Kimchi Mamas

Aunty Jo's Email of the Week: Vote for Carrie Ann Inaba

Boy, it's been a long time since I posted here! I've been busy with my other blog, MOMocrats.com, trying to get a Democrat elected to the White House. There have been many emails from Aunty Jo since I last posted but most have centered around Barack Obama who Aunty Jo hopes wins the nomination and the presidency. The longer the Dems battle it out, the crankier Aunty Jo gets, so for the health of happiness of my family, let's hope Obama gets the nomination soon.

This week's email is regarding the JC Penney Asian Excellence Awards. Now, there are many fine people (Tila Tequila, Kimora Lee Simmons, Hung from Top Chef) in the running for awards this year, but the one Aunty Jo encourages everyone to vote for is Carrie Ann Inaba. You see, back in the day in Honolulu, Carrie Ann and I used to take ballet class together. Our moms took turns driving that carpool and once, they both thought the other one was picking us up from school and no one realized the error until, like, 5:30. We had been waiting at school the entire time because our moms were off getting perms or something.

Every once in a while, when Carrie Ann is doing something that needs voting on—like trying to win the Dance Wars or going up against Vern Yip for an award—the auntie email chain starts. Carrie Ann's mom emails a bunch of aunties including my mom, they email me, and so on. It's the coconut wireless in full effect.

So unless you want Aunty Jo and her Asian Aunty gang to come calling, vote for Carrie Ann Inaba.

Kickin' It In Geumchon

Thanks to Bea at Bea Knits for the link!

Open Thread Thursday

Welcome to Open Thread Thursday. What's on your mind today?

--The Kimchi Mamas

My Korean Mom, The Sitcom: Easter Redux

Mom: Guess what?  I'm in a play for Easter.
Me:  Again? Are you dancing and falling on the ground this year?
Mom:  What? No, not that.  I'm playing an angel.  You believe that?
Me: So you're playing against type?
Mom:  What is that supposed to mean?
Me:  Never mind.  What's the play about?
Mom: Well, there's these two groups, and people have to decide.  You go with one group, and you go to Jesus.  You go with the other group, you go to the Devil.  One group drinks and does drugs and has a good old time, and the other group, you know, does nice things.

Open Thread Thursday

What's on your mind today?

--The Kimchi Mamas

My Mother: The Reluctant Korean

Mom and I both had it marked on our calendars: a film called Grandmother’s Flower, a 2008 Korean documentary about a large, extended Korean family that still feels repercussions from the Korean War. The film was showing as part of the 26^th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival, which runs through March 23^rd at selected Bay Area venues.

In Grandmother’s Flower, filmmaker Mun Jeong-hyun focuses on his own journey of discovering the truth about his family’s strife-torn history: it is a painful documentary of village tensions, political torture and killings, and inter-familial rifts.

Mom and I both watched the film with rapt attention, never looking at or whispering to each other during the presentation. There were a few animated sequences in the film that I found difficult to watch: they were crude, black and white cartoon images showing, for instance, a man cutting off his own testicles and tongue and putting them into a cauldron. These scenes would always end with a fade to bright, blood red, making me squirm.

Pen, the mighty pen

First of all, just because Jae Ran won't do it herself, I am going to brag here about this Kimchi Mama's latest accomplishments:

Not only was she accepted into a PhD program, she was offered a fantastic job opportunity in her field.

She briefly mentions it (with links) in a post on her own blog.  CONGRATULATIONS, Jae Ran!

I am so proud of this Kimchi Mama... you'd think I had gotten a new job and will be a PhD candidate myself!

Open Thread Thursday

It's time for Open Thread Thursday. What's on your mind today?

--The Kimchi Mamas

Lunchbox - Umma's dosirak

I never knew how hard a simple lunchbox would be.

Times 5.  5 days in a week.  5 lunches.  At least one serving from each food group.  Are they kidding me?  Don't I give Little Nabi her daily vitamin every night?  Isn't that enough?

Okay, I kid.  I do not endorse substituting healthy food with a regimen of vitamins... really, I don't.

When LN's preschool director skimmed over the lunch details, I gasped and asked him to go over the rules again.  One serving from each food group?  Um... what food groups?  Edamame beans are NOT vegetables?  They're protein group?  Dang.

Help Bill Kapoun: US Teacher in Korea Severly Burned

Edited 3/10/08: Bill Kapoun had already passed away by the time I wrote this post.  You can still donate, however, as his bills still need to be paid (thanks to Carole from Korea for letting us know).

Bill, may you have some peace, away from the pain. My thoughts and prayers are with you, and all your family and friends.

I received this e-mail from a co-worker, and would like to share it with you:

One of my friends from [college] was teaching in Korea when two weeks ago he was caught in a fire in his apartment, which ended up burning about 70% of his body.  He is in really bad condition and doesn’t have insurance.  His family and friends are trying to raise money for him to come home.  Read more about his story here ... (note, the pictures are not for the weak stomach).

If you would like to donate directly to his fund, you can do so at BillKapoun.com.

I also encourage you all to Digg this story.

Thanks everyone, for your time and attention.  If you can, please help this young man get home to his family and get the medical attention he needs.  I know if it were my son, I'd do whatever it takes.