Edited by: Jordan Shaevitz

Larry Itliong was born in San Nicolas, Philippines, on October 25, 1913. Before moving to the United States, Itliong finished sixth grade. He intended to be a lawyer in his new country at first, but poverty and prejudice prohibited him from doing so. By that, he began his career by working his way around the nation, mainly on farms harvesting fruit or in canneries. 

In the 1930s, he co-founded the Alaska Cannery Workers Union after going on strike with lettuce pickers in Washington state. He soon made his home in Stockton, which he named his hometown. In 1956, he established the Filipino Farm Labor Union there. Though the most famous strike he led was the Delano Grape Strike of 1965, in which the farmers refused to pay the union’s $1.40-an-hour wage demand. He initially called Cesar Chavez and requested that Mexican farmworkers join the strike. After five arduous years, The UWF and the grape producers would create a precedent by raising salaries, improving working conditions, and introducing benefits for present and future generations of agricultural employees. Itliong passed away in Delano, California, in 1977, when he was 63. By 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a proclamation designating the day as “Larry Itliong Day,” cementing his place in American history. 

Works Cited

Biography.com Editors. “Larry Itliong.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 7 May 2021, https://www.biography.com/activist/larry-itliong.

Guillermo, Emil. “Eclipsed by Cesar Chavez, Larry Itliong’s Story Now Emerges.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 22 Apr. 2019, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/eclipsed-cesar-chavez-larry-itliongs-story-now-emerges-n423336.

Loto00. “Larry Itliong, the Filipino Labor Leader Who Changed the Nation.” CalAsian Chamber, CalAsian Chamber, 26 Oct. 2020, https://www.calasiancc.org/post/larry-itliong-the-filipino-labor-leader-who-changed-the-nation. 

Edited: J. Shaevitz

Minoru Yamasaki is a prominent Japanese-American architect who made a significant impact in the 20th century’s architecture.

Yamasaki was born on December 1, 1912, to his Japanese parents in Seattle. He enrolled in the University of Washington in 1929 to learn about architecture. However, he was harassed with Japanese discrimination and decided to move to New York and complete his master’s degree at New York University. After graduating, Yamasaki went to work for the firm of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon. This firm is known for designing the Empire State Building. The firm was supportive of him, even during World War Ⅱ, and helped to shelter his family. Yamasaki left a few years later and went on to work for several other firms. He then established his own with two other colleagues in 1949 in Michigan.

The first work Yamasaki received critical acclaim was the Lambert-St. Louis Municipal Air Terminal and won the AIA First Honor Award. He then went on to design architectures that included several airports and many office buildings. Some notable works are Dhahran International Airport in Saudi Arabia, the Federal Reserve Bank Tower in Virginia, One M&T Plaza in New York, and the Century Plaza Towers in California. In 1957, he formed Yamasaki & Associates, making his name more well-known in the world of architecture. His most significantly designed building is the World Trade Center, which was completed in 1973.

Yamasaki received not only fame but many honors as well, such as Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1960. He was also featured on a TIME cover, a feat just a handful of architects achieved. Throughout his successful career, he designed over 250 buildings around the world. His extraordinary works shocked the architectural world, and Yamasaki is widely recognized as one of the masters of “New Formalism” today.

Yamasaki passed away on February 6, 1986, because of stomach cancer. He was 73 years old. His firm continued to design buildings until it closed in 2010.

Works Cited

Gyure, D. A. (2020, July 26). Minoru Yamasaki (1912–1986). Architectural Review.

WSU Yamasaki Legacy- Minoru Yamasaki biography. (n.d.). WSU Yamasaki Legacy.

Retrieved September 5, 2021, from http://yamasaki.wayne.edu/biography.html

Edited: J. Shaevitz

Kim Jung Gi was born in 1975 in South Korea. He is a famous illustrator, cartoonist, and artist, and a great inspiration for many artists all over the world. Over the years, he has developed a vast visual library in his memory, which helps him illustrate complicated scenes without any sketching or using references.

Kim’s first publication, named “Funny Funny”, was published in Young Jump magazine. He wrote short stories and helped with exhibitions. He also teaches in some private schools and universities and has collaborated with artists like Seung-Jin Park, Katsuya Terada, and Bernard Werber. 

