Saturdays in Chinatown- COMING SOON

So what are all these posters advertising "Saturdays In Chinatown" about? It's been in the making for awhile but kept very hush hush... It's the new picture book that's going to be sold at CICF as well as other bookshops and such. I wrote this book for every person who has ever enjoyed Chinatown. It is a children's book about what really goes on here.

There will be more information on this blog and on our website soon. Stay tuned.

THANKSGIVING

The Thanksgiving orders for cakes at the store are piling up fast.

I think that our ice cream cakes are just as "American" as apple pie. Although lychee, red bean, mango ice cream cakes may not be what comes to mind when you think of Thanksgiving, but to many New Yorkers, it is tradition.

I love NY's diversity because it reminds me about how the diverse ethnic foods that grace our tables reflects the culture and the people that make up America.

BTW- a helpful tip if you're too lazy to cook your turkey...if you buy your own turkey and take it to a Chinese restaurant, they will cook it for you at a very reasonable price.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving from the CICF crew to yours!

Saturday Night at the MOCA with Beau Sia

My first time seeing one of Beau's performance was at the Def Poetry Jam's performance on Broadway. He is well known for being a spoken word artist.

Although the venue at the MOCA was definitely smaller than the Broadway stage, it gave way to a much more intimate and spontaneous performance.

Beau's performances mostly have to do with issues of race and cultural identity within America. His words are very moving and thought provoking.

A friend and myself were able to enjoy Beau's show for $5 a piece. It would've been even cheaper if we were MOCA members, which we have and are planning on becoming.


For more information on future MOCA events, http://www.mocanyc.org/visit/events

Note: I would not recommend this performance for young children because of adult language.

CHINATOWN NY BY ANN VOLKEIN


To celebrate the release of Ann's new book , Chinatown NY , there was a book release party. Attendees included supporters of the book as well as people that the book featured. (CICF was also included in the book.)

This book on Chinatown is one of a series of books about different ethnic neigbhorhoods in NYC. I was impressed with how beautiful the photographs came out. The content of th book was also excellent. It was truly the most up to date and informative book on Chinatown.

This book really did a lot of re-educating for all of Chinatownites. It's funny how many of work in the same community but have never met or talked to each other until the book party. The book talks about different businesses in Chinatown as well as the people who make it up. What I also found interesting was how they also included the different ways in which our families have immigrated to this country.

Collins Design and Ann Volkwein will be soon releasing their new book on NYC's Chinatown.


You can pre-order your copy at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/006118859X/harpercollinspub/

THE CHINATOWN BID

There seems to be a lot of controversy over the attempts of the Chinatown Partnership to implement a BID for Chinatown.

I myself until this morning was under the impression that a BID would only bring positive things to our community. This is definitely not a one sided argument. There is actually a lot of opposition to the BID.

I would have to read more on the issue, but as of now, I oppose the BID. Although I do want cleaner streets just like the rest of Chinatown, I think that there are other avenues to accomplish this if that is the only reason that they are trying to restructure our community.

Also, if other small businesses are adamantly opposed to the BID, it is not in the best interest of myself or for Chinatown as a whole to back it up. The guidelines of what a BID would bring are not 100 percent clear since they seem to differ from neighborhood to neighborhood. A BID would impose a tax on the landlords and most likely will tax the small businesses in our community.

Small businesses are the heart of our community and I think they'll be driven out if they have taxes up the kazoo! Who on earth needs more taxes? Realistically, how much are these guys making when they're charging less than $5 for a gourmet meal?

I also agree with the argument that if Chinatown were to get money for the BID that it should be used in other ways (i.e. for our schools, etc). As for the streets, store keepers seem to be willing to maintain them and pay for additional costs out of pocket. After all, we do pay for our own carting companies already.

According to an article by Nick Pinto, "

The largest and one of the oldest of these is the Chinese Consolidated
Benevolent Association, whose president, Eric Ng, is known unofficially as
the Chinatown Mayor. Ng is cautious in discussing the BID, and refused to
join its steering committee. "We have to stay neutral on this issue," he
said, adding that he has doubts about the Partnership's ability to
represent all of Chinatown.