Showing posts with label JAC Publishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label JAC Publishing. Show all posts
Friday, August 24, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
Cooking Lessons
You might have noticed I'm Asian American. Most of my friends say I'm as American as Apple Pie, and in spite of this, there are people who will say "You speak English very well." I should hope so!
And then there are people who do know me, some quite well, and for some reason they assume I cook and eat Chinese food exclusively. I find this surprising, hilarious and shocking. How is this possible?
Most people find it shocking that I rarely cook Chinese. Almost never. This time, it is they who ask, How is this possible?
For many reasons:
Too labor intensive. I live in a metropolitan area where it's relatively easy and economical to get really great Chinese/Asian food. I figure, why compete?
I once taught Chinese gourmet cooking in Austin Texas thinking if you cook it, they (chefs, restaurants) will come. They did. But before that happened, my roommate had to drive me to Houston to buy "special" ingredients.
Then I remembered. Long ago I used to cook Chinese food every single day. In Akron Ohio where "special" ingredients were hard to come by. Required weekend trips to Toronto. While cleaning up my office, I found an essay I wrote for ChefShop in Seattle. It was for Mother's Day, Food Memories of Mom, 2000. This probably best explains why I gave up Chinese food.
I cannot cook Chinese food without thinking about my mother. She's probably the reason I stopped cooking Chinese for several years, why there are some dishes that are still too painful to make. My mother was a gourmet cook with a chef's license from Hong Kong. David Bouley was impressed. You know how difficult it is to qualify for a chef's license in Hong Kong? One of the hardest. So imagine, if you can, a teenager being forced to recreate her mom's sumptuous dishes night after night, after school, after homework. What dooms a tomboy to such folly?
My parents had a most volatile marriage. Since my father used to bark, my house, my rules, it was always my mother who picked up and left. For a week. A month. A whole summer. Then one day, she never came back. Never. So it became permanent -- my responsibility to cook and clean for my family.
I missed my mother terribly; my life was wrecked, but somehow the act of preparing meals compelled me to collect my wits quickly and focus. Since my most vivid memories of my mother revolve around her in the kitchen, she was always there when I struggled to compose a menu. Her voice lingered in the air. Delicious with garlic and black bean sauce. Slit fish to insert scallions and ginger. Peel broccoli. When I felt overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, she urged me to mash that potato. Boil that carrot. Pound that tenderloin.
Unfortunately, my father was not so supportive of my culinary innovations. He was too accustomed to tradition, served promptly at 6 PM. One evening, I planned to surprise the family with steak au poivre, haricots verts and chocolate mousse. Instead my father surprised me by dumping his dinner in the garbage. How dare I serve him a huge hunk of meat! We fought bitterly over whose cuisine reigned supreme. French or Chinese.
Naturally I hated cooking. I cursed my mother for leaving me with him. For bequeathing me the legacy of Bird's Nest Soup (a play published by JAC Publishing). The last time we cooked together, mom likened us to those poor swallows that have so little food they must regurgitate their insides to build their own nests to survive. That these nests, as unappetizing as they sound, are actually sublime delicacies that command thousands and thousands of dollars. Which means, of course, she assured me, that one day, she and I, we'd, be valued and prized. I couldn't understand any of this. Why can't you stay forever like other moms? She seemed stunned. Haven't you learned anything from cooking? All those times I was away? Indeed. Too much.
And then there are people who do know me, some quite well, and for some reason they assume I cook and eat Chinese food exclusively. I find this surprising, hilarious and shocking. How is this possible?
Most people find it shocking that I rarely cook Chinese. Almost never. This time, it is they who ask, How is this possible?
For many reasons:
Too labor intensive. I live in a metropolitan area where it's relatively easy and economical to get really great Chinese/Asian food. I figure, why compete?
I once taught Chinese gourmet cooking in Austin Texas thinking if you cook it, they (chefs, restaurants) will come. They did. But before that happened, my roommate had to drive me to Houston to buy "special" ingredients.