Kim has six sketchbooks in print, which are about 4,500 pages worth of drawings over a span of 12 years. He’s also worked in the movie, music, and government industry, and holds the Guinness World Record for the “Longest drawing by an individual”. 

Kim Jung Gi is an influential Korean visual artist. His work has inspired many, and he is incredibly talented. 

Works Cited

“About.” About – Kim Jung Gi US, https://www.kimjunggius.com/pages/about-artist. 

“Kim Jung Gi.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 July 2021, https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jung_Gi. 

Edited by: Jordan Shaevitz

The issue of gun control is a hot-button topic in American politics. While millions of Americans see their values reflected in certain candidates or pieces of legislation, countless others have been neglected entirely from this debate. 

Around 36,000 Americans are killed by guns each year, and 60% of them are suicides. Hispanic and Native American suicide rates are the highest. Black Americans account for 13% of the population but account for around 50% of all homicide victims. Black Americans are 10 times more likely to die by gun homicide than white Americans. Black children and teens are 14 times more likely to die by gun homicide than white children and teens. The homicide victimization rate of Hispanics in America is nearly double that of whites. Gun violence clearly affects disadvantaged groups including Hispanics and African Americans worse than their white counterparts. 

The House of Representatives and the Senate are crucial in making laws and restrictions that relate to guns. Even though gun violence affects African Americans and Hispanics more, these groups are extremely unrepresented in our government. Gun legislation is generally centered around the needs and wants of White people. Gun laws passed from many differing opinions share one thing – they hurt Black people and communities of color disproportionately. Gun restrictions end up arresting more African Americans for guns than their white counterparts even though both races own guns at similar rates. 

Hispanics make up 9% of the House of Representatives, but 18% of the US population. African Americans represent 13% of the population, but only 3% of the Senate. Nonwhites make up 39-40% of the US population, but 22% of the voting members in Congress. It is apparent that people of color in the general population are not fairly represented in Congress. 

Given the amount that gun violence affects people of color and minorities more than white people, it makes sense that 72% of Black people and 75% of Hispanic people believe controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting gun rights, as opposed to 40% of whites. 

Gun regulations have the biggest impact on minorities, yet minorities’ opinions and voices are not being heard. People of color and other groups are not being given the space to speak up about what they believe in, especially in this issue.

Works Cited

Bates, Karen Grigsby. “Stand Your Ground Laws Complicate Matters for Black Gun Owners.” NPR, NPR, 27 Feb. 2017, https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/27/517109271/stand-your-ground-laws-complicate-matters-for-black-gun-owners. 

Bialik, Kristen. “For the Fifth Time in a Row, the New Congress Is the Most Racially and Ethnically Diverse Ever.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 18 Aug. 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/02/08/for-the-fifth-time-in-a-row-the-new-congress-is-the-most-racially-and-ethnically-diverse-ever/. 

“Ethnic Diversity in the Senate.” U.S. Senate: Ethnic Diversity in the Senate, 20 Jan. 2021, https://www.senate.gov/senators/EthnicDiversityintheSenate.htm. 

Editor: Jordan Shaevitz

“Blaze Runner 2049”

The beginnings of the cyberpunk genre can be traced back to Western fears of the East. Often, Asian characters frequently serve as portals to the future, introducing sophisticated technology and hyper-technologized environments. But—what is it about Asian-ness — whether it’s Asian countries, Asian personalities, or Asian cultures — that conjures up fantasies of the future? Movies depict Asian culture with red lanterns strung across alleyways, samurai swords, women dressed in a qipao, but without the people who created it. If they shaped this cyberpunk future, then where are they?

• “The way Asia is portrayed in modern cyberpunk fiction, it’s more like a prop, rather than a proper inseparable element of the storytelling,” says Mark Fillon, the creative director for Chinatown Detective Agency… 

(WHAT IS TECHNO+ORIENTALISM?)

