This week we had a wonderful chat with Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn!  She is a Bangkok-born Malaysian/Chinese-American author and educator who wrote Exclusion and The Chinese American Story a middle-grade history book supplement that delineates the ups and downs of the Chinese American experience from the 1800s to today.  It's a fantastic read that is not just for kids, Zoe and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!

You can get Sarah-SoonLing's book at penguinrandomhouse.com or online bookshops for only $8.99!  I highly recommend looking into the entire Race to the Truth education series published by @randomhousekids, they all sound great!  You can also follow Sarah @sarahsoonling on social media.

Co-hosting this week is our friend Zoe from Manchester, England. If you're in the UK, check out her online bookstore www.juniperbythesea.com, or follow their account @juniperseabooks on Instagram

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#asianauthor #racetothetruth #randomhousekids #chineseamerican #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

Ally Shen is a rising star in the Mando Pop world!  She's part of the 9 member Taiwanese girl group Twinkle Black, but she announced on OUR SHOW that she is officially launching her solo career with 2 new songs in the next few months! It was a complete pleasure to talk with Ally for about an hour, she is so warm, friendly, funny, and smart! I can't wait to follow her career and see how far she goes!

You can listen to Ally's and Twinkle Black's music on Spotify or YouTube. Follow her on social media @allly.shn or at her label @ss_ent_official_   Watch the reality survival show with Ally - Next Girlz on Youtube with English subtitles! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3eyYHjN2_0&list=PLOPvD3-B96oDvXmD78VOdnIjZewbyjNoH

Music Played:

Twinkle Black “ Copy Paste " Performance Video ｜黑曜精靈 Copy Paste 九人舞蹈完整版

黑曜精靈 TWINKLEBLACK "Be Your Own Star" @未來少女NEXTGIRLZ《未來的王牌-歌唱組》

Love Me Right Now -Ally Shen 申力安 - " LMRN " M/V

"Spot" cover by Ally Shen and Lin Lin

Thank you to Shining Star Entertainment for helping us set this up!

Our Theme:

Our logo and cover art were designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half The World).

As I always mention, you can write to us at: [email protected], and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

#CPOP #twinkleblack #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

It's always fun to get together with my teacher pals, but it was even more fun to get together at my new favorite Southeast Asian restaurant, Lime Tree!  Loan, Vicky, Jackie, and I got together right before our Spring Break to talk about AAPI history, facts, and historical figures.  Pictured here is the Tape family, their 8-year-old daughter, Mamie, was part of a Supreme Court case that led to the desegregation of schools in America in 1885.   I hope you learn something and have fun at the same time!

Fact check: I said George W. Bush signed AAPI Heritage Month into law... but it was his dad George H.W. Bush who signed it in 1992.  (Loan knew it... but I blew it)

We recorded at Lime Tree in SF's Richmond District, and as a special treat, we got to interview the owner Ming too!  (We stayed for dinner, we're not sponsored by them, but I can tell you that the food is super yummy and you should go!) https://www.yelp.com/biz/lime-tree-southeast-asian-kitchen-san-francisco-2

Thanks to my guests and our host Ming for making it a really fun and delicious night!

Our Theme:

"Asians Being Awesome" by Brian Lum p.k.a. All Arms Around

Our logo and cover art was designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half The World).

As I always mention, you can write to us at: [email protected], and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

#aapiheritagemonth #asianamericanhistory #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

For someone who plays villains, actor Yvonne Chapman could not have been nicer! Calling in from Vancouver, Canada, Yvonne talked with me about her road to acting as well as her three seasons on CW's Kung Fu, playing villain turned friend Zhilan Zhang. In February of 2024, Yvonne was stunning as the larger-than-life supernatural Kyoshi Avatar in Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender.  This fall you can see Yvonne in CW's Superman and Lois, playing another "misunderstood" character Amanda McCoy.

I had such a great time talking with Yvonne, and wish her all the best as she's definitely a star on the rise!  

You can follow Yvonne @ypchapman on Instagram

Our Theme:

Our logo and cover art were designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half The World).

As I always mention, you can write to us at: [email protected], and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

#asianactor #asiancanadian #asiantv #Avatarthelastairbender #kungfu #netflix #CW #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

We headed back to our favorite KPOP store, SarangHello, here in San Francisco to have some fun on a Friday night!  We had a Trivia Night with about 30 of our listeners and friends!  It was lots of laughs, a few tense moments, but in the end, I think everyone left a winner!

Special thanks to Chesca, Pip, (and Kevin in absentia) for hosting us and providing our final prize of a $50 gift card to the shop!  Also shouts to the Lawton Alternative School and Galileo High School's KPOP clubs for participating!  Intern Sydney, helped a lot with the logistics!

I hope you have fun listening to this.  Let me know if you got them all correct!  I'll send you a sticker if you got at least 5 right!  (shoot me an email)

Music played in this episode:

"Lion Heart" by Girls Generation (SM Entertainment)

"Magnetic" by Illit (BELIFT LAB Inc )

"Get A Guitar" by Riize (SM Entertainment)

"Sweet Venom" by Enhypen (BELIFT LAB Inc )

"Baby, One More Time" by Britney Spears (Jive Records)

"Run BTS" by BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)

Our Theme:

Outro:

"Soju Over Ice" by @sonofpaper

Our logo and cover art were designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half The World). 