Then I remembered. Long ago I used to cook Chinese food every single day. In Akron Ohio where "special" ingredients were hard to come by. Required weekend trips to Toronto. While cleaning up my office, I found an essay I wrote for ChefShop in Seattle. It was for Mother's Day, Food Memories of Mom, 2000. This probably best explains why I gave up Chinese food.
I cannot cook Chinese food without thinking about my mother. She's probably the reason I stopped cooking Chinese for several years, why there are some dishes that are still too painful to make. My mother was a gourmet cook with a chef's license from Hong Kong. David Bouley was impressed. You know how difficult it is to qualify for a chef's license in Hong Kong? One of the hardest. So imagine, if you can, a teenager being forced to recreate her mom's sumptuous dishes night after night, after school, after homework. What dooms a tomboy to such folly?
My parents had a most volatile marriage. Since my father used to bark, my house, my rules, it was always my mother who picked up and left. For a week. A month. A whole summer. Then one day, she never came back. Never. So it became permanent -- my responsibility to cook and clean for my family.
I missed my mother terribly; my life was wrecked, but somehow the act of preparing meals compelled me to collect my wits quickly and focus. Since my most vivid memories of my mother revolve around her in the kitchen, she was always there when I struggled to compose a menu. Her voice lingered in the air. Delicious with garlic and black bean sauce. Slit fish to insert scallions and ginger. Peel broccoli. When I felt overwhelmed and on the verge of tears, she urged me to mash that potato. Boil that carrot. Pound that tenderloin.
Unfortunately, my father was not so supportive of my culinary innovations. He was too accustomed to tradition, served promptly at 6 PM. One evening, I planned to surprise the family with steak au poivre, haricots verts and chocolate mousse. Instead my father surprised me by dumping his dinner in the garbage. How dare I serve him a huge hunk of meat! We fought bitterly over whose cuisine reigned supreme. French or Chinese.
Naturally I hated cooking. I cursed my mother for leaving me with him. For bequeathing me the legacy of Bird's Nest Soup (a play published by JAC Publishing). The last time we cooked together, mom likened us to those poor swallows that have so little food they must regurgitate their insides to build their own nests to survive. That these nests, as unappetizing as they sound, are actually sublime delicacies that command thousands and thousands of dollars. Which means, of course, she assured me, that one day, she and I, we'd, be valued and prized. I couldn't understand any of this. Why can't you stay forever like other moms? She seemed stunned. Haven't you learned anything from cooking? All those times I was away? Indeed. Too much.
Friday, May 25, 2012
More Kindle to the Fire!
Happy to report more of my plays are available on Kindle!
Just in time for your Summer Reading!
And it's true, you don't even have to own a Kindle to read my plays. You can download the Kindle App, and read it on your iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, and so on.
Isn't technology great fun? Horizon-expanding?
Titles Available on Kindle:
BIG RED & LITTLE TIGER, JAC Publishing
BIRD'S NEST SOUP, JAC Publishing
CONCERTO FOR ORGAN IN B-SHARP, JAC Publishing
GOOD MOURNING, AMERICA, Original Works Publishing
JUNK BONDS, Original Works Publishing
Just in time for your Summer Reading!
And it's true, you don't even have to own a Kindle to read my plays. You can download the Kindle App, and read it on your iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, and so on.
Isn't technology great fun? Horizon-expanding?
Titles Available on Kindle:
BIG RED & LITTLE TIGER, JAC Publishing
BIRD'S NEST SOUP, JAC Publishing
CONCERTO FOR ORGAN IN B-SHARP, JAC Publishing
GOOD MOURNING, AMERICA, Original Works Publishing
JUNK BONDS, Original Works Publishing
Friday, February 10, 2012
Adding a Life
It's the journey, not the destination, they quip. But you can't ignore the numbers. The IRS won't let you. Either will your doctor.
So, this morning when a journalist said her editor wanted to know how many plays? How many published? How many unpublished? What other works? I fueled up on some coffee and did the math, fingers crossed the numbers wouldn't depress me.
