Asian Avenue magazine

Denver’s know-it-all to the Asian American Pacific Islander community

With the holiday season looming, Asian American Pacific Islander communities are like others across the United States: Their family values come front and center, and they celebrate the ties that bind them together. Whether there are two generations in the US or four, whether their families came recently to America or decades ago, AAPI families celebrate the richness of the holidays with the culture that connects them to their heritage.

Asian Avenue magazine surveyed one typical AAPI family, the Simsiman/Lorejos, whose roots are in the Philippines, and asked them about their relationships to each other, and to their shared heritage.

Fran Campbell, a member of the family who is a leader within the Denver Filipino community (and past president of the Filipino American Community of Colorado), shares the history of her parents who live in Denver, and grandparents, a story that shares much of its plot with many other AAPI families. It’s an American story.

When did the first generation arrive in the US?
Atanacio Simsiman came to the US in 1930 from Cabugao, Ilocus Sur, Philippines along with his brother, two brothers-in-law and his cousin. Atanacio was a farm laborer in Soledad California, sending money back home to his wife and nine children.
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HOW TO ENTER
1) For each item giveaway, go to www.international-nash-day.com/giveaway and submit the online entry form between 8am MST and 10pm MST of that day. You must submit the form daily to be entered for that day’s gift.
2) On the following day, winners will be announced on the web site and via e-mail.
3) Come to the Asian Avenue magazine office in Denver’s Far East Center to claim your prize by January 12, 2009.
4) Enjoy your new gift from Asian Avenue magazine and the 2008 holiday season!

Quick Gift List!
December 12: $25 Gift Certificate to Panda Buffet
December 13: 1 Hour Reflexology and Massage at Miracle Touch
December 14: $25 Gift Certificate to Lao Wang Noodle House
December 15: Tea Set from Pacific Ocean Marketplace
December 16: $30 Gift Certificate to Tommy’s Thai
December 17: $40 Gift Certificate to John Holly’s Asian Bistro
December 18: 1 Month of Karate Classes from Colorado Budokan
December 19: 2 tickets to Aloha 2009 New Year’s Eve Celebration
December 20: Sushi-making Basket from Pacific Mercantile
December 21: Trunk Chest from Asian Decor T-Trove
December 22: Horse Sculpture from Jingdezhen China
December 23: GRAND PRIZE Complete Teeth Whitening Package from RapidWhite

Merry Christmas!

Visit www.international-nash-day.com/giveaway for complete details!
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Come celebrate the 2009 Lunar New Year, the Year of the Ox, (which falls on January 26, 2009) with Asian Avenue magazine!

Join us for an exquisite traditional Chinese dinner, learn how to celebrate the New Year, play fun riddles for door prizes, and enjoy cultural entertainment.

Friday, January 23
Begins at 6:30pm

Empress Seafood Restaurant
2825 W Alameda Ave.
Denver, CO 80219
303.922.2822

$25 for JoL members
$30 for non-members

RSVP by Friday, January 16 with a check or card payment. Contact us at 303.937.6888 or [email protected].

On October 24, Asian Avenue magazine’s Joy of Living Club dined at the Korea House Restaurant in Aurora. The special group menu included the seafood pancake appetizer (Korean-style with green onions and mixed seafood), kalbee barbecue (marinated beef short ribs), bulgogi barbecue (marinated sliced beef), and an array of delightful veggie side dishes.

Guests took part in a traditional Korean meal by taking off their shoes and sitting on the floor, while cooking the barbecue meat on a grill in the center of each table. Each took turns playing chef by preparing the meat for their new friends. The event concluded with a tea demonstration by Greg Fellman of Seven Cups Tea (www.sevencupsdenver.com), who shared the traditional green tea and oolong tea.

JOL attendees share their experience:
“The dining experience is something I will treasure for a lifetime. I enjoyed other members describing the dishes and how to eat them. My daughter and sister had a wonderful time. We have shared our photos with family and friends and plan to go back soon.” – Stephanie Cross, Denver

“I have not had Korean barbecue before. It was great—sometimes hard to cook with the burner, but it was neat. My favorite dish was the jalapeno potatoes.” – Amy Aguirre, Denver

The food was good and the ‘interactive’ meal was fun and a defi nite contributor to the flow of conversation with people that I didn’t know before.” – Erma Sampson, Boulder

1015 S. Federal Blvd. Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303.936.5610

Hours:
Open 7 days a week: 10am – 9pm, Lunch Specials Mon – Fri: 10am – 3pm

Vietnam Grill, a new restaurant nestled in a modest strip of tattered storefronts, is like a shiny beacon of culinary hope. Those familiar with the location may remember a Chinese restaurant that had inhabited the space for the past decade. Today, with the renovation and modern décor, the only remnants left is the layout of the cozy dining room, behind it the slightly exposed kitchen and curiously long hallway extending towards the back. Gone are the sticky floors and sullied walls; the room, now decorated in gorgeous hues and warm woods provides a clean urban feel.