To elaborate, the use of Asian aesthetics in cyberpunk, futuristic, and dystopian settings is known as techno-orientalism; while critically evaluating the notion of Asians as both technologically advanced and intellectually primitive people in desperate need of Western awareness-raising. Due to western fears of Japan’s economic prosperity, dubbed “Japan Panic,” techno-orientalist entertainment became popular in the 1980s. As Japanese companies bought out Sony and Matsushita, of course, the West was nervous. These events heightened suspicions of Japanese dominance and the yellow peril, which alludes to western anxieties of East Asians taking control of or ruining Western civilization. As a result, a new wave of techno-orientalist writings and films had emerged. 

East Asians featured in these movies/games: (no clear representation or overly stereotyped!)

Games such as Cyberpunk 2077 or Neuromancer to movies such as Cloud Atlas and Blaze Runner 2049 have protagonists that are usually white and shown as heroic. The East Asians, on the other hand, are either depicted as an all-knowing, scary, awful force that is hyper-mechanized, or as a force that needs to be saved by the protagonist. In Cloud Atlas, Sonmi 451 was dehumanized and displayed as a mechanical object. 

Work Cited 

“Canceled: Sci-Fi Is Full of ‘Asian Futures, without Asians’.” KQED. Web. 30 Aug. 2021.

Ong, Alexis. “Fear of a Yellow Planet: Why We Need to Actually Understand Cyberpunk.” Fanbyte. 18 Nov. 2020. Web. 30 Aug. 2021.

Techno-Orientalism: The Hyper-Futuristic Perception of East Asia in Science Fiction Media. YouTube. Diversify Our Narrative Campaign, 06 June 2021. Web. 30 Aug. 2021.

Vouloumanos, Victoria. “Are Asian Characters Convenient Plot Devices in Science-fiction?” Medium. Medium, 15 Feb. 2019. Web.

Yang, George. “Orientalism, ‘cyberpunk 2077,’ and Yellow Peril in Science Fiction.” Wired. Conde Nast, 08 Dec. 2020. Web. 30 Aug. 2021.

Edited by: Jordan Shaevitz

Researched by: Tony Liao

Policies from the American Reconstruction and Gilded Age continue to have reverberations today on issues ranging from gender & sexuality to the Black Live Matter movement.

Reconstruction ended early and fell short of expectations; the South reverted to slavery in form as winning electoral votes were traded for the removal of the military from the South in the 1876 presidential election, and along with it the removal of civil rights enforcement. As federal enforcement left the south, white southerners sought to “redeem” (Hence, Redeemer Democrats) the south from “Negro Rule” — Jim Crow segregation, Black Codes limiting economic and social livelihood, disenfranchisement, sharecropping

The 14th Amendment (Birthright citizenship, equal law pertaining to all races) and 15th Amendment (racial equality in voting) still play in discussions today.

Eric Foner: “The issues central to Reconstruction — citizenship, voting rights, terrorist violence… relationship between economic and political democracy — continue to roil our society and politics today.”

Along with racial violence, racial relations were hardened, as systematic dehumanization and racist concepts praising white supremacy, the Lost Cause, and black inferiority were spread through mass-produced media/ prints, films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915) of the Gilded Age — with modern cultural repercussions.

Here are some foundations that were combating racism: 

• The New Negroes: Leading black activists, including Booker T. Washington, W.E.B Du Bois, NAACP 
• Local organizations (churches, schools, clubs) of the late 1800’s to early 1900’s published newspapers, journals, art, literature in drawing the picture of racism and defending African American culture

Reconstruction:  Term describing the near 10 year period following the civil war when a Republican-controlled federal government instituted an array of civil rights legislations and methods of reuniting the south

Presidential Reconstruction: Andrew Johnson (Democrat), after Lincoln’s death, sought swift reconstruction, instituting lenient policies of pardon, restorations for rebel states and officials. This resulted in the creation of Black Codes in the south and ex-confederate officials, including Confederate vice president, Alexander Stephens, back to position.

Radical Reconstruction:  Republican Congress led by radical Republican Thaddeus Stevens, in reaction to Johnson, instituted harsher Reconstruction Acts, including military jurisdiction/ courts, disenfranchisement of ex-confederates, Civil Rights bill, etc.