23 TOTAL PLAYS + 8 PUBLISHED MONOLOGUES + 1 SOLD TV PILOT (COMEDY) + 2 SHORT FILMS + 1 NOVEL + 1 SCREENPLAY + 2 PUBLISHED SHORT STORIES
The Published List:
8 PUBLISHED MONOLOGUES, JAC “innerJACtions: Monologues At the Heart of Human
Nature
GOOD MOURNING, AMERICA by Original Works Publishing
JUNK BONDS by Original Works Publishing
ART OF BULLFIGHTING, University of CA at Santa Barbara teaches this
collection of FIVE (5) short plays (CINDERELLA'S BAWL, HOW NOW BROWN COUCH,
TRAYF, BULLFIGHTING, (IN)SECURITY) published by JAC Publishing
CONCERTO FOR ORGAN IN B-SHARP, JAC Publishing
BIG RED, LITTLE TIGHER, JAC Publishing
BIRD'S NEST SOUP, JAC Publishing
SCENES FROM A CHINESE RESTAURANT, collection of THREE (3) short plays
-- THE FAMISHED, SENSUOUS GOURMET & THE SICHUAN PEPPERCORN & SCENES FROM A
CHINESE RESTAURANT
1 SOLD TV PILOT COMEDY
1 SCREENPLAY entitled YOUNG AMERICANS
(L.A. residency requirement !)
2 SHORT STORIES
PEKING DUCK
PROPHET & LOSS
5 UNPUBLISHED PLAYS + 5 COMMISSIONED/WRITER FOR HIRE
TEEN MOGUL, a new play, adapted from my unpublished young adult novel
DOWN UNDER
NUMBER ONE SON
MOO GOO GAI PAN ASIAN, play in progress
MELTING, inspired by OTHELLO
THREE (3) PLAYS I WROTE FOR HIRE, FOR AN ORTHODOX JEWISH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, they needed material
TWO PLAYS (2) COMMISSIONED FOR LA STORYTELLERS, TAPER FORUM/ L.A. MUSIC CENTER
1 UNPUBLISHED NOVEL, TEEN MOGUL
2 SHORT FILMS
MIKE GRAVEL, THE WORD, a collaboration w/Italian animation director, entry for a
political ad contest, on youtube
THE PERFECT NIGHT, an homage to Bill Murray, live action short, on youtube
So, this morning when a journalist said her editor wanted to know how many plays? How many published? How many unpublished? What other works? I fueled up on some coffee and did the math, fingers crossed the numbers wouldn't depress me.
23 TOTAL PLAYS + 8 PUBLISHED MONOLOGUES + 1 SOLD TV PILOT (COMEDY) + 2 SHORT FILMS + 1 NOVEL + 1 SCREENPLAY + 2 PUBLISHED SHORT STORIES
The Published List:
8 PUBLISHED MONOLOGUES, JAC “innerJACtions: Monologues At the Heart of Human
Nature
GOOD MOURNING, AMERICA by Original Works Publishing
JUNK BONDS by Original Works Publishing
ART OF BULLFIGHTING, University of CA at Santa Barbara teaches this
collection of FIVE (5) short plays (CINDERELLA'S BAWL, HOW NOW BROWN COUCH,
TRAYF, BULLFIGHTING, (IN)SECURITY) published by JAC Publishing
CONCERTO FOR ORGAN IN B-SHARP, JAC Publishing
BIG RED, LITTLE TIGHER, JAC Publishing
BIRD'S NEST SOUP, JAC Publishing
SCENES FROM A CHINESE RESTAURANT, collection of THREE (3) short plays
-- THE FAMISHED, SENSUOUS GOURMET & THE SICHUAN PEPPERCORN & SCENES FROM A
CHINESE RESTAURANT
1 SOLD TV PILOT COMEDY
1 SCREENPLAY entitled YOUNG AMERICANS
(L.A. residency requirement !)
2 SHORT STORIES
PEKING DUCK
PROPHET & LOSS
5 UNPUBLISHED PLAYS + 5 COMMISSIONED/WRITER FOR HIRE
TEEN MOGUL, a new play, adapted from my unpublished young adult novel
DOWN UNDER
NUMBER ONE SON
MOO GOO GAI PAN ASIAN, play in progress
MELTING, inspired by OTHELLO
THREE (3) PLAYS I WROTE FOR HIRE, FOR AN ORTHODOX JEWISH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, they needed material
TWO PLAYS (2) COMMISSIONED FOR LA STORYTELLERS, TAPER FORUM/ L.A. MUSIC CENTER
1 UNPUBLISHED NOVEL, TEEN MOGUL
2 SHORT FILMS
MIKE GRAVEL, THE WORD, a collaboration w/Italian animation director, entry for a
political ad contest, on youtube
THE PERFECT NIGHT, an homage to Bill Murray, live action short, on youtube
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Scenes From A Chinese Restaurant
Food & Writing.
