During the past few years, NYC has been going through an Asian food trend craze and the dessert scene is no exception. From rolled ice cream to taiyaki to matcha flavoured anything, it doesn’t seem like this trend is stopping anytime soon. Our blogging team was lucky enough to be invited to try out a new member of the St Mark’s Club, “Bing Box”, that offers an innovative play on Korean shaved ice (bing su). Sure, you might be thinking “Oh ANOTHER one of these…” But trust me, this is something else.
Okay, we have to start with the cute logo. The square cow is exactly what Bing Box offers, flavour infused milk-based shaved ice served in a box. Usually bingsu is shaved ice covered with toppings to give it flavour and character. Bing Box uses a pre- flavoured mixture that turns from liquid form to light powder through a magic machine. What gives this an extra edge is the milk that’s added in, to make it creamy yet still lighter than ice cream (hence the phrase snow cream). Co-founder Scott explained how a trip to Seoul inspired him and his friends to bring a new and unique version of a summer time favourite to the table. Like many entrepreneurs, he started working in the corporate world before deciding to “just do it” and follow his passion.
We were given samples of the honeydew bing box with fruity pebbles and waffle biscuits, and the lychee bing box with strawberries and mango. Each bite was like cotton candy, soft and fluffy, while melting immediately in your mouth. The generous serving given for a box was well worth the $7. Unfortunately the flavours we tried are not available on the current menu, but you really can never go wrong with Thai Iced Tea, Taro or Matcha. For those who are lactose intolerant, don’t worry, Bing Box doesn’t want you missing out either. The strawberry and mango bing bases have no dairy in it so you can enjoy one along with your friends. They’re also currently offering bubble tea (who doesn’t love that) and flavoured hot chocolate (nutella or raspberry anyone??), so there’s no excuse not to visit just because its getting cold!!! We know we’ll be back (: You can find them on Yelp, Facebook, and Instagram!
What does it really mean to Be-You-tiful? For as long as I can remember, being a beautiful (East) Asian girl meant being fair skinned, skinny, soft-spoken, cute, and to have big eyes. If you were lacking in one or more of the criterion, you better expect those “weaknesses” to be pointed out every chance relatives or the media gets. This topic has been brought up countless times, showing the frustration many of us have towards the boundaries of the Asian definition of beauty, and have others invalidate our struggles retorting that “genetics is on your side”. Just because some may not look like they should have body image issues, given how they appear on the outside, please don’t ever assume. Body image is such a personal mental battle, that no matter what people tell you, what you believe trumps over it all. You have to believe it yourself in order to overcome and develop a healthy mindset.
To be honest, the nature of this topic is all very confusing. On one hand, East Asian cultures are heavily centred around food, with family dinners being core in building community with one another. There is often an expectation to fully participate in the activity of eating, whether or not you want to. Accepting whatever food relatives offer you is seen as a sign of respect. However, they still expect you to maintain a slim waist and face. How does that make sense?? You are either too skinny or too fat and will never be just right.
Thankfully, not everything on social media is detrimental to our self image. I stumbled upon a online community for Asian Americans to “share and discuss ones unhealthy quest for the “perfect” body”. Fittingly titled “Thick Dumpling Skin”, I found so much comfort knowing that there are so many girls (and guys) out there who are going through the same social, cultural and familial struggles with food and body image. Founders Lynn Chen and Lisa Lee recognized this need for communal support between “cultural victims” (I made that term up). They wanted to provide a platform for us to “find comfort in each other’s stories, and together, grow some thicker skins, and learn to love them as well”. Lisa and Lynn have spoken at a number of colleges, workshops and conferences, sharing personal stories of their quest to finding peace and love in themselves.
Disclaimer: Things are about to get personal. I love to eat and go food explore. But knowing my body type, I need to balance that love with exercise and self-control. When I was young, relatives said that I was too skinny, then they told me I was gaining weight and needed to exercise. I can’t remember the number of times I’ve stood in front of a mirror just wishing that I could “cut off” fat and grow taller. Stressing over how much rice I had, or whether I deserved that banana bread, it consumed my thoughts day and night. However, through years of body image struggles, I think I’ve finally caught a glimpse of what it takes to have a healthy mindset ~ Let yourself enjoy that donut, cookie or fried chicken! (lowkey what I’m craving atm...) Savor the moment and don’t hate yourself for it afterwards. Just don’t go overboard. It’s a continuous journey to be fully confident and content in how I look. But, if I know I’m putting in the effort of being active, eating healthy and indulging once in a while, it’s all good. Eating should not be feared but an enjoyable experience.
