By: Jane Xiong I think no matter where we’re from, we’ve probably at least heard of several Asian dishes that we have never actually tried before. We know that these foods are must-haves in various Asian countries, and from the media that we are exposed to, many of them seem visually pleasing as well as delicious. However, there are a few things that I have found intriguing as a Chinese-American language enthusiast who has been growing up in New York City (the heart of infused cultures). Personally, I primarily speak English, Mandarin, and Cantonese. As part of extracurriculars, I have been taking the time to learn about Japanese, Vietnamese, and Korean through various cultural clubs at my university. Furthermore, I have noticed that the way we pronounce these Asian food names in English are, for the most part, quite different from the way they are supposed to be pronounced in the language of their respective country of origin. Here are 5 Asian foods we’ve been saying incorrectly:
Kung Pao Chicken, gong bao ji ding in Mandarin, is a stir-fry dish that is widely recognized as a staple in Sichuan(a province in Southwestern China)ese cuisine and is made with cubed chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers, and is a combination of salty, sweet, and spicy. Gong bao is romanized as Kung Pao and it literally means “palace guard” and ji ding is the literal Chinese translation of “chicken cube”, which emphasizes that the chicken is diced. Kung Pao chicken is said to be named after Ding Baozhen, a palace guard from the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912). 2. Pho Pronounced: fuh Pho is a popular Vietnam(a country in Southeast Asia)ese street food that consists of noodles, broth, chicken or beef, and herbs. The origin of Pho is somewhat ambiguous as some say it is derived from the Cantonese phan, which are rice noodles sold in Hanoi(the capital of Vietnam) by Chinese immigrants while others say it may have derived from the French “pot-au-feu” which literally translates to “pot of fire” which could possibly describe the steam rising from the noodle bowl. 3. Sake Pronounced: sah-kay Sake is a non carbonated and usually sweet tasting, fermented rice wine that originated from Japan. In Japanese, the kanji character for sake can mean any type of alcoholic beverage. Sake contains approximately 14-16% alcohol and is often served in a tall porcelain bottle and sipped from a small porcelain cup for special occasions, big celebrations, and national holidays in Japan. 4. Bibimbap Pronounced: bee-beem-bahp Bibimbap is a Korean rice dish typically consisting of sliced beef, seasoned vegetables, chili pepper paste, soy sauce, and an egg. Bibim means “mixing various ingredients” and “bap” refers to the rice, so bibimbap literally translates to “mixed rice.” Bibimbap is said to have first emerged between the late 1500’s and mid 1600’s and has gone through a variety of name changes before being established as Bibimbap in the late 1800’s-1900’s. 5. Chow Mein Pronounced: chau mun Chow Mein refers to stir fry noodles with beef, chicken, pork, or any meat, and assorted vegetables. Its name is derived from Toisanese, a dialect of Cantonese spoken by locals of Toisan, a county located in the southern part of the Guangdong province. The Toisanese pronunciation of chow mein is chau mun, and since Toisanese people were the first Chinese people to immigrate to North America, chow mein or chau mun has become a staple at any Chinese restaurant in North America. Jane Xiong (she/her) is a proud Chinese American living in New York City. She is on a gap semester before entering the workforce or applying for graduate school to further her studies in statistics. She loves learning foreign languages, watching anime, and exploring the city (specifically restaurants) and hanging out with friends. Being the child of immigrant parents, she's focusing on retelling her experiences/ stories/ and environments.
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By: Anupama Rao
One of India’s most famous festivals is Ganesh Chaturthi. Today, we will learn more about the birthday of the beloved Hindu God, Lord Ganesha by going through some basic information.
What and When is Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the fourth day of the Hindu calendar month of Bhadrapada (pronounced: Bhaadrapada) which is usually around August and September. This year, the holiday falls on August 22. Usually, Hindus bring home an idol of Lord Ganesha/Ganapati, the God of New Beginning and Remover of Obstacles. Spanning over eleven days, the Vinayaka Chaturthi is celebrated with much pomp and joy, especially in the western state of Maharashtra where it is the biggest festival every year. It is also celebrated in the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar, and Odisha. At the end of the 11 days, the idol of Lord Ganesha is immersed into a body of water — lakes or ponds for huge idols that are displayed at various Pandals or stalls, or a tub of water for small or metal idols. This is called Visarjan, meaning “letting go.” Until 2020, Ganesh Utsav and Visarjan in Mumbai were celebrated as grandly as New Years in Time Square, but the COVID-19 situation has made it more difficult for residents to go “Pandal hopping,” visiting as many idols in the city of Mumbai as possible. Though the Ganesha idol is commonly kept at one’s house for 11 days, some may choose to “let go” of the Lord after 1.5, 3, 5, or 7 days. Visarjan is a more somber stage as each day that Bappa was at their home, there would be instead a more joyous atmosphere. Though letting go is hard, Lord Ganesha is sent away to his house in Mount Kailash only after a deal is made of coming back next year. Why is Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated and its Significance? The story behind Ganesh Chaturthi is that the Elephant God was on his way back home in Mount Kailash after his big birthday feast when the Moon God, Chandra, laughed at him when his “stomach broke” and he tied a snake around it like a belt. This incident infuriated Lord Ganesha and he cursed Chandra. As a result, he loses his beauty for half the lunar month (the phases of the moon). It is also considered inauspicious to see the moon on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, i.e., Bhadrapada Shukla Chauti or the fourth day of the waning phase of the lunar month. The repercussions of viewing the moon on this day can be wrongful allegations/accusations. However, there is a way to get rid of this curse if you accidentally happen to see the moon on that day. The story of the Shyamantaka Jewel is the cure and also explains how seeing the moon on the specific day affected Lord Krishna.