Carpetbaggers: Derogatory southern term for northern Republicans that came south.

Scalawags: Southern whites that voted Republican, mostly including small farmers

Ku Klux Klan:  A white supremacist vigilante group that instituted violence and lynchings against African Americans. Suppressed only by the arrival of federal troops in 1871.

Major legislations and institutions were founded in Reconstruction:  14th and 15th Amendment, first Civil Rights Bill (1866), public school systems in the south.

Freedmen’s Bureau:  Federal program instituted in the South which assisted poor blacks and whites, created schools for freedmen, mediating ex-slave and master disputes, and set up civilian courts enforced by union troops.  One of the first forms of direct federal aid to civilians.

Gilded Age:  Term by Mark Twain, describing the racial inequality, wealth gap, industrial conditions, and political corruptions beneath the surface of technological advancements (including photography, films, cars, etc.) and wealth in the US during the late 1800s and early 1900s

The underestimation of racism and quick public departure from Reconstruction as financial panics and political corruption overtook the political stage left deep consequences that remains unresolved even until today

Covid-19’s disproportionate impact on minorities exposes the inequalities existing in terms of race and wealth

Reconstruction and the Gilded Age refer to the half-century following the American Civil War in the US. Although important foundations, including the 13, 14, and 15 Amendments and Civil Rights bills, were set during this time, the nation’s premature departure from instituting racial equality resulted in another century of discrimination.

Cultural underpinnings for racism, resulting from Redeemer South propaganda and imagery against African Americans, were founded upon the southern reaction to Reconstruction.

Issues ranging from racial violence, civil rights, and debates on the 14th Amendment, continue today in the form of Floyd’s death, the BLM movement, the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment), mass incarceration, and system racism as a significant consequence of systemic racism from Reconstruction Era.

Works Cited

Gates, Henry Louis. “How Reconstruction Still Shapes Racism in America.” Time, Time, 2 Apr.  

2019, time.com/5562869/reconstruction-history/. 

Manevitz, Alexander. “Perspective | The Failures of Reconstruction Have Never Been More 

Evident – or Relevant – than Today.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 11 June 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/06/11/failures-reconstruction-have-never-been-more-evident-or-relevant-than-today/.

Norton, Mary Beth. A People and a Nation: a History of the United States. Cengage Learning, 

2011.

Those of you who enjoy dramas, why not try watching some Japanese ones?

1. Boys Over Flowers [2005, 2007, 2008 (movie), 2018]

This love drama takes place in a wealthy private school. A very wealthy and the most popular boy in the school befriends a poor girl, and they fall in love. However, the wealthy boy’s friend tries to steal the girl from him…

2. RICH MAN POOR WOMAN (2012)

This drama is a love comedy of a male CEO and a female senior university student, who mysteriously has the same full name as the CEO’s mother, who abandoned him. The CEO hires her temporarily, resulting in accidents, ruined relationships, and love. 

3. We Married as a Job! (2016)

This is about a couple who is in a contract marriage; employer and employee. Not your basic love comedy setting, but it is one of the most loved dramas in Japan. It’s hilarious and heartwarming: a must-see. 

4. Hanzawa Naoki (2013, 2020)

This drama is about a banker who was falsely accused of sole-handily losing 500 million dollars to a failed bank. He slowly gathers information and evidence to prove someone else is at fault. The story expands to an even larger scale, with a handful of betrayals and turns you’d never expect. 

5. Unnatural (2018)

This drama takes place at a lavatory called “unnatural death investigation lavatory” or ”UDI Lab” for short. It focuses on strange and mysterious deaths, and what secrets lie within. It is a mix of medical and mystery drama, which can be emotional and heartbreaking. 

6. An Incurable Case of Love (2020)

A nurse falls in love with a doctor and desperately tries to make him fall for her. It’s a great love comedy to those who are looking for a drama that will continuously make your heartthrob through the entire series. 

Works Cited:

“花より男子(ドラマ): WEBザテレビジョン(0000002506).” WEBザテレビジョン, thetv.jp/program/0000002506/. 

“リッチマン、プアウーマン.” フジテレビ, www.fujitv.co.jp/b_hp/richman-poorwoman/. 

