OPINION Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER December 4, 2017 Volume 27 Number 23 December 4, 2017 ISSN: 1094-9453 The Asian Reporter is published on the first and third Monday each month. Please send all correspondence to: The Asian Reporter 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, OR 97217 Phone: (503) 283-4440, Fax: (503) 283-4445 News Department e-mail: news@asianreporter.com Advertising Department e-mail: ads@asianreporter.com General e-mail: info@asianreporter.com Website: www.asianreporter.com Please send reader feedback, Asian-related press releases, and community interest ideas/stories to the addresses listed above. Please include a contact phone number. Advertising information available upon request. Publisher Jaime Lim Contributing Editors Ronault L.S. Catalani (Polo), Jeff Wenger Correspondents Ian Blazina, Josephine Bridges, Pamela Ellgen, Maileen Hamto, Edward J. Han, A.P. Kryza, Marie Lo, Simeon Mamaril, Julie Stegeman, Toni Tabora-Roberts, Allison Voigts Illustrator Jonathan Hill News Service Associated Press/Newsfinder Copyright 2017. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication. Member Associated Press/Newsfinder Asian American Journalists Association Better Business Bureau Pacific Northwest Minority Publishers (PNMP) Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon MY TURN n Wayne Chan If someone could come up with a matzo-ball dim-sum restaurant, we’d all be set Correspondence: The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. 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Back issues of The Asian Reporter may be ordered by mail at the following rates: First copy: $1.50 Additional copies ordered at the same time: $1.00 each Send orders to: Asian Reporter Back Issues, 922 N. Killingsworth St., Portland, OR 97217-2220 The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. If you have a comment on a story we have printed, or have an Asian-related personal or community focus idea, please contact us. Please include a contact name, address, and phone number on all correspondence. Thank you. t’s interesting what one feels pride in. Not long ago, I was playing tennis with a group of guys during our weekly match. We’ve been playing regularly for years. During a break in play, we started talking. It’s usually never anything important. It could be about family. It could be about sports. It could be about making fun of what one of the guys is wearing. We almost make an effort to choose topics of discussion that have no real significance whatsoever. That’s what guys do. But in this instance, we began chatting about something that’s very close to my heart. In fact, I can think of few other topics that would equal this one in importance. What’s the best Chinese restaurant in town? First, a little background. In our tennis group, except for me, everyone is white. Therefore, if my buddies ask for recom- mendations about where to go for the best Chinese food in town, they’ve found the right guy to ask. Well, except they didn’t. They didn’t say, “Wayne, where’s the best Chinese restaurant in town?” They asked, “Where’s the best Chinese restaurant in town, Rhett?” Rhett happens to be Jewish. Now, I’ve heard most of the stereotypes about how Jewish people know where all the best Chinese restaurants are, but when someone says something about it, my usual reaction is akin to gently tapping a young boy on the top of the head after he attempted to tell a joke, as if to say, “Nice try, young lad. Good for you for trying.” In other words, I’m usually a little condescend- ing. I But in this case, my reaction was downright hostile. Why? Because when these guys asked someone where the best Chinese restaurant was, that someone wasn’t the Chinese guy standing in front of them. It doesn’t matter that my friend Rhett actually did seem to know where all the best Chinese restaurants were. This wasn’t about the validity of the answers, this was about who should be PROVIDING the answers. As Rhett was calmly rattling off the names of four or five restaurants, I chimed in, somewhat indignantly. Excuse me? You’re asking Rhett about the best Chinese restaurant in town? What am I, chopped liver? As a matter of fact, if you were interested in chopped liver, then you should ask Rhett! But for Chinese food, don’t ya think you should be asking me?!? I wish I had been quick enough to have actually come up with the chopped liver line on the spot. Nevertheless, I made my point clear. Here’s the thing about pride. It doesn’t matter that I don’t own a Chinese restaurant, or that I wouldn’t be cooking any of the Chinese food my friends wanted. For some bizarre reason, my pride seemed to dictate my belief that my Chinese-ness made me uniquely qualified to authenticate the location of the best Chinese restaurants in town. On the other hand, is that really so strange? If the tables were turned and the guys asked where the best Jewish deli was in town — I would have immediately chimed in with, “Let me tell you, you’ve got to try a blini over at Mortons, they’re to die for” — I think Rhett might be a little peeved. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication. Papua New Guinea officials remove last refugees from camp Continued from page 3 ished. He said at least one of the three alternative camps in Lorengau was still under construction. “If you were an Australian builder, you wouldn’t let a civilian on to it, let alone move in,” Costello said. Australia will not settle any refugees who try to arrive by boat — a policy the government says dissuades them from attempting the dangerous ocean crossing from Indonesia. The navy has also been turning back boats to keep them from reaching Australia since July 2014. The United States has agreed to resettle up to 1,250 of the refugees under a deal struck by former President Barack Obama’s administration that President Donald Trump has reluctantly decided to honor. So far, only 54 have been accepted by the United States. Support the efforts of The Asian Reporter Foundation while shopping at Fred Meyer! It’s easy! Just link your rewards card to The AR Foundation’s number, which is 91860, at . (Linking does not affect your current card rewards.)