Features

April 27, 2022 0

Understanding the Zeitgeist: Pachinko, Representation, and the Cultural Road Ahead

Writer Min Jin Lee is having a moment. Culturally speaking, that conclusion is the ultimate two-edged sword for any artist. Is she being embraced purely for her work, or is there something more crass beneath the discussion? Her 2017 novel Pachinko, embraced at the time for carefully balancing the lives of four Korean generations as they struggle and eventually prosper in Japan, is the basis of the currently streaming (since March 25th) Apple TV + series created by Soo Hugh and […]

April 27, 2022 0

When Everything Happens at Everywhere, All at Once

by Xinyan Fu

When the Daniels started writing their script six years ago, no one would’ve thought that a movie centering on a Chinese American immigrant family would be marketable. But it did. Ever since its release, the movie“Everything Everywhere All at Once” became a phenomenon and a hit among audiences, critics, and box offices. On Rotten Tomatoes, both ratings from the Tomatometer and the audience reached 97%. And on April 5, the movie has officially become the highest-rated movie of all time […]

April 12, 2022 0

Restaurant Recovery from the Pandemic

by Moninisha Yadav

As we continue to move forward after the pandemic, the U.S. unemployment rate hit a two year low of 3.6% in March of 2022. The hospitality industry was the first to be devastated by COVID 19. Restaurants are gradually recovering due to easing COVID-19 restrictions allowing for higher (in some places, even 100%) indoor capacity. However, many restaurants and small businesses are still struggling with issues like inflation when it comes to hiring employees back from when they lost millions […]

April 12, 2022 0

From Dick’s DeskTax Credits and Deductions for College Education

by Richard Soo Hoo

Dear Dick: I have two children attending two high priced Boston colleges. My son is a junior, and my daughter is a sophomore. So, I have two more years of tuition checks to write. Are there any tax writeoffs I can take to get some relief from the high cost of tuition expense? “Over-educated and Over-Taxed” —————————————————- Dear “Over-educated and Over-Taxed,” I agree, it costs a small ransom to send children to college these days. But you may benefit from […]

April 12, 2022 0

The Air That We Breathe: Testimonies From the Frontlines of Chinatown’s Air Pollution Battle

by Max Wei

Chinatown continues to be one of Boston’s more vibrant communities. However, behind that curtain, the residents, workers, and businesses breathe the dirtiest air in Massachusetts. Joan didn’t know that Chinatown had the dirtiest air in Massachusetts when she moved here eight years ago. But when her two twin girls were diagnosed with asthma two years ago, she was shocked. She couldn’t understand why. No one in her own family had asthma and no one smoked at home. Then her children’s […]

April 12, 2022 0

Haruki Murakami’s “Drive My Car”- a road trip through the stages of grief

by Christopher John Stephens

The film version of Murakami’s 2020 short story “Drive My Car” is a three hour meditation on grief, forgiveness, and redemption. A stage actor and director named Yusuke Kafuku travels from Tokyo to Horshima to mount a performance of the Anton Chekhov play Uncle Vanya. As written by Murakami and interpreted for film by director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kafuku comes off as stubborn, stoic, hiding his true self. Kafuku is a prototypical Murakami make. He curates a classical music collection on […]

April 12, 2022 0

Origins Of The St. Paul Sandwich: A Missouri Invention?

by Richard Auffrey

“The St. Paul Sandwich — comprising an egg foo young patty, slice of tomato, pickle and iceberg lettuce sandwiched between two slices of mayonnaise-laden white bread..”—Riverfront Times, November 15, 2006 If you’ve visited Chinese-American restaurants in St. Louis, Missouri, or some other Missouri cities, you might’ve eaten a St. Paul Sandwich. The origins of this sandwich are murky, but the most commonly shared legend is that it was invented by Steven Yuen at Park Chop Suey in St. Louis, possibly in the 1970s. It’s […]

April 12, 2022 0

Check Out CGK!

by AdenM

There are times in this life when your craving for a burger and fries goes beyond the usual fare; when raw, guttural primal instinct leads you to seek out food that is big, indulgent, and fun to an almost ostentatious degree. For those times, there is CGK (Crazy Good Kitchen). Boasting titanic-sized sandwiches that assertively and deliciously demand your attention, shakes, topping-heavy fries, and even acai bowls, CGK recently opened its second location on Newbury St., expanding from its original […]

December 17, 2021 0

Omicron Variant Updates

by Sampan Staff

According to the CDC’s Omicron tracker, the variant has so far caused infections in 23 states, including Massachusetts. The quick emergence has health officials urging residents yet again to get fully vaccinated.

December 17, 2021 0

“Chosen Family” Speaks on Identity

by Moninisha Yadav

“I really want this story to find anyone who’s never felt ‘enough’ of something,” said Pelletier, “or anyone who had a kind of weird time growing up, figuring out who they are in different contexts, and having to look for the context they feel the most comfortable in.”

404 Not Found