made a beeline for our mom when he first laid eyes on her. They exchanged numbers and, you know the rest.

Q: What kind of lifestyle does your family have?

A: We were raised with both cultures. We are not fluent in Chinese, but it’s spoken by our grandparents and we understand most of it. We have not been to Carnival, but we are aware of it. Our mom was raised in the states.

Q: How would you describe your sound?

A: Rock and indie rock.

Q: What! No reggae?

A: It takes a couple of people to play reggae. We do play around with it, though.

Q: How did you choose your instruments?

A: We play multiple instruments, and over seven instruments each. They were the only reasonable things to play in a rock and roll band, so we decided Mikaiah should play guitar and Anaiah drums.

Q: Who writes your songs, and who decides what you’re going to play?

A: We write all of our songs, and Anaiah decides which songs to play when we perform.

Q: Do you two always get along even when you’re not playing music?

A: Yes, we get along because our parents would not have it any other way. We love each other very much. Of course, we sometimes argue like brothers do, but it’s quickly quashed.

Q: Was your album “Self-Titled Album” released on July 25 as planned?

A: Not officially, but it began to stream on the Internet last summer in July.

Q: How often do you rehearse, and when do you get your homework done?

A: We rehearse mostly on the weekends, both days, and when we sometimes squeeze time in on the weekdays after we are done with homework. We are required by our parents to bring home all A's and B's, and we do get good grades. When we are not doing homework, we write as we are working on our next album.

Q: It looks like your schools (Glendale High School and Roosevelt Middle School) have been very supportive of your music education. How important is it to get an early start?

A: Important because you can get better with time.

Q: Who are your favorite musical artists?

A: We like Attic Monkey, Arcade Fire, Bad Brains, A7X, and Yeah Yeah Yeah's just to name a few. There are too many to mention.

*********

Here are The Bots’ upcoming gigs, shows, and tours:

Emergenza Festival at The Joint, Beverly Hills, April 2

The Strange on Melrose, April 7

Glendale (battle of the bands), April 17

Afro Punk Tour, June 25 (three weeks)

Warped Tour, August 11-15

The Bots Official Website:

http://thebotsband.com

The Bots Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bots/93384124079?ref=mf

The Bots MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/thebotsband

YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/user/haiakim

Afro Punk:

http://afropunk.ning.com/profile/TheBots

IMRadio:

http://www.imradio.com/?f=artists_view&id=4894

Vans Warped Tour 2010 – THE BOTS Profile:

http://www.vanswarpedtour.com/warpedtour/band.asp?xid=24343

Irie. While you’re checking out The Bots’ links and things, don’t forget to become a Watermelon Sushi film fan on Facebook. As long as you’re cruisin’ there, go to the Hip Hapa Homeez Group page and join to stay updated on the latest news about blendies, hapas, interracial adoptees, and mixies. Buy a Hapa*Teez t-shirt and not only earn a rear crawl credit on the Watermelon Sushi film, but see your photo on the Hip Hapa Homeez Group page in weekly rotation. If you’ve made a purchase, contact us so we can give you your prize.

Until two weeks from now, I promise to always be

Your Hip Hapa,

Yayoi