felicia liang

#100daysians wouldn't have come together without the stories and conversations I've had with other Asian Americans. I've made new friends, reconnected with old ones, and engaged with others through #the100dayproject, including other artists and people with a personal connection to #100daysians. Certain topics weren't easy to talk about and I'm still learning, asking questions, and having discussions. I'm lucky my parents who immigrated here worked so hard to ensure my brother and I can live comfortably and that I can use art to reflect on topics I find interesting and important. Thank you both for that and everything you've done. And I also want to thank @mreddiehuang, @aliwong3000, and @jenny8lee. You brought fresh perspectives and humor in your storytelling that has encouraged me to continue down this path, wherever it may lead. Taking time to see how to continue this project. Stay tuned. ✌️

Day 100 of #100daysians: Chinese Tea Culture Tea is more than a drink China - it's an embodiment of cultural values. It's offered to elders to show respect, it's shared in family gatherings, it's in weddings to show thank to the parents, and it's offered during apologies.  I partook in a tea ceremony at a Ten Ren teahouse in Taiwan in 2009.  I learned that the water's temperature differs depending on the leaves and to tap my index and middle finger on the table after my cup is filled to show thanks. At the time, I found the ceremony drawn out and monotonous. Every step of the process seemed scripted. There was so much tea pouring and re-pouring. The cups are so tiny, and I had to drink my tea in three sips. But then I found it meditative, with the purpose of it to have a peaceful mind and enjoy your company. The ceremony was meant to find tranquility and appreciate nature. Mindfulness is so deeply rooted in Buddhism, eastern philosophy, and these tea ceremonies. Sometimes it's good to just be - with a cup of tea of course. #the100dayproject

Day 99 of #100daysians: Jiaozi Dumplings are everywhere. You have your raviolis, peirogis, samosas, and empanadas. The Chinese have been eating dumplings (jiaozi) as far back as 225 AD. This is the most well-known Chinese dish. I grew up eating the ones my mom made. She mixed ground pork and shredded cabbage and placed a scoop on pre-cut dough. She would then pleat the dough to enclose them prior to boiling.  Boiling creates jiaozi. Pan frying creates guotie, which literally means "stuck to the pan" in Mandarin (aka potsticker), and produces the crispy side.  My mom is a wizard for folding as many jiaozi as my brother and I can eat in one sitting.  #the100dayproject

Day 98 of #100daysians: Peking Duck Bun An activity at a Chinese restaurant with a spread of crispy duck skin, duck meat, scallions, cucumbers, sweet bean sauce, and buns to assemble. Or you could just buy one from any Chinatown market counter for less than a dollar. The Chinese have roasted duck since the 400s, with Peking duck roast appearing during the Ming dynasty in the 1300s. It's China's version of a Thanksgiving turkey feast or pork roast. This national dish has a rich history as imperial cuisine. Poets and scholars wrote about it. It was served to foreign political leaders, like Henry Kissinger (the guy who loved General Tso's chicken) and Fidel Castro. Beijing has a museum for Peking duck. It's also one of the few Chinese dishes too awesome to co-exist with an Americanized version. #the100dayproject

Day 97 of #100daysians: Cha Siu Bao Steamed buns that always perfectly break off to reveal sweet barbeque pork. The dough is made of yeast and baking powder as leavening, creating a dense, but soft bread that's delightful even on its own. It takes willpower to not eat the entire basket to myself during dim sum. #the100dayproject

Day 96 of #100daysians: Hot Pot (Huo Guo) Steaming hot stew, sometimes split with mild and spicy, with thinly sliced meat, seafood (including fish balls), leafy vegetables, different mushrooms, bean sprouts, daikon, and more. You dip the cooked food in shacha sauce and end up eating more than planned and wreaking of deliciousness.  Hot pot has been around for over 1,000 years. It originated in Mongolia and we grew up with an electric one at home. My mom would tell us to snack less if we were having hot pot for dinner.  There is another story that cheese fondue came to be because Marco Polo loved hot pot.  #the100dayproject

Day 95 of #100daysians: Scallion Pancake What I know as tsong you bing, some know as Chinese pizza. This popular street food in China and Taiwan is layers of savory flatbread folded with green onions. Sometimes I'd have an egg coasted on one side for breakfast. They say Marco Polo missed scallion pancakes so much that he had a Napoli chef recreate it. The chef preferred ingredients atop the dough than within and that inspired what we know as pizza today.  So it's not so much Chinese pizza but Italian scallion pancake. #the100dayproject

Day 94 of #100daysians: Beef Noodle Soup (Niu Rou Mian) I always have my mom's take on Taiwan's national dish when I go home. My mom stews the beef for hours, a technique known as red cooking, until it wafts through the house. Then she'll add hard boiled eggs to make stewed eggs (lu dan) - which is also the best snack. Once ready, she'll cook the noodles, which we sometimes make with our noodle making machine, and then top it with bok choy and green onions. I could bathe in that stew. I love it so much. #the100dayproject

Day 93 of #100daysians: Chinese Bakeries After dim sum or any meal in a Chinese mall or Chinatown, it's a mandatory stop at the bakery. You take a plastic tray lined with wax paper, a pair of tongs, and pile on the buns.   Asian baked goods are fluffier with less sugar and butter than western breads and pastries. My favorite is the pineapple bun, which contains no pineapple but has a crispy crust like that of the fruit.  You can also get red bean, taro, pork, or rousung (Day 2) filled buns, scallion buns, hot dog buns (Asians dig the hot dog), egg tarts, and sponge cakes.  There's that distinctive scent when walking into these bakeries. I can't even describe it, but that it's just familiar. It's my childhood. It's my favorite food group. #the100dayproject