Just remember that no matter how thick or thin our dumpling skin is, it’s the delicious stuffing on the inside that really makes the difference <3 #LOVEYOURSELF
Rob Chen of “Dynasty 8″ Gives East Coast Asian Americans Something to Talk About
We all know WongFu Productions and the Fung Bros as Asian Americans who represent our culture in the predominately Caucasian entertainment and creative industry. Yet the one thing that irks us is that they’re all from the West Coast…Rob Chen, a marketing major from Northeastern University thought this needed to change and decided to start up his own brand “Dynasty 8” to represent Asian culture and rally for the Asian American community that seemed under recognized on the East Coast #EastCoastBeastCoast. We caught up with Rob to see what he’s been doing to bring Asian culture to the streets.
To get things started, can you tell us about Dynasty 8?
We are an Asian-inspired lifestyle brand based in Boston. We take influences from Asia’s art and tradition, and present it as something more relatable and current for fellow Asian Americans, and others interested in Asian culture. 8 is a lucky number in Chinese and the Dynasty represents a big family and movement that pays homage to the rich heritage.
Our brand is founded upon three pillars: Dynamic, Spirited & Phresh (yes, with a PH). Dynamic means to be bold, to make a statement. Being spirited is to have purpose in your actions, and is the cultural drive of our brand. We want to purposefully represent Asian culture to its fullest extent. Finally, phresh is to just keep things cool, current and real, challenging ourselves to be innovative everyday. Everything that we do has to encompass these three values.
Creating a brand takes a lot of drive and passion, what inspired you to go down this path?
Well, when I was in boarding school, there was a “Create Your Own T-shirt” activity that I participated in. My design said “It’s Time to Date a 中國 (China) Man”, and to my surprise lots of people gave me compliments and said it was a fun design. So that kinda sparked my interest on getting into the clothing business. Then during my junior year here, there was a Huskies Start Up Challenge held at my school where I had the chance to take a small idea of mine and develop it into a business model. I’ve always wanted create a platform for those who vibe with Asian art and culture. So when I received positive feedback from the program, I decided to keep running with the idea and develop it further. It’s only been less than a year since we’ve started and now we’re a legal LLC (limited liability company).
Were there any challenges that you’ve faced through this process?
Oh, most definitely! So I started this back in October 2014 and by winter break, I had lost my whole team due to multiple commitment conflicts. That was a major blow, but I didn’t give up and kept asking around to see if there was anyone who would be interested in carrying out my vision. Eventually I found the team that I’m working with now and I’m so grateful to have their constant input, hard work and creativity. And of course, being a student while pursuing a start up business is not the way to achieve a 4.0 GPA. There would be nights when I had my final essay open, along with 5 other windows looking at the clothing printing process, potential collaborators etc. Funding is also a hurdle we have to overcome occasionally. At the end of the day, it’s through these difficulties that help you grow and move forward.
Definitely! So, what’s next for Dynasty 8?
Hmmm, I would love to have it established back home in New York, to be a recognizable brand that is not just known for its clothes but serves the community and creative thinkers in a positive and effective manner. We recently had a popup booth at Kollaboration Boston and had the chance to collaborate with DANakaDAN and design a shirt for him. We’ve also sponsored Serendipity, the NYU female dance group (who got to perform at KCON this year), with some of our Sakura tank tops. Basically we love doing collabs and are open to supporting any group who is also down to inspire fellow Asian Americans and promote Asian culture.
Thanks so much for talking to us! We can’t wait to see what Dynasty 8 does in the future!
Be sure to check out their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram too!
P.S We’ll be giving away some of their apparel as prizes at our upcoming Trivia Night!! Make sure you’re there!