Yen Lai, the owner, opened Vietnam Grill on October 11, 2008 with the help of her husband and dedicated family members, to fulfill her mother’s dream of running her own restaurant. Lai’s mother, Hanh, has been cooking in local Vietnamese restaurants for the past 16 years, and finally decided it was her time to shine. Lucky for us, because her massive menu of well-known favorites along with unfamiliar dishes is really good: tasty enough to draw Denver’s Vietnamese community, yet accessible enough to everyone else.
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2917 W. Mississippi Ave. Denver, CO 80219
Tel: 303.936.0089

Hours:
Mon – Thur: 10:30am – 12am, Fri: 10:30am – 1am
Sat: 10am – 1am, Sun: 10am – 12am
Dim sum served daily until 8pm

Most Asian Americans have their dim sum place of choice. In Denver, there are a few to choose from and the options spur debate and even battle lines amongst its patrons. Yes, Denver’s love for dim sum is undeniable and the standards are held considerably high. There are only a handful of restaurants in the metro area that have been able to appease the palates of finicky dim-sum-goers, and to do so is a feat.

Dim sum, classically served as an accompaniment to tea, has developed into Chinese-style brunch. It has become a weekend ritual for many Asian families to go to dim sum together, which is why you can find hoards of people waiting outside the dim sum hot spots on any given Sunday. To seek out these hoards would be a sure fire way to find the tastiest places; that diners were out in force for Star Kitchen’s opening weekend, speaks volumes. Through word of mouth, they had discovered the new dim sum eatery.

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As a way to work through the death of her parents, Denver artist Jolene Fukuhara turned to shibori, a traditional Japanese art form of resist dyeing techniques. “Becoming involved in this particular art form gave me a way to turn uneasy, difficult emotion into a product of color, movement that’s visually satisfying; allowing unpleasant energy to transform in to a positive creation,” she says.

As a sansei or third generation Japanese American, Fukuhara whose “day job” is in data management and analysis, sought to learn an art form that’s not commonly taught or practiced in the US.

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The Rocky Mountain Region Chinese American Association presented a wonderful show by a group of renowned Chinese performers on October 26 at Teikyo Loretto Heights University Theatre in Denver. The artists were from the famous “Love China Singing & Dancing Troupe,” one of the most prestigious performing arts groups in China. They lined up their best performances and performers that night, including Bai Xue, a national pop star who has claimed numerous pop singing awards ever since she switched musical genres from Eastern Chinese folk opera. Another highlight of the show was master dancer Shen Peiyi, who specializes in ethnic dance and modern choreography inspired by ancient classic Chinese poetry works. The spotlight also focused on Tibetan singer Soinam Wangmo, who grew up in a little northern Tibetan village, yet landed international fame with her heavenly voice.

About 150 people from different communities took charge of their health at the free Colorado Asian Health Education and Promotion (CAHEP) Health Fair on Saturday and Sunday, November 1st and 2nd at the Denver Buddhist Temple and Denver Chinese Evangelical Free Church. Participants had many screenings and tests to choose from: allergy and asthma testing, osteoporosis screening, breast exams, diabetes and cholesterol testing. By partaking in at least two screenings, people were eligible for a free infl uenza vaccine. Or, if they chose not to get any screenings, flu shots cost $10. CAHEP’s Executive Director/Co-Founder, Alok Sarwal, estimates that 1,600 flu shots were given in a 30-day period since the end of September. If you missed out, call 303.953.8176 for upcoming heath fairs.

Thousands of people benefit from regular practice of tai chi. The gentle stretching and turning moves can improve flexibility, strength and balance. But according to Bob Tank, Colorado President of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA, “chanting, meditation and ceremonies offer a higher level of personal development. “By combining Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian rituals, our goal is to integrate mind and body to become a more compassionate person,” he explains.

Master Moy Lin-shin, a Taoist monk who founded the International Taoist Tai Chi Society in 1970, refused to teach religious aspects of Taoism, even when asked. “He would say we thought too much,” Tank explains, “and redirect students to the exercises.”

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