Oklahoma Farmer Finds Niche in Korean Veggies
MARLOW, Okla. — Surrounded by cattle and wheat, Leroy Barton has found an agricultural niche that caters to Koreans.
It started with planting peppers for Mexican restaurants. Then he added in napa cabbage, the primary ingredient of kim chee, a mainstay of the Korean diet.
“I was raising the cabbage, and a Korean woman found out,” Barton said. “She asked if I could grow some other stuff, and it just went from there.”
Today, Barton grows Korean vegetables 10 months out of the year, including 4-pound radishes, a melon that resembles a cucumber, eggplants, and sweet potatoes with white flesh and a little sweetness.
Barton still keeps his American customers happy as well. He recently planted black-eyed peas, and squash and cucumbers can always be found.
Northwest Asian American Film Festival
EVENT: 2nd Annual Northwest Asian American Film Festival
BACKGROUND: The festival includes film features, shorts, narratives and documentaries from across North America.
INTERESTING: James Hou’s Masters of the Pillow, a controversial documentary on the Asian American porn movement, and Greg Pak’s Robot Stories, a collection of four stories brimming with science fiction from the heart, will be screened.
DETAILS: Sept. 30 - Oct. 3, all events are at Theater Off Jackson (except for the closing night’s gala), Seattle’s International District/Chinatown, contact Van Diep at pr@nwaaff.org or go to www.nwaaff.org.
Thank Goddess It’s Friday
EVENT: World premiere of In Need of Goddesses
BACKGROUND: Asian Improv aRts in collaboration with Eth-Noh-Tec presents a new play by Nancy Wang, In Need of Goddesses.
INTERESTING: Described as “an empowering alchemy of ancient mythology … and a contemporary heroine’s journey for gender balance and global peace.”
DETAILS: Sept. 24 - 26, Magic Theater, Bldg. D, Fort Mason Center (at Buchanan and Marina), San Francisco, Calif., (415) 908-3636 or www.manja.org or www.asianimprov.com.
Largest Korean Film Festival in the United States
EVENT: The Past, Present, and Future of Korean Cinema
BACKGROUND: A Hometown in the Heart (1948) is one of only five films to have survived the period encompassing the end of Japanese occupation and the Korean War.
INTERESTING: Diversity reigns, from the genre film My Sassy Girl, costume drama Festival and the sci-fi pic The Resurrection of the Little Match Girl to art-house favorites The Virgin Stripped Bare and The Coast Guard.
DETAILS: Through Oct. 31, Freer Gallery of Art and AFI Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., www.asia.si.edu/KoreanSchedule.htm.
Butternut Ink
EVENT: Butternut Ink: The 14th Annual Exhibition
BACKGROUND: Eleven artists are selected annually from previous year’s submissions to the Asian American Artists Slide Archive.
INTERESTING: Jack works exclusively with an ink made from the husk of butternuts found only in Vermont, and Evri Kwong’s cartoonlike figures recount the actual victims of hate crimes.
DETAILS: Sept. 24 - Nov.5, Asian American Arts Centre, New York, N.Y., www.artspiral.org.
Seeking APA Children for Lincoln Center Gala Concert
NEW YORK — Second Generation, a nonprofit theater company, will select 15 APA children, ages 7 to 13, to perform at the new Jazz at the Lincoln Center in the fourth annual Concert of Excellence on Nov. 22. Past recipients of the Remy X.O. Excellence Awards include David Henry Hwang and Mira Nair.
“For children of Asian descent in America, growing up to be an actor or singer has not traditionally been in their world of possibilities,” said founder Welly Yang. “This intensive ensemble and concert are a great way to introduce children to positive role models.” For more info go to www.2g.org.
Lily Cai Dance 2004 Season
EVENT: Lily Cai Chinese Dance Company Presents 2004 Home Season
BACKGROUND: Now in its 16th year, the company blends Western and Eastern dance styles.
INTERESTING: Season includes a revival of Cai’s 1993 Dynasty Suite, which begins with Zhou Dynasty dancers in long, elegant dresses carrying slender poles with dangling baskets and ends with Qing Dynasty dancers moving with royal charm.
DETAILS: Sept. 24 - 25, 8 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, Calif., (415) 978-2787 or www.ybca.org.
Five Virtuosos at Davies
EVENT: Five Virtuosos at Davies
BACKGROUND: Five Chinese and Chinese American virtuosos will perform: baritone Chen-Ye Yuan, soprano Manhua Gao, tenor Jingma Fan, soprano Lan Rao and mezzo soprano Shirley Ding.
INTERESTING: They will also sing beloved Chinese songs, including “The Eulogy of Chang Jiang” and “Far, Far Away.”
DETAILS: Sept. 26, 7 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, Calif., (415) 864-6000 or www.nanhai.com.