Goes together like love & marriage.
Inside this collection, you can feast upon three plays.
SENSUOUS GOURMET & THE SICHUAN PEPPERCORN
This play was conceived in Boulder, Colorado while conducting a private workshop with friends in a private residence. I wanted to marry our senses to our creative muses. I gathered an array of differing scents. Vanilla. Sichuan Peppercorns. Lavender. Mint. Orange. Olive oil. Cinnamon. Each writer sniffed inhaled breathed deeply and let the aroma speak to our soul. Our inner voices. Then, we wrote.
And shared, like a meal, family-style.
THE FAMISHED
Hunger can transport us to places we've never been, to places we never imagined, to places outside ourselves. That's what this play explores, how two people meet up and need each other. This play was inspired by a true request from a total stranger that I cook for him, for hire, in my home.
SCENES FROM A CHINESE RESTAURANT
This play is inspired by all my friends in the dating world, and all my friends who love to eat. How does our relationship to food affect our relationship to each other. Many of my omnivore buddies won't date vegans. Adventurous eaters versus meat and potatoes. Food is more than meets the eye.
This collection of plays can be purchased from JAC Publishing, and is available on Amazon.com
Bon Appetit!
Goes together like love & marriage.
Inside this collection, you can feast upon three plays.
SENSUOUS GOURMET & THE SICHUAN PEPPERCORN
This play was conceived in Boulder, Colorado while conducting a private workshop with friends in a private residence. I wanted to marry our senses to our creative muses. I gathered an array of differing scents. Vanilla. Sichuan Peppercorns. Lavender. Mint. Orange. Olive oil. Cinnamon. Each writer sniffed inhaled breathed deeply and let the aroma speak to our soul. Our inner voices. Then, we wrote.
And shared, like a meal, family-style.
THE FAMISHED
Hunger can transport us to places we've never been, to places we never imagined, to places outside ourselves. That's what this play explores, how two people meet up and need each other. This play was inspired by a true request from a total stranger that I cook for him, for hire, in my home.
SCENES FROM A CHINESE RESTAURANT
This play is inspired by all my friends in the dating world, and all my friends who love to eat. How does our relationship to food affect our relationship to each other. Many of my omnivore buddies won't date vegans. Adventurous eaters versus meat and potatoes. Food is more than meets the eye.
This collection of plays can be purchased from JAC Publishing, and is available on Amazon.com
Bon Appetit!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sensuous Gourmet & The Szechuan Peppercorn
My play SENSUOUS GOURMET & THE SZECHUAN PEPPERCORN was one of six plays chosen for n.u.f.a.n. ensembles Table & Chairs Festival. The play will be performed in Chicago at the ViaDuct Theater October 17th and 18th.
Sheri, AKA the Sensuous Gourmet, teaches Travis that if you know how to eat, you know how to make love. You eat with your mouth, your eyes, your lips, your tongue....dinner is foreplay. Yes, it's a comedy.
If you're in Chicago, or know people in the Chicago, please send them. If you're interested in reading the play, you'll find the comedy in a collection of short food themed plays called SCENES FROM A CHINESE RESTAURANT, available on Amazon and through JAC PUBLISHING.
Sheri, AKA the Sensuous Gourmet, teaches Travis that if you know how to eat, you know how to make love. You eat with your mouth, your eyes, your lips, your tongue....dinner is foreplay. Yes, it's a comedy.
If you're in Chicago, or know people in the Chicago, please send them. If you're interested in reading the play, you'll find the comedy in a collection of short food themed plays called SCENES FROM A CHINESE RESTAURANT, available on Amazon and through JAC PUBLISHING.
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