Hi friends. I started writing this on the sixth day after the Atlanta-area shootings, where six Asian women – eight victims total – suffered at the horrific congress of racism, misogyny, and inhumane violence. After day five, the buzzing wasps’ nest in my chest finally quieted, and I was granted uneventful sleep before five in the morning for the first time in five days, thanks at the very least to self-medication.
Homemade mapo tofu (mildly spicy because my mom knows I can't handle spice); all arrays of fruits peeled and cut into bite size pieces with a tiny fork stabbed into one for clean eating; herbal teas that I refused to drink; eye exercises at the window; a pitcher of boiled and filtered water always filled next to the kitchen sink; dan ta; lo bak go; tai yang bing!!
As a kid, I unconsciously brushed these aside to further myself from my otherness. As an adult, I now notice the cultural void that I'm left with. I'm embarrassed that I've let myself forget my roots, and I'm mournful for the upbringing of my future children who will only get a whitewashed version of my ancestors' culture.
Thank you for reminding me to cherish the memories and to celebrate the parts of me that are distinctly attributed to my Asian upbringing.
Lo bak go and tai yang bing! I also almost forgot about the 2L water boiler my parents’ home has! Our children can have cultural exchange at each others’ houses :-)
Red Canary Song compiled a few organizations to support and donate to: https://www.redcanarysong.net/atlanta. I would also check out Heart of Dinner, Womankind, and Mekong NYC for the cause 🤍
When I said in my previous post that I would try to make my newsletters shorter... I lied :)
Homemade mapo tofu (mildly spicy because my mom knows I can't handle spice); all arrays of fruits peeled and cut into bite size pieces with a tiny fork stabbed into one for clean eating; herbal teas that I refused to drink; eye exercises at the window; a pitcher of boiled and filtered water always filled next to the kitchen sink; dan ta; lo bak go; tai yang bing!!
As a kid, I unconsciously brushed these aside to further myself from my otherness. As an adult, I now notice the cultural void that I'm left with. I'm embarrassed that I've let myself forget my roots, and I'm mournful for the upbringing of my future children who will only get a whitewashed version of my ancestors' culture.
Thank you for reminding me to cherish the memories and to celebrate the parts of me that are distinctly attributed to my Asian upbringing.
Lo bak go and tai yang bing! I also almost forgot about the 2L water boiler my parents’ home has! Our children can have cultural exchange at each others’ houses :-)
Red Canary Song compiled a few organizations to support and donate to: https://www.redcanarysong.net/atlanta. I would also check out Heart of Dinner, Womankind, and Mekong NYC for the cause 🤍