Photo Credit:  P. Tuet

As I always mention, you can write to us at: [email protected], and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

#kpop #kpoptrivia #hybe #enhypen #illit #tomorrowxtogether #riize #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

This episode was so much fun to record!  I was able to get a mini tour of Chinatown with two SF natives who grew up down there, Josh Chuck, co-producer and co-director of the documentary film Chinatown Rising, and my mom Brenda!  It was really fun to capture the sounds of Chinatown on this recording, I hope you enjoy!  A few FACT CHECK items:  I said Pan-Pacific Exposition, but I meant The Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939.  And I also said my mom's grandparents immigrated here in the 1870's, but I meant to say my mom's GREAT-grandparents.

After a little walk through the streets, we ended up at the historic Donaldina Cameron House, where we met Harry Chuck who had worked there as director for over 40 years.  He captured footage of various social justice moments during the 1960's-1980's.  Flash forward over 40 years and he and Josh were able to produce a film about that era.  It is wonderful to see some moments in SF history that many of us would otherwise never be able to see.

For now Chinatown Rising is limited to school and community viewings, but it will be available for rent via streaming soon, so stay tuned!  To learn more about the film you can go to https://www.chinatownrising.com or follow them on social media @chinatownrising

Thanks to all my guests, Harry and Josh Chuck and special thanks to my mom for showing me a little bit more about where she grew up!

Our Theme:

Interlude: Chinatown Rising Trailer via YouTube

Our logo and cover art were designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half The World).

As I always mention, you can write to us at: [email protected], and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

#chinatownrising #sfchinatown #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

**No Spoilers For the First Half**  Jess Hong plays Jin Cheng in Netflix’s sci-fi thriller 3 Body Problem, adapted from Chinese novelist Cixin Liu’s books, and produced by Benioff, Weiss (Game of Thrones) and Woo (True Blood).  Jin is a genius scientist trying to save mankind from a consequence that started over five decades earlier.  Jess called in from New Zealand, and she couldn’t have been nicer or more generous with her time. Her performance in the show left both me and my co-host Zoe wanting more of Jin and her friends! 

My co-host this week is Zoe.  Zoe hails from Manchester, England and is the owner of Juniper By the Sea online bookshop (@juniperseabooks on Instagram, website coming soon).

Huge thanks to Jess for coming on with us less than a day after returning home from London!  You can follow her @jessthehong on Instagram, and of course, watch 3 Body Problem on Netflix!  

Our Theme:

Outro:  The Opening Credits (and Opening Song) of 3 Body Problem | Netflix  @stillwatchingnetflix  

Our logo and cover art were designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half The World).

As I always mention, you can write to us at: [email protected], and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

#Netflix #3bodyproblem #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #iinfatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

More great recommendations for Asian food in San Francisco from Julia Chen, Senior Staff Writer at the Infatuation SF! Let us know if you try any of our recommendations!  As you can tell we love food and we hope you do too!

Follow Julia @infatuation_sf or over at their website https://www.theinfatuation.com/san-francisco

Restaurants Mentioned these clips:

Viva Goa

Thanks for listening!  And Happy Eating!

Julia Chen has my dream job! (though it does seem like a lot more work than I realized) She is a Senior staff writer at the restaurant recommendation site The Infatuation. (no, the similarity of our media names did not escape us)! Julia eats out in SF 6-10 times a week and writes reviews for The Infatuation website. The Infatuation has quickly become my favorite restaurant recommendation site!

Coming back to co-host for a third time is my student Sydney!  The three of us came up with some San Francisco Asian restaurant recommendations for various prompts like, the best under $10 bite, best Asian splurge, 2nd date spots, our favorite Asian comfort food spots, late-night grub, and more!

You can read Julia’s reviews over at https://www.theinfatuation.com/san-francisco If you’re not in SF, look for The Infatuation in a city near you 11 different cities in the US plus London, and has dozens of articles from cities all over the world!  You can follow Julia’s local account on social @infatuation_sf 

Some of the SF restaurants mentioned in this part of the episode: 

As I always mention, you can write to us at: ⁠[email protected]⁠, and please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @infatuasianpodcast 

Our Theme: “Super Happy J-Pop Fun-Time” by Prismic Studios was arranged and performed by All Arms Around 

Cover Art and Logo designed by Justin Chuan @w.a.h.w (We Are Half the World)

#theinfatuation #asianfood #sanfranciscofood #chineseamerican #asianpodcast #asian #asianamerican #infatuasian #infatuasianpodcast #aapi #veryasian  #asianamericanpodcaster #representationmatters

What a year 2023 was for Asian American representation in TV and film. Since the Oscars is traditionally the end of awards season, I figured it’d be fun to do a little recap of some of our favorite AAPI projects that aired in 2023!  

I brought back 2 friends of the pod to help me with this. We’re happy to have Katie Nguyen back!  And joining us again is our old pal Kelvin, who is a real Asian American Hollywood mainstay with 90+ acting credits under his name.  It’s always fun to hear Kelvin’s take on things happening in Hollywood!

Also, Katie and I were able to screen a film called Earthlings. Earthlings depicts what happens when people of drastically different backgrounds are thrown together for a dinner party where a little too much tequila is consumed. Thanks to Kelvin and director Steve Doughton for the screening invite!

Thanks to both my guests for a lively chat! Follow Kelvin on social media @kelvinhanyee and Katie over @katieyowyow