Have you ever noticed that many East Asians and Southeast Asians hold up a peace sign when posing for casual photos? My first exposure to this was when I studied abroad in Hong Kong.  Almost without fail, whenever my local peers posed for a photo, up went their…

So I’ve been following the Kogi taco truck around for the past few weeks. On Twitter. Kogi is the brainchild of Mark Manguera, whose fusion of Korean BBQ and the ubiquitous taco truck has created a Los Angeles food sensation.  People keep talking about it – in class,…

This was the featured article in Pacific Ties’s The Dialogue Issue, Winter 2009. By Evelina Giang The journalism industry is hurting these days. The Los Angeles Times announced last month that it will be cutting 300 jobs, and many newspapers and magazines are following suit. With the recent…

The administration and Congress under President Obama is more diverse than ever. In our latest issue of Pacific Ties (available soon online), Elizabeth Park reports on seven prominent Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) in Obama’s administration and First Family.  I am pleased to see a variety of ethnic backgrounds…

I love the comics section of the LA Times, except for one thing: the dearth of cartoon heroes of color. I appreciate the inclusion of Jump Start, Frazz, and La Cucaracha, which acknowledge the presence of African Americans and Latino Americans in our society.  However, the majority of…

Winter 2009: The Dialogue Issue will officially be out the week of Feb. 23! That’s right, we’re writing about conversation with a feature on blogs! Featured blogs: angryasianman.com slanteyefortheroundeye.com sexandtheivy.com 8asians.com disgrasian.blogspot.com Thanks to the PacTies staff for all their hardwork, for their sweat, for overcoming writers block…