Tbs. “火曜ドラマ『逃げるは恥だが役に立つ』.” TBSテレビ, www.tbs.co.jp/NIGEHAJI_tbs/. 

Tbs. “日曜劇場『半沢直樹』｜TBSテレビ.” TBSテレビ, www.tbs.co.jp/hanzawa_naoki/. 

Edited by: Jordan Shaevitz

Everyone has heard of Aladdin’s magic carpet, but that’s not the only famous carpet on the Arabian peninsula. Ever since ancient times, the Middle East has been known for its colorful and elaborate textiles ranging from materials like silk or cotton used to create a variety of items, most notably carpets and clothing. Even common terminology we associate with fabric nowadays such as damask, muslin, cotton, or mohair has been coined from the Persian, Turkish, or Arabic language. With the region being located in the middle of Europe and Eastern Asia, it, like Central Asia, was also a buzzing axis on the silk road for textile production and trade.  

In the Islamic world, textiles were very highly valued and costly goods. Occasionally, instead of money, citizens could pay off their taxes with textiles. Ambassadors and high-status visitors were gifted with textiles and the floors, walls, cushions, and furniture of all kinds were often lined or covered with these fabrics. Many early designs included human and animal forms as well as languages and calligraphy, however, after the death of Muhammad in 600 AD, representations of living creatures on such pieces were banned, causing artists to develop a variety of new designs like metaphorical languages, geometry, and architectural forms. Nevertheless, these representations still appear more commonly on Persian and Central Asian silks. 

Besides its general beauty, textiles hold power,  the symbols, and engravings on them determine the person’s standing. One example of this was the role they played in the Islamic empire. After the passing of Muhammad, the Muslim state experienced many shifts in its political sense, with many changes in allegiance and factions. Hence, many people would indicate new allegiances with inscriptions on bands in their garments. Later on, the tradition developed, with people during the Sasanian period in Iran wearing outfits with the image of their rulers embedded in them. This soon spiraled into the tradition of honorific garments, called khil’a in Arabic. These robes were made of fine silk and gold thread, weaved together to form inscriptions. The outfit symbolized declaring one’s allegiance and those who donned the outfit received a ruler’s mark of honor.

One of the most popular materials used was silk. Despite the many intricate weaves such as compound twills and lampas, simpler patterns like tafta and satin were as common and even more important. There were also combination pieces, where silk and cotton were used together. An example of this was a silk weave named kutnu where the silk showed on the front but the cotton was displayed on the back. Due to the tradition that men were not allowed to wear silk against their skin, this technique became favorable for them as it had the look of silk on the outside, but was pure cotton inside. Each of these woven pieces had different motifs and symbol decorations depending on its region of origin and the time period in which it was from. The most famous silk textile was the tiraz, which garnered popularity during the tenth to the fourteenth century. Often done with gold thread, these fabrics had inscriptions of the current ruler or religious quotes decorating the borders which included bands on the upper sleeve and on the edges of the garment itself. Baghdad was the buzzing source for these garments, and they were often honorific robes worn by higher-class people.

With the Moorish conquest of Spain in the eighth century, silk textiles traveled even further, and not long after, Spanish textile factories were producing pieces with similar Islamic motifs. However, a difference in style registered with the inclusion of more geometric designs and flowers as well as the use of more contrasting colors. During the Ottoman Empire, which spanned from the 14th to the early 20th century, Bursa was the center of silk production. With some influences from Italy, these Turkish fabrics soon became their own distinctions like the paintings and tile designs of the period. It featured bright colors, designs of flowers and vines, and silk embroidery was often done on other silk, velvet, or linen.

Meanwhile, in Iran, the Safavid dynasty had raised the bar for silk production, creating garments and textiles that were the finest in the Islamic world. Additionally, they also evolved the occupation for nomads and merchants into a high-end industry. With the introduction of the most unique Persian technique, Arbil, at the same time, Iran produced one of the finest carpets in the world and still does, as Persian carpets still garner high prices and remain a luxury for many. On these carpets, artists depicted Iranian tradition and history, especially those produced in the Safavid period are known for their artistic designs and vibrant colors. Even today, these works are kept in museums or in private collections.