As many of you may or may not know, Hong Kong has been experiencing a huge political movement known as “Occupy Central” or now often referred to as the “Umbrella Revolution”. This movement, which was initiated by University of Hong Kong Professor Benny Tai back in 2013, is a campaign for universal suffrage in Hong Kong, to pressure the PRC Government in granting an electoral system that “satisfies the international standards in relation to universal suffrage” in the Hong Kong Chief Executive election in 2017. If this electoral system was not achieved, the group threatened they would fight back through the occupation of Central, which is the equivalent of Wall Street in New York City. On the night of September 27 2014, a group of around 100 protestors led by student activist group leader Joshua Wong stormed into Civic Square, trying to tear down metal barriers around the central flag podium. Currently, the “occupation” has spread to 4 districts of Central, Admiralty, Causeway Bay and Mongkok. Tens of thousands of people, a majority being university students, have spent the past 3 weeks marching on the streets and standing ground, trying to make their demands which include wanting HK Chief Executive C.Y Leung to resign, and to have universal suffrage.
To provide some historical context, Hong Kong used to be a British colony and was handed over back to China in 1997. There was an agreement between UK and China that Hong Kong would be allowed to maintain its high degree of autonomy, in terms of legal, education and economical systems for 50 years. Hence, the principle “One country, two systems” was enforced. At the moment, the Chief Executive of HK is elected by a committee of 1200 people from a variety of geographical and functional constituencies. Though in the end, China does have the final say over the position. Hence, many Hong Kong-ers are fed up over the “pseudo-democracy” they say was promised.
You can watch the full chronology of events here to understand the current state of HK. (Please do ^^)
It is hard being overseas and having to watch countless news videos on Youtube of my home being in the unimaginable chaotic state it is in. Hong Kong has been known for being a peaceful, sophisticated and advanced city, a place where you would feel safe 99% of the time. Seeing the clashes between the police and students, pro-democracy protesters and anti-protesters, the tension in the atmosphere has never been so high.
During this past month, my Facebook newsfeed has been flooded with links to many articles, blogposts, videos and personal opinions on this whole issue, either supporting the protestors or the police or the anti-protestors. One slightly insensitive remark made regarding the opposing side and you will find yourself in a cyber war against old friends, teachers and even strangers. Overall, there is just way too much I could bring up and talk about in this post, and then this would become an article instead. So to be short, here are some main points I think are important to think about regarding this whole fiasco.
This situation is not black and white, it is hard to fully support the protestors in all that they are doing, nor fully support the police in their efforts to maintain law and order. It would be heartless of me to condone the usage of pepper spray and tear gas against unarmed protestors. Yet at the same time, if the police do not assert some form of authority and remind the protestors of their illegal activities, how can peace for the whole city be restored? The police are trying to do their job, just as much as the protestors are desperately trying to get their point across, which causes this standoff and there will eventually only be one winner.
Power of the media: As obvious as this is, how influential the media has been on shaping our perspectives and opinions on this is always fascinating, as I was made aware of in this article. After attending a political discussion here at NYU regarding the events, I was made aware of how much the foreign media was focusing on the “glamorous” side of the protests, how civilised protestors were by cleaning up after themselves, commending the students’ drive to fight for democracy, and thus highlighting the “brutality” of the police. For people who do not know much about the history of HK and the realities of the situation, it is easy for them to immediately support the students as “democracy” always seems to be the most desirable goal. To the other side of the spectrum, there have been news blockades in China, leading many Mainland Chinese to be unaware of what is going on in HK, and hence offering little sympathy to those in the city. Needless to say, we must use our critical thinking and reasoning and not let the media target our emotions and sway us towards a favorable side, and overriding our logic.
Finally, from seeing and hearing about the costly consequences and impacts these protests have had on the general public of HK, it leads me to question whether or not this movement was worth it. There is no doubt that the protestors have gathered global attention, creating a politicised sensation. However, the harsh reality of this is that it is very unlikely for C.Y Leung to step down, nor will it be likely that the Chinese government back down and satisfy the demands of the protestors. With that in mind, a large majority of the working public such as taxi drivers and restaurant owners have been heavily hit by the shut down of major streets. Protestors have argued saying that this is a sacrifice HK people must make if they want to see any sort of change in the future. However, I feel that their anger and frustrations are justified as they have not chosen to participate in the protest, yet are forced to endure the consequences. Is this fair to them?
With that, I encourage you to look more into this current event as I was not able to cover even half of what is going on. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but just be mindful to remain respectful towards one another and we will all gain something from this.
