Week 12 Hmong in Wisconsin

http://www.hmong.org/page33444533.aspx I found this link which shows the number of Hmong living in each city of Wisconsin and i would have never guessed that their population was so big as a whole in the state. This link also allows you to check the Hmong population in other states. The city with the largest hmong population is the city of Milwaukee housing 10, 245 Hmongs. the city with the lowest population is Germantown village with 61 Hmongs. http://www.hmongcontemporaryissues.com/HistoireCultureLanguage/HistoryTimelineHmong.html This link shows the Hmong in America timeline. The information from the timeline that closely relates to the material discussed this week is in 1975-1980: Arrival of the Hmong first families in Hawaii, Oregon, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin and California. This is shocking that the population in Wisconsin have grew from 0 to 39,596 Hmongs over the last 33-38 years. When i see Wisconsin Hmong memebers it makes me curious as to the rest of the world. http://www.migrationinformation.org/usfocus/display.cfm?ID=281 This link include great info on the migration of Hmongs from Thailand and Loas to the United States.

Week 11 Trip to Chicago Alternative assignment

For the Alternative assignment I visited a Chinese cuisine restaurant that is close to my favorite Grocery store called Metro Market. The name of the restaurant is The Emperor of China. The restaurant is located at 1010 E Brady St. Milwaukee, WI 53202. I do not eat Chinese food a lot so I researched Chinese restaurants and picked the one with the best reviews. When I first got there I noticed a lot of cultural art. The building had an Asian Buddha on the top of the roof. The outside of the restaurant was very unique, with a picture of an Asian emperor on the front sign. The neighborhood of the restaurant is more of a residential area of Eastside Milwaukee. The surrounding business are small and locally owned. The area is very friendly and the restaurant has a small outdoor seating area. When I got in the restaurant I was surprisingly greeted by an Asian woman in all black who led me to the cozy dining area to be seated. As I walked through the dining hall I noticed the Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, the elaborate Asian art of the walls, and more Chinese/Asian inspired statues of Buddha’s and gods. There were many four seat tables, pictures of Asian art of the wall and a few Asian statutes. A large oriental décor rug and the tables were covered in nice white line. I felt that the restaurant stayed true to its culture by incorporating all of the Chinese/Asian inspired décor which really made me get the full experience because previous to my visit I had only had Chinese takeout. I asked to speak with the owner so that I could ask him/her some question for my class project, but the owner was not there and the manager was too busy because I went during a high volume time, I was not able to assist me. So instead I periodically threw in question for my waitress to answer. One of the questions I asked was how authentic is the menu? She replied that they do their best to prepare food the same way one would receive it if they went to a restaurant in China or Japan. However she did mention that some of their spices and seasoning are unique to taste and can sometime overpower the food so they try to stick to general spices. I ordered Pow Pow Sha which is shrimp in a spicy sauce with Chinese greens because I do not eat beef or pork.. I attempted to eat my food with chop sticks, but failed miserably and went with a fork. The food was good, but the dining experience was great. I loved the way that they had the menu written in English, but had the Chinese translation on the side. This way they included those who speak both languages. I was told by my waitress that they had the best Mai Thai’s so I indulged in that fruity rum drink. To end my visit I opened my fortune cookie, which said “do not fear the unknown”. Overall I chose to go to a Chinese restaurant because I had never gone to a sit down Chinese restaurant. I am happy that I chose to do so. I didn’t take pictures of the place because I felt somewhat out of place because my boyfriend and I were the only black people and had no idea what to order at first. Overall I am glad I went and I would go again.

I watched the video after my visit to The Emperor of China and it somewhat changed my view on my experience and how authentic the restaurant and food was. Watching the video and reflecting back on the menu the restaurant did have a lot of the items that derived in America but was on the Chinese menu such as General Tso chicken, chop sewie, fortune cookies, incorporating broccoli with their dishes which is all American. I also learned from the video that Chinese food is served on all seven continents which in a way waters down the authenticity of Chinese food. However the decor and feel including the soft oriental music still gave me a feeling of an authentic Chinese restaurant.

For the Alternative assignment I visited a Chinese cuisine restaurant that is close to my favorite Grocery store called Metro Market. The name of the restaurant is The Emperor of China. The restaurant is located at 1010 E Brady St. Milwaukee, WI 53202. I do not eat Chinese food a lot so I researched Chinese restaurants and picked the one with the best reviews. When I first got there I noticed a lot of cultural art. The building had an Asian Buddha on the top of the roof. The outside of the restaurant was very unique, with a picture of an Asian emperor on the front sign. The neighborhood of the restaurant is more of a residential area of Eastside Milwaukee. The surrounding business are small and locally owned. The area is very friendly and the restaurant has a small outdoor seating area. When I got in the restaurant I was surprisingly greeted by an Asian woman in all black who led me to the cozy dining area to be seated. As I walked through the dining hall I noticed the Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling, the elaborate Asian art of the walls, and more Chinese/Asian inspired statues of Buddha’s and gods. There were many four seat tables, pictures of Asian art of the wall and a few Asian statutes. A large oriental décor rug and the tables were covered in nice white line. I felt that the restaurant stayed true to its culture by incorporating all of the Chinese/Asian inspired décor which really made me get the full experience because previous to my visit I had only had Chinese takeout. I asked to speak with the owner so that I could ask him/her some question for my class project, but the owner was not there and the manager was too busy because I went during a high volume time, I was not able to assist me. So instead I periodically threw in question for my waitress to answer. One of the questions I asked was how authentic is the menu? She replied that they do their best to prepare food the same way one would receive it if they went to a restaurant in China or Japan. However she did mention that some of their spices and seasoning are unique to taste and can sometime overpower the food so they try to stick to general spices. I ordered Pow Pow Sha which is shrimp in a spicy sauce with Chinese greens because I do not eat beef or pork.. I attempted to eat my food with chop sticks, but failed miserably and went with a fork. The food was good, but the dining experience was great. I loved the way that they had the menu written in English, but had the Chinese translation on the side. This way they included those who speak both languages. I was told by my waitress that they had the best Mai Thai’s so I indulged in that fruity rum drink. To end my visit I opened my fortune cookie, which said “do not fear the unknown”. Overall I chose to go to a Chinese restaurant because I had never gone to a sit down Chinese restaurant. I am happy that I chose to do so. I didn’t take pictures of the place because I felt somewhat out of place because my boyfriend and I were the only black people and had no idea what to order at first. Overall I am glad I went and I would go again.