Besides silk, there are many fabrics that the Middle East was well known for, including mohair and goat hair, which were referred to as cashmere and were used to weave patterns in shawls, becoming a staple feature in dresses in the region. Moreover, many common fabrics and materials today have origins in the Middle East despite name changes, such as the thin silk characteristic of gauze, whose name comes from the word gazzatum, and muslin, a plain weave cotton fabric that comes from the word Mosul, in Iraq. 

Although there is much more that could be said about textiles in the Middle East, one thing that cannot be argued with is how much its prevalence and its techniques that have been carefully cultivated over time have influenced the fabrics we use all over the world today. And that influence along with the Middle Eastern culture and traditions that it holds will surely carry forward into the future as well.

Works Cited

Jirousek, Charlotte. “Middle Eastern Textiles.” LoveToKnow, fashion-history.lovetoknow.com/fabrics-fibers/middle-eastern-textiles

Munroe, Nazanin Hedayat. “Early Islamic Textiles: Inscribed Garments.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2 July 2012, www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2012/byzantium-and-islam/blog/topical-essays/posts/inscribed-garments.

Quteesh, Lama. “Textiles in Middle Eastern Art – The Gorgeous Designs of Carpet Weaving.” Kaleela, 15 Mar. 2021, kaleela.com/textiles-in-middle-eastern-art-the-gorgeous-designs-of-carpet-weaving

Stone, Caroline. “Saudi Aramco World : Fabrics from the Middle East.” ARAMCO World, June 1987, archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198703/fabrics.from.the.middle.east.htm.

TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN. “MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES.” TEXTILE VALUE CHAIN, 15 July 2020, textilevaluechain.in/in-depth-analysis/articles/textile-articles/middle-east-textiles.

Wikipedia contributors. “Persian Carpet.” Wikipedia, 28 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_carpet.

Edited by: M. Shaevitz

Body shaming is expressing mockery or criticism about someone’s body shape or size. Many people firmly believe K-pop idols have to uphold a specific body type as South Korea is big on striving for clean-cut perfection. As everyone is not born with a body type that the media and public want, most idols force themselves to go through unhealthy diets by starving themselves or practicing for a long time. They sometimes will not eat. For example, singer Ailee is one of the many artists in Korea who was body-shamed and pressured over their weight. In a music game show, “Hidden Singer”, she talked about going on an extreme diet.  Ailee said, “I was sad. I’m supposed to be a singer who sings, but I had to (lose weight) to go onstage.” 

South Korea holds one of the lowest obesity rates in the world,  (around 5%) out of all OED countries, where the average is 19.5%. Since it’s due to holding up a slim figure is seen as a sign of beauty in Korean culture. For them to hold up a slim figure to be seen by others, they resort to weight loss clinics or even doing fat-burning injections made popular by K-pop idols. The 50kg weight myth was an idea created by Korean mainstream media giving praise to Korean idols who talked about their weight being under 40 kg. For example, having 22-inch ant waists and visible ribs projects beauty and weight misperception. Female idols aren’t the only ones who get backlash for their weight; male idols face similar criticism. Jimin from BTS had to undergo dramatic weight loss from people commenting on his chubby physiques. Body shaming became normalized so much that extreme K-pop stars start to see their bodies as they are portrayed in the press. For that reason, we must cut K-pop idols some slack and not put their weight under some microscope. 

Hwasa from Mamamoo talked to her fans about breaking free from South Korea’s narrow beauty standards of being a K-pop idol. Hwasa stated, “One day, I went to an audition, and an instructor told me this: ‘You are unique, and you sing very well, however, you are fat and not pretty at all.” However, she promises herself that if she doesn’t fit into this generation’s beauty standard, she will have to become a different standard. As of today, her promise became a reality by changing South Korea’s beauty standards by showing others how confident she is with her body. CL, another K-pop idol, also talked about body positivity in the industry. She reveals, “There is beauty in going through the waves of life, and being honest and comfortable in your skin..”

