Ricepaper Magazine » food

15.3 Call for submissions is out!

Patricia Lim — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:25:47 +0000

Ricepaper has released its call for submissions for 15.3. And the theme for the next issue is…drumroll, please….food! Or to be more lyrical, the Flavours of Food. I know that across Canada (and certainly, in Vancouver), it’s a favourite topic of conversation for many. On the topic of food, people debate, wax rhapsodic, and look like fools as they incorporate both sound effects (“I was like *drool*”) and hand gestures (mime shoveling food into your mouth). At least in my case, they do. But with the 15.3 Flavours of Food issue, we’ll hopefully be able to dig deeper into how (in the words of Ricepaper‘s esteemed editor, Eury Chang) eating food “sustains our bodies while enriching our sense of shared humanity and connection to the earth,” and investigate the power of the aromas and tastes of food to “bring back childhood memories and reinforce our sense of home and belonging.”

Please see our 15.3 call for submissions here.

Arts and culture events this weekend (and beyond)

Benjamin Yong — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:17:50 +0000

Looking for a couple of fun, Asian-culturally enriched activities to do this spring? Look no further!

March 27th to May 27th (Daily) – Vancouver Museum

The Museum of Vancouver (1100 Chestnut Street) is showcasing a new multimedia exhibit called Shattering our (in)visibility which opened last Saturday and is organized by the Philippine Women Centre of BC. Utilizing paintings, posters, fabric art and costumes from local artists, the exhibit aims to illuminate life and the challenges faced by B.C.’s immigrant community with a focus on Filipino women. The Georgia Straight recently wrote a feature article about this show – and its importance in exploring themes of resistance and empowerment within the Filipino immigrant community, which has sometimes been underrepresented, both in politics and in art.

March 20th to April 9th – National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre Asian Canadian Artist Showcase (admission by donation)/April 9th Silent Auction Fundraiser (tickets – $40)

Join Nikkei Place for their second annual Asian Canadian Artist Showcase. Admission is by donation, and there is a wide range of creative media on display donated by a diverse group of artists and artisans – from paintings and photography to sculptures and jewelery. There will also be a silent auction fundraiser on April 9th that will include a buffet dinner and live entertainment. The evening will be MCed by actor and radio personality Tetsuro Shigematsu (who as it happens has just joined the Asian Canadian Writer’s Workshop!). Tickets are $40 and are available at the National Nikkei Museum & Heritage Centre. Contact 604-777-7000 for more details.

April 5th, 2010 – Chasing the Monkey King – In the House Festival

With over 5000 years of history, China is a land of myth and mystery, invention and innovation. Emerging from the mists of time is our guide, Monkey King, Immortal Trickster of China, Pan Ku, the creator God who smashed chaos to create the world, and Nu Wa, the serpent woman who gave life to a small piece of clay.

Follow Monkey and the Gods on a cultural sampling of China featuring Tai Chi and Kung Fu performances by master martial artists of Shaolin Temple, a calligraphy workshop, storytelling and crystal ball juggling by Chris Murdoch, a concert by Vian D, master of the Gu Zheng (Chinese harp) and a tea ceremony by tea expert Daniel Lui of the Chinese Tea Shop.

Date: April 5th, 2010
Time: There are 3 tours available. When purchasing tickets or reserving, please make sure you let us know whether you want the 7 pm, 8:15 pm or 9:30 pm show. There are a maximum of 30 people per show.

Where: 2495 Wall St., Vancouver, BC

Tickets: 18$ adult
13$ kids and members

Tickets are available on-line at www.inthehousefestival.com

Gung Haggis Fat Choy 2010

Patricia Lim — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:38:20 +0000

Photo by: Gillian Lo

Gung Haggis Fat Choy, the annual Robbie Burns Day and Chinese New Year celebration, held by Toddish McWong, was intercultural goodness. Pipers were piping, dancers were dancing, volunteers were hawking raffle tickets, both Chinese & Scottish men galore were showing off their legs in kilts, and haggis wonton was eaten. Floata Restaurant was packed with over 400 very happy guests.

Gung Haggis Pipe & Drum Band (Photo by: Gillian Lo)

Larissa Lai, who has been featured in Ricepaper (13.4 Alter Ego issue), recited several of her poems from Automaton Biographies to much applause, while a mysterious Bearded Lady went around the tables and shushed, so that Larissa could be heard. In addition, the evening featured: a theatrical performance by playwright and actor Marcus Youssef accompanied by writer and comedian Charles Demers; an instrumental trio, featuring Lan Tung (erhu), Ron Samworth (electric guitar) and Neelamjit Dhillon (tabla drums); highland dancing by two cute kids (Aidan and Alex Huang) and a multicultural pipe band which weaved in and out of the crowd near the middle and the end of the night. Toddish McWong and Joe McDonald performed a Gung Haggis rap, which was unable to be deciphered even with the assistance of the lyrics written up in the program.

Ricepapers on display (Photo by: Gillian Lo)

Hawking issues and books at the Ricepaper booth (Photo by: Gillian Lo)

Ricepaper had a display table at the dinner, where we displayed our wares and wares of beautiful back issues. I trained volunteers on what to say in answer to the infamous FAQ: “Is Ricepaper actually made out of ricepaper?” The answer that the volunteer should politely provide: “No.”

Haggis siu mai (Photo by: Gillian Lo)

Ricepaper volunteer table (Photo by: Gillian Lo)

As one young Ricepaper volunteer, Ben, noted–and I’m paraphrasing a little here: “By volunteering with Ricepaper, you can have fun and learn while at the same time have the opportunity to go to great cultural events like these!” Young Ben is right. Volunteering with Ricepaper is fun! (I will unabashedly admit that this is the point where the blog takes its turn from event recap to volunteer recruitment.) Ricepaper is a big supporter and attender of community events like Gung Haggis Fat Choy, but as a non-profit organization, we’re more dependent than most on the much appreciated efforts of our volunteers.

If you’d like to volunteer with Ricepaper on a one-time or regular basis, go to our volunteers page for more details.

Help out at the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner!

Patricia Lim — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:00:59 +0000

Photo: Courtesy of Gung Haggis Fat Choy

Ricepaper is looking for volunteers to help out 5pm January 31, Sunday, at the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dinner at Floata Restaurant in Vancouver’s Chinatown. Gung Haggis Fat Choy fuses Robbie Burns Day with Chinese Year to create a fusion-y goo of intercultural goodness.

There’ll be haggis-filled wonton. Hobnobbing with participants and guests such as CBC News anchor Gloria Macarenko, Rita Wong, Adrienne Wong, Toddish McWong, and other people in the local Vancouver arts and culture scene. Plenty of bagpiping. And yes, you heard me right, haggis-filled wonton.

Those are my selling points and I’m sticking to them. Please email info[at]ricepapermagazine.ca if you’d like to help out.

Also, a fair share of men wearing kilts.

For more information, go to Gung Haggis Fat Choy