Day 92 of #100daysians: Haw Flakes The Asian Fruit Roll-Up.  These edible wafer discs are made from the Chinese hawthorn fruit and taste sweet and tart.  They're packaged in stacks to resemble dynamite. Wikipedia only has the most favorable things to say about this snack in that 1) it's given to kids for deworming their digestive tracks and 2) it contains unapproved food coloring not recommended for kids that's banned in certain countries. Tiny contraband food - I'm in. #the100dayproject

Day 91 of #100daysians: Pei Pa Koa That viscous black herbal syrup with a licorice aftertaste your mom made you drink every time you had a sore throat or cough. You take a small dollop and mix with hot water and it has a hot gingery menthol smell. Some interesting ingredients include the fritillary bulb, schisandra seed, and thinleaf milkwort root. It tastes as odd as its composition, so you can add honey. I dreaded it as a kid, but when living in a germy place like NYC, I now appreciate the wonders it does for your throat. #the100dayproject

Day 90 of #100daysians: Shaved Ice Snow cones on steroids - crushed ice with any combo of red bean, tangyuan, fruit, taro, peanuts, grass jelly, and topped with condensed milk for added sweetness. These were all over Taiwan's night markets as mountain of ice with the fixings plus fresh mangoes.   We had a shaved ice machine growing up, where we made slabs of ice to grind in a circular motion into shavings and then heaped on the toppings. Snow ice has recently become popular where the shavings come as ribbons. The recipe includes milk, making it a hybrid of ice cream and shaved ice, but I still prefer ice, ice baby. Happy National (Asian) Ice Cream Day! #the100dayproject

Day 89 of #100daysians: Designer Bags Asians love designer bags. In the past, your family and profession determined your place in society, but with globalization, it's now about money, so luxury brands can represent your social status.  In Japan, women feel pressure to have a designer bag because everyone else does. Some women skip meals to save money for one. You are buying the brand, not the bag. Designer bags are limited and more expensive in Asia, which is why tourists buy so many abroad. Some also buy to re-sell back home at higher prices. While in Paris, an Asian couple tried to give my mom wads of cash to buy them Louis Vuitton bags since they already maxed out that day. Asians line up at department stores and outlets to buy not just for themselves, but for family and friends as well. It's a reflection of eastern collectivism. Westerners buy things because no one else has them, whereas easterners buy them because everyone else does. #the100dayproject

Day 88 of #100daysians: Peace Sign It was used in WWII to symbolize V for victory. It was used in the 1960s to symbolize peace in opposition of the Vietnam War. And it's now a ubiquitous trend in photos around the world, particularly East Asia. It became a trend after the 1972 Sapporo Olympics in Japan when American figure skater Janet Lynch flashed the V sign and a smile after a fall on the ice that cost her the gold.  I used to think it was silly, and I've see how others mock Asian tourists taking photos, but I think it's a way to show excitement and happiness wherever they are. And in a time when we are around a lot of hate and sadness, it's not a bad habit to have to remind us of the good and love in the world.  #the100dayproject ✌️

Day 87 of #100daysians: Dishwasher or Drying Rack? Many hand wash dishes and use the dishwasher as a drying rack.  Why have a machine do something you can do by hand?  Why waste water, soap, and run up your electricity bill?  Why waste time and money if it's cheaper and faster to hand wash?   Same with washing machines and dryers. There's more trust doing things by hand than relying on a machine, which is ingrained in many immigrant families as these were luxury items.  It's been said the dishwasher is an immigrant family's last frontier in terms of adopting American habits and inventions. Seeing that this is something my Asian friends and I still carry today from our parents - that might not be such a dramatic statement.  #the100dayproject

Day 86 of #100daysians: TV remotes in plastic A strange habit on display in many Asian homes. Furniture is covered in plastic, along with chair and couch cushions, computers, TVs, and remotes. Some say it's for cleanliness, but wouldn't germs that get caught in the plastic folds make it worse? Also, aren't the items harder to use? This habit seems silly, but may be rooted with many immigrants having lived through economic hardships. Furniture and electronics are luxury items, so they try to keep that "new" feel. Plus in the case of another hardship, these items' re-sale value could be higher. The plastic only comes off for guests to "have face" and impress others. My parents found it a hindrance so we never had it around. Also because no one wants to stick to plastic wrapping on a seat cushion.  #the100dayproject

Day 85 of #100daysians: Tiger Mom A tiger mom is miltant and prizes excellence over happiness. She picks her children's classes and is the queen of no fun, so no sleepovers, no TV at night, and no junk food. Amy Chua coined this term with her self-mocking memoir "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom". Some mistook the book for a how-to manual, and it sparked extensive media coverage and debates over her draconian childrearing.  It's a reductive term that feeds into the model minority myth that Asian moms raise high-achieving robot children. Wishing a good education and work ethic on your children can't be the worst thing a parent can do, right? Aside from Chinese school and piano, my mom was pretty laid back with me and my brother @yunghighway.  She instilled discipline, but let us do whatever so long as we finished our work.  On the tiger mom spectrum, our mom was more of a tiger cub, and we appreciate and love her so much for it. #the100dayproject