There is still a lot of work that needs to be done in the K-pop industry and outside. As more and more idols come out with their stories of undergoing extreme diets and training, we need to shed light on not being a bystander on this as well as entertainment agencies. Though, simply being aware of this issue can raise awareness, but not break the cycle. When faced with people getting body-shamed online or on the streets, it requires action to step up and know this is wrong. We probably won’t be able to change the entire beauty standards of Korea  – that would require unloading hundreds of years of social and cultural history – yet we can cut the k-pop idols some slack to breathe and quit putting their weights under a microscope 24/7.

Works Cited 

Cheryl. “The Shame of Body-shaming: Media, Idols and Fans.” 10 Mar. 2019. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://seoulbeats.com/2017/10/the-shame-of-body-shaming-media-idols-and-fans/>.

Hyun-Su, Yim. “CL Body-shamed, Ailee Tears up on Diet, Revealing Harsh Side of K-pop.” The Jakarta Post. 10 Aug. 2018. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/08/10/cl-body-shamed-ailee-tears-up-on-diet-revealing-harsh-side-of-k-pop.html>.

Khrizvyy. “CL Reveals Passion For Music & Body Positivity In Recent VOGUE Singapore Interview.” HELLOKPOP. 21 Nov. 2020. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.hellokpop.com/featured/cl-reveals-passion-for-music-and-body-positivity-in-recent-vogue-singapore-interview/>.

“Korean Beauty Standards: A Cultural Contrast on Ideal Beauty.” Seoul Cosmetic Surgery. 17 Aug. 2020. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://seoulcosmeticsurgery.com/korean-beauty-standards-a-cultural-contrast-on-ideal-beauty/>.

Reporter, Staff. “How MAMAMOO Hwasa Savagely Addressed A “BODY SHAMING” Statement.” KpopStarz. 27 July 2020. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.kpopstarz.com/articles/294071/20200727/how-mamamoo-hwasa-savagely-addressed-a-body-shaming-statement.htm>.

Wilde, Haru. “Exploring Korea’s Skinny Obsession and the Plus-size Models Fighting Back.” Dazed. 19 Feb. 2019. Web. 28 Apr. 2021. <https://www.dazeddigital.com/beauty/body/article/43369/1/exploring-korea-skinny-obsession-plus-size-models-fighting-back>.

What is the first thing you think of when imagining Asian cuisine? Probably the variety of foods across each region, whether it be Chinese dumplings, Indian masala, Japanese sushi, Vietnamese pho, Arabian falafel, and many many more. Or maybe you think of the burst of flavors when you take a bite, courtesy of the diverse use of spices, herbs, and chilies, whose tastes linger on your tongue long after your meal. But you probably never think of how these foods were made. The process, and more uniquely the equipment they were cooked in. However, these overlooked appliances carry significant insight into Asian culture, its history and differences between each region, its traditions and beliefs, and of course, its food. And to appreciate these utensils, we have compiled a list of the most basic cooking ware in the kitchen, pans, and the different types that exist across Asia.

Woks

Woks are probably the first pan you can think of, but this popularity comes with good reason. Used in almost every East Asian and Southeast Asian household, food stall, and restaurant, woks are super versatile. They are used mostly for stir-frying but are diverse enough to be utilized for steaming, deep-frying, boiling, smoking, stewing, braising, and even roasting. Because of its bowl shape, and round bottom, it concentrates the heat and allows food to cook quickly without that much oil. 

The first common use of woks was believed to have been observed more than 2,000 years ago in the Han Dynasty in China where archeologists discovered pottery models of woks in tombs. However, this fact is disputed by some as more evidence points to this cooking ware being borrowed from neighboring countries due to the presence of a similar type of pan in South and Southeast Asia. Traditionally, these pans are made of thin cast iron, as they retain heat and have uniform heat distribution, which was important as most cooking was done on wood or charcoal-burning stoves. 

But how did they become so popular? Some theories suggest that their retention of heat and low requirement of oil was beneficial to the population as they were facing a shortage of fuel and oil. Additionally, many tribes were nomadic and the wok created a way for people to cook with low maintenance while traveling as it was easily portable. 