I watched the video after my visit to The Emperor of China and it somewhat changed my view on my experience and how authentic the restaurant and food was. Watching the video and reflecting back on the menu the restaurant did have a lot of the items that derived in America but was on the Chinese menu such as General Tso chicken, chop sewie, fortune cookies, incorporating broccoli with their dishes which is all American. I also learned from the video that Chinese food is served on all seven continents which in a way waters down the authenticity of Chinese food. However the décor and feel including the soft oriental music still gave me a feeling of an authentic Chinese restaurant.

 

 

Week 9& 10 Refugee Stories: Vietnamese

I do not know much about the Vietnamese war. I was not taught about it in grade school or high school. So what i did was look up the Vietnam war timeline so that i could have an idea of what took place. It is as follows:
 1858-1884 - France invades Vietnam and makes Vietnam a colony.
October 1930 - Ho Chi Minh helps found the Indochinese Communist Party.
September 1940 - Japan invades Vietnam.
May 1941 - Ho Chi Minh establishes the Viet Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam).
September 2, 1945 - Ho Chi Minh declares an independent Vietnam, called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
January 1950 - The Viet Minh receive military advisors and weapons from China.
July 1950 - The United States pledges $15 million worth of military aid to France to help them fight in Vietnam.
May 7, 1954 - The French suffer a decisive defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
July 21, 1954 - The Geneva Accords creates a cease-fire for the peaceful withdrawal of the French from Vietnam and provides a temporary boundary between North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel.
October 26, 1955 - South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam, with newly elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president.
December 20, 1960 - The National Liberation Front (NLF), also called the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam.
November 2, 1963 - South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup.
August 2 and 4, 1964 - North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident).
August 7, 1964 - In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
March 2, 1965 - A sustained U.S. aerial bombing campaign of North Vietnam begins (Operation Rolling Thunder).
March 8, 1965 - The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam.
January 30, 1968 - The North Vietnamese join forces with the Viet Cong to launch the Tet Offensive, attacking approximately one hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns.
March 16, 1968 - U.S. soldiers kill hundreds of Vietnamese civilians in the town of Mai Lai.
July 1968 - General William Westmoreland, who had been in charge of the U.S. troops in Vietnam, is replaced by General Creighton Abrams.
December 1968 - U.S. troops in Vietnam reaches 540,000.
July 1969 - President Nixon orders the first of many U.S. troop withdrawals from Vietnam.
September 3, 1969 - Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh dies at age 79.
November 13, 1969 - The American public learns of the Mai Lai massacre.
April 30, 1970 - President Nixon announces that U.S. troops will attack enemy locations in Cambodia. This news sparks nationwide protests, especially on college campuses.
June 13, 1971 - Portions of the Pentagon Papers are published in The New York Times.
March 1972 - The North Vietnamese cross the demilitarized zone (DMZ) at the 17th parallel to attack South Vietnam in what became known as the Easter Offensive.
January 27, 1973 - The Paris Peace Accords are signed that provide a cease-fire.
March 29, 1973 - The last U.S. troops are withdrawn from Vietnam.
March 1975 - North Vietnam launches a massive assault on South Vietnam.
April 30, 1975 - South Vietnam surrenders to the communists.
July 2, 1976 - Vietnam is unified as a communist country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
November 13, 1982 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. is dedicated.

The book Vietnamerica paints a picture of the war and how Trans family dealt with the violence and separation resulting from the war. I think the title is a connection between Tran's culture that he grew up without, and later experienced when he went back to Vietnam after his grandparents death. Although Tran is Vietnamese he grew up in America which shaped a lot of the culture that he adapts now. However the two countries names joined together represents both of his worlds as they abundance or lack of both countries shaped the person he is.

1. What responsibility does VIETNAMERICA suggest we have to history, whether that history is personal, ethnic, or national?  Why is it important to understand the different histories in our lives?  Why is it worth doing, even if they are inconsistent or incomplete? I think the story Vietnamerica suggest that “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” That in order to find out who you are, where you going in life, and what you want, then you must understand where you come from. Tran never cared about his parents migration from Vietnam to America, therefore he could never understand their passion in life to want better for their family. Trans parents realized that they had survived what many do not. The book shows how a persons history tells a story behind who they are. After Tran realized the seriousness of the war in Vietnam and how in America his family was still fighting it helped guide him to know who he was. I think to be able to be a person who makes change in the world or has something valid to offer society must first know they own story before they can understand another persons journey.