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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 2, 2023)
OPINION Page 6 n THE ASIAN REPORTER January 2, 2023 Volume 33 Number 1 January 2, 2023 ISSN: 1094-9453 The Asian Reporter is published on the first 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 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 2023. 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 The Asian Reporter welcomes reader response and participation. Please send all correspondence to: Mail: 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D Portland, OR 97217-2220 Phone: (503) 283-4440 ** Fax: (503) 283-4445 News Department e-mail: news@asianreporter.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES (U.S. rates only) Individual subscription (sent bulk rate): q Two years: $26 Individual subscription (sent first class mail): q One year: $24 q Two years: $44 Office subscription (5 copies to one address): q One year: $65 q Two years: $110 Institutional subscription (25 copies to one address): q One year: $200 q Two years: $350 NEW SUBSCRIBER / ADDRESS CORRECTION INFORMATION FORM: Subscriber’s name: Company name: Address: City, State, ZIP: Phone: Fax: E-mail: Mail with payment or Fax with credit card information to: The Asian Reporter, Attn: Subscription Dept., 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, OR 97217-2220 Phone: (503) 283-4440 * Fax: (503) 283-4445 q q q For VISA or Mastercard payment only: Name (as it appears on the card): Type of card (circle): VISA Mastercard Card number: n Wayne Chan It’s the sticky rice dilemma Correspondence: q One year: $16 MY TURN e made it through another holiday sea- son. I like the holidays, mind you, but it does get complicated. In fact, I have questions. For example … What’s with the cranberry sauce? Before you start, I get it. That’s what the pilgrims ate back in the day. But, the pilgrims also ate cow tongue as part of their diet. I don’t remember any cow tongue next to the gravy the last time I checked. Another thing — when I bring up the whole cranberry sauce thing with my friends, they inevitably say, “I love cranberry sauce with my turkey!” OK, that’s fine, you like that combination. But, if that’s the case, why stop there? If you really like cranberry sauce with your main dish, why not continue the trend? The next time you eat roast beef, why not smother it in some strawberry jam? Or how about pan-seared halibut covered with orange marmalade? It’s the same concept, right? I know, I know … sacrilege. And could somebody please explain pumpkin pie to me? Why does it have to be pumpkin? We only eat it at Thanksgiving, and nobody really seems to like it. When I was a kid, I thought people made pumpkin pie from the old pumpkins they bought for Halloween. But no, the pumpkin in the pumpkin pie always seems to come out of a can. Here’s another complication. As a Chinese- American family, we have the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and yes, cranberry sauce, but we also have a special item — Chinese Sticky Rice. I love Chinese Sticky Rice. My wife Maya makes it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it’s W the absolute favorite item at our meals. There is a traditional dish called nuò mi fàn in Chinese, and it’s a mixture of sticky rice, Chinese sausage, dried shrimp, shitake mushrooms, and soy sauce, among other things. Maya’s sticky rice recipe comes steaming hot, sticky of course, and oozing with umami flavor. For those who have tried it, it is a must-have at our home. OK, I think we’ve established that I love Chinese Sticky Rice. The problem is, everyone else who attends either our Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner also loves Maya’s sticky rice. You know what that means, right? It means there’s a lot of sticky rice going to people who are not me. To make things worse, for supposed health reasons, Maya doesn’t want me to eat too much of the sticky rice so she: a) Portion-controls my sticky rice intake, and b) Insists on our guests taking some home so I don’t have any leftovers. That’s two meals! Thanksgiving and Christmas! It’s the only time I ever have sticky rice. I’m perfectly fine with only having pumpkin pie once a year, but why do we have to artificially limit my enjoyment of sticky rice? Of course, I can eat as much cranberry sauce as I’d like. And potatoes. And stuffing. Since my birthday is coming up, I’m trying to leave little hints around the house that the latest tradition is to celebrate your husband’s birthday by fixing up a batch of Chinese Sticky Rice. Wish me luck. Humor writer Wayne Chan lives in the San Diego area; cartoonist Wayne Chan is based in the Bay Area. Security code: Expiration date: Address of card: The last four issues of The Asian Reporter are available for pick up free at our office 24 hours a day at 922 N Killingsworth Street, Suite 2D, Portland, Oregon. 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. Opinions expressed in this newspaper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of this publication. Celebrate The Year of the Rabbit! January 22, 2023 to February 9, 2024 The Asian Reporter’s Lunar New Year special section begins on page 10.