Nowadays, the wok has traveled all over the world, landing itself in kitchens across the sea, and although several adaptations like metal rings and carbon steel have been made to it, the traditional cast iron still remains a favorite in all Asian households.

Tava/Saj

In Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, and other Indo-Aryan languages, tawaa is the word for cooking pan. And that is exactly what the tava, tawa, or sometimes saj, is used for. These pans that are usually 20 to 30 cm in diameter are made of cast iron or aluminium, and like woks, are very versatile. Although some can be flat, for making certain types of flatbread like roti and gozleme, most are actually convex or concave. This dome shape makes it suitable to cook flatbread and pancakes like pita, naan, saj bread, chapati, paratha, dosa, and pesarattu. On the concave side, the tava can be used as a wok to fry vegetables, meat, fish, and to cook other famous dishes of the Indian cuisine like Aloo chaat and pav bhaji. As you might guess, this pan is commonly used in the region of South Asia, particularly in India and Pakistan, as well as in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Kazan

A staple in Central Asia and Turkey is the Kazan/Qazan pan. These cast iron pans closely resemble cauldrons and are used to cook a variety of foods like pilaf, shorpa, and bawyrsaq, especially during celebrations when large portions of food are required. Because of the lack of handles, they need to be suspended over a fire, either with a tripod called sajayaq, or just placed over a hole in the ground that had been dug to keep a fire underneath it.

The Kazan was believed to have originated from Turkish nomads and was spread to inhabitants in the area because of their usefulness. Interestingly, the Kazan pan has played a greater role in history than what we would normally expect of a pan. In the Ottoman Empire, there existed the Janissary, which became the first modern standing army in Europe. These soldiers were troops for the Ottoman Empire, and although at first were only composed of enslaved foreigners, they soon began letting civilians join, and these Kazan pans served as a sign of their allegiance. However, if these pans were overturned, it signified that the soldier had gotten into a disagreement with their superiors.

Vertical Rotisserie

Although technically not a pan, the vertical rotisserie is a unique cooking technique that surprisingly has its origins in Asia, from a Turkish chef named Iskender Efendi. Horizontal rotisserie had been around since the Middle Ages, but it was one day in the 1860s where Efendi decided to turn it right side up, and thus a new technique was born. At first, it seemed that this change was only a gimmick to draw customers in, but it proved to actually be effective, leading to juicier meat that could feed more people. This is because this method allows the chef to baste, or pour juices or fat over the meat to keep it moist, even as they shaved off the outer layers. Typically the meats cooked with this technique are beef, any roast, and lamb.

This innovation led to the birth of the doner kebab, and spread throughout the region to Greece, inspiring the Greek gyro, Lebanon, and even Mexico. Since then, the food has evolved and expanded, creating new menus like shawarma that have become popular today worldwide.

Works Cited

Adum, Priscilla. “What is a Saj?” By Shira, http://www.shira.net/culture/saj.htm

Antonation, Mark. “Döner Kabob, Shawarma and Tacos Arabes: Variations on Spit-Roasted Meats.” Westword, 21 June 2016, https://www.westword.com/restaurants/d-ner-kabob-shawarma-and-tacos-arabes-variations-on-spit-roasted-meats-8025462

Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Wok.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 March 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/wok

Made in. “Wok this way: The history of the wok.” Made in, 21 March 2019, https://madeincookware.com/blogs/beyond-the-burner/wok-this-way-the-history-of-asia-s-favorite-pan

Sarkar, Petrina Verma. “What is an Indian Tawa?” The Spruce Eats, 13 April 2019, https://www.thespruceeats.com/definition-of-tava-tawa-1957547

School of Wok. “The History of the Wok.” School of Wok, 12 November 2020, https://schoolofwok.co.uk/tips-and-recipes/the-history-of-the-wok

Ventiera, Sara. “The Ultimate Guide to Vertical Street Meat, the OG Fast Food.” Zagat, 31 October 2017,https://www.zagat.com/b/the-ultimate-guide-to-vertical-rotisserie-meats

Wikipedia. “Kazan (cookware).” Wikipedia, 23 September 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazan_(cookware)

WordPress. “Wok History.” Wok History, https://wokhistory.wordpress.com