How is Ganesh Chaturthi celebrated?
The day before Ganesh Chaturthi, his mother, Goddess Parvati is invited to Earth from her heavenly abode on Mount Kailash. Women (except widows) install an idol of Gauri, either a statue and/or a small figure made out of turmeric and milk, and worship it. Those doing this pooja/vrata also tie a thread soaked in turmeric around their right hand, symbolizing that she is a Sumangali (lit. fortunate woman) or an unmarried or married woman. In Karnataka, we also have a tradition of exchanging baagina, a pair of bamboo winnowing fans that contain grains, fruits, dry fruits, ornaments such as bangles, mirrors, and combs. It also has fruits, kumkum or vermillion, betel leaf and nut, coconut, and money. For unmarried women or kumaris, the grains are omitted. On Ganesh Chaturthi, Modaks (sweet dumplings) and Chickpeas are made as offering to Lord Ganesha as they are his favorite food. Usually, the men of the house bring in the idol of Lord Ganesha since the women have already installed his mother, Gauri/Parvati, in the house already. Once installed, the idol should not be moved until the Visarjan. This is because the ritual of installation includes Prana Pratishtapana which is like giving a soul to the empty idol. If moved before the time of immersion, the soul leaves the idol and it does not have any meaning left to be worshipped. Although COVID-19 has restricted the display of humongous statues of Lord Ganesha in Mumbai, the belief of people has remained resilient in Ganesha. Despite the restrictions, it has not stopped them from celebrating the occasion to the fullest in the safety of their homes. I wish all the readers a happy and prosperous Ganesh Chaturthi (even if you don’t celebrate it or believe in him), and may Lord Ganesha’s blessings always be with humankind! Anupama Rao (she/her) is a high school senior from Bengaluru, India. She loves reading, writing, listening to music, and cooking. She has had the opportunity to live in three different countries, and she loves traveling and learning languages through culture. By: Sanjith Prabhu The Washington Redskins are a franchise in the National Football League (NFL). The team resides near the Washington DC area at FedEx Field, in Maryland. This is because the then-owner of the team in the late 1980s wanted a larger stadium after moving out of Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) stadium in DC, the former home stadium for the team.
The team name though, has been controversial for many decades. Only a few have thought of the need to change the team name, as they believe that it is oppressive and racist towards Native Americans. In light of the recent death of George Floyd, more have inclined towards changing the name of the team in the Black Lives Matter movement. The Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cleveland Indians are also major sports teams facing some pressure in this movement about their team name, though it is not nearly as intense as the Redskins. Based on this, some of the major Washington Redskins’ sponsors have threatened to withdraw from their contributions to the franchise. Specifically, FedEx to possibly change the name of the stadium, Nike and other retailers to remove Redskins fan gear, stockholders to not invest in the team, and the franchise to not be able to move back to RFK stadium, which the current owner Dan Snyder has openly said he wants to do. The team was then virtually forced to change the name, which is quite ironic because in 2013, when some controversy arose about the name, Dan Snyder had said in an interview with USA Today, "We'll never change the name, It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps.” This did not hold true as the franchise recently made it official that they changed their name to ‘The Washington Football Team’, even though it is a temporary placeholder. Across a plethora of surveys and polls in the early to mid 2010s over the controversy on the franchise’s name, there is a pattern that more people are leaning towards the opinion that the name is disrespectful and needs to be changed. In fact, the percentage of people surveyed in 1992 and 2014, respectively, who thought the name was oppressive had gained 15 percent, not to mention from 2013-2014 it had increased by a whopping 9 percent. This was due to the aforementioned 2013 controversy, when the then-mayor of Washington DC, Vincent Gray had explained that he would like a name change. This started a domino effect as later that year many events happened to help make change. Congress members asked the NFL and the team for a name change. Then, news writers did not want to use the team name in their articles. The Oneida Native American tribe spoke out about this as did the president. This swayed some to agree with this take on the team name. This increasing trend in the mid 2010s certainly should not be discounted, even though the Black Lives Matter movement had impacted the amount of people in favor of this viewpoint. However, a seven month study by Smithsonian Researcher Ives Goddard tells differently. Goddard’s study shows that Redskin was a common term first used in 1769 for Native Americans to refer to themselves. In the 19th century, the word was used routinely and freely by others as well to refer to them. Fast forward to 1933, when the then Boston Braves owner, named George Preston Marshall, had changed the team name to Redskins to avoid confusion with the Boston Braves baseball team. It is to be noted that the Redskins had 6 Native Americans on their active roster as well as their Native American head coach, William Henry “Lone Star” Deitz. From this, it can easily be interpreted that the naming of this team was not directed to be oppressive. Although there is still controversy remaining about this team name, there is no clear evidence yet to support whether it was intended as oppressive and racist towards Native Americans or not. As of right now, it still remains to be seen what the team plans to change their name in the long term as again the ‘Washington Football Team’ name is temporary. Sanjith Prabhu (he/him) is a freshman at New Trier Township High School in Illinois. He loves STEM and quantitative challenges, as well as strategic thinking such as football analysis and chess. He is excited to participate in Culture Talk and learn about various cultures across the globe, sharing interesting elements that he discovers along the way. |
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May 2021
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