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:
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
