Linda Fang at 2012 Three Rivers Storytelling Festival, August 11.

Northland Public Library in McCandless township (map) will host the 2012 Three Rivers Storytelling Festival on August 10 and 11, which will include China's Linda Fang on Saturday. The McKnight Journal has a profile:

Kimbap, tteokbokki cooking class at Dasonii, August 26.

Dasonii Korean Bistro in Robinson township (map) will hold its monthly Korean cooking class on Sunday, August 26, at 12 pm.

It is only $15.00 per person. We are going to have Ddukbogi and Gimbap for lunch and you will take home Gimbap for your family or your dinnner. Please call us or write e-mail to me. We had 17 people were attanded on last Kimchi class. Class will be limited to 20 people.

Previous cooking classes include kimchi, naengmyeon, mandu, and bibimbap. As I said last month, the "cooking" is a bit of a misnomer, as it's more of an introduction to and preparation of certain Korean dishes because many of the ingredients are already cooked, mixed, and ready. Nonetheless it's a great start-up social club in a city that doesn't have too many, and the owners of Dasonii have been generous enough to open their restaurant on Sundays to accommodate it.

Also rare in Pittsburgh is a kimbap + tteokbokki combo for $15 or less, a set that would cost about $2.50 in Korea. Dasonii and Green Pepper each charge $10 for their tteokbokki, and kimbap goes for as much as $8 or $9 around town.

Documentary Nuclear Savage: The Islands of Secret Project 4.1, August 5, and 2012 Shadow Project remembering Hiroshima.

The Melwood Screening Room in Oakland (map) will show the 2011 documentary Nuclear Savage: The Islands of Secret Project 4.1M on Sunday, August 5, at 6:00 pm. A Huffington Post review summarizes:

Nuclear Savage is the story of what we did to the Marshall Islanders throughout the Cold War with our nuclear testing program. Not only did we expose many thousands of them to ghastly -- often lethal -- levels of radiation with 67 nuclear blasts, with glaring evidence that at least some of the exposure was intentional, done for the purpose of studying the effects of radiation on human guinea pigs; not only did we wreck the Marshall Islanders' way of life and pristine paradise, creating a nation of internal refugees confined to a Western-style slum on the island of Ebeye; not only did we cower, as a nation, from any real responsibility for what our fallout did to these people, settling our genocidal debt to them with $150 million "for all claims, past, present and future"; but also, throughout our dealing with them as nuclear conquistadors, we displayed a racism so profound, so cold-blooded, its exposure must forever shatter the myth of American exceptionalism.

The screening, says the website,

will be preceded by shadow-making and followed by live exchange via skype with peace activists from Kobe, Japan.

One of the co-sponsors of the evening is the local Remembering Hiroshima Pittsburgh group, which will organize shadow-making around the city leading up to the August 6th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Not shadow puppets, as I first read it, but chalk outlines to represent the casualties of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings and the effect a nuclear blast has on the people it instantly vaporizes.


Hamilton, ON, 2011, via The Hamilton Spectator.

In previous autumns (2009, 2011) Pittsburgh has held a lot of other pacifist events to mark the bombings, although no details are out yet about 2012 (summers are very slow at local universities). These programs are small but very encouraging, as the US does not currently have a significant peace movement, or an appetite for honest reflection about its fascination with war. More troubling is how unpopular and even dangerous it is to speak out against war, current militaristic attitudes, or banal militarism in "for the troops" marketing and public rhetoric that honor those who continue to shape the world with weapons.

McKeesport International Village Festival, August 14 - 16th.

The 53rd annual McKeesport International Village Festival will take place from August 14th through 16th, in the city slightly southeast of Pittsburgh. The festival's Facebook page has some information about what to expect:

Did you know that this year's festival is poised to be better than ever? It's true! Festival organizers are in the process of enhancing the annual three day ethnic celebration so that it will reflect more of its cultural roots. Games, slides and other carnival-type attractions are being downplayed this year. In addition, those in attendance will now have access to a brand new series of educational demonstrations that focus on heritage and traditions of the different nationalities. This is definitely one summer event that you and your family won't want to miss.

And the festival's website says:

Each year, you’ll find more than a dozen booths selling freshly-made ethnic foods from around the world, continuous live entertainment, live music for dancing, crafts, community information and games. New this year are short educational sessions about world cultures, presented by the same organizations whose food booths—each representing a different nationality or culture—have been a Pittsburgh-area tradition for more than a half-century.

International Village is entirely run by volunteers, including many of the ethnic churches, temples and social organizations in the McKeesport region. It annually draws more than 20,000 people to McKeesport’s historic Renziehausen Park, home to many other attractions, including an extensive walking/fitness trail, a heritage museum and Pennsylvania’s second-largest rose garden.

Admission is $2, not including food, and the festival will be held at Renzie Park (map). Several Pittsburgh buses go to McKeesport (60, 61C, P76, for example), but it's still a hike from the bus stops to the park.

Strangely, the festival's poster shows a North Korean flag.



Though Korean isn't listed among the participating cultures on the festival's website, presumably all of the Koreans visiting will be from South Korea. It would be interesting to show a little about the culture of North Korea, but the poster would be more representative of the region's Koreans if it depicted the southern flag. While Korean visitors next month probably won't pitch a fit like that seen a few days ago at the Olympics over the wrong Korean flag, it's a careless mistake that will, at least, make people scratch their heads. I'm no graphic designer, but here's a quick fix that's on the right track:

3D-origami class at Carnegie Library Oakland, August 7.

The Carnegie Library of Oakland will host a 3D origami class on August 7th, as a Hands-on Workshop.

Join us for HOW, a series of hands-on workshops for adults and teens. Learn from skilled craftspeople. Dig in and try things out in a creative, supportive environment. Join us for one or all of these free programs. Materials provided.

Sasha’s unique 3D origami arts are far more ornate than traditional origami pieces and make great looking decorations.

Registration is required, and you can do so on the event's listing at the library website. That library has origami classes periodically, and will have more on Saturday, August 18th: a beginners' class at noon, an advanced class at 1:30, and a kids' class at 4:30. Browse the CLP events page for details on these and other upcoming activities.

Kimchi class at Dasonii Korean Bistro, July 29th.

The meetup.com Korean Language Study Group will meet on Sunday at Dasonii Korean Bistro in Robinson Township (map) for another Korean cooking class, this time making kimchi.

Kimchi is one of most famous Korean traditional food and we'll learn how to prepare and make kimchi during the class this day.
. . .
The cost of this class is $20 and it includes the class, 1/2 gallon Kimchi and Kimchi Chigae lunch.

There is limited space available---earlier there was a waiting list, and now there is one spot open---and you'll need to RSVP on the meetup.com page. Past events included mandu (dumplings) and bibimbap, although the "cooking" is a bit of a misnomer, as it's more of an introduction to and preparation of certain Korean dishes. Nonetheless it's a great start-up social club in Pittsburgh, and the owners of Dasonii have been generous enough to open their restaurant on Sundays to accommodate it.

Gwangju students visit Pittsburgh.

Via the GPLC GNUE Summer Institute Facebook page.

Twenty students from the Gwangju National University of Education are currently in Pittsburgh as part of a training and cultural-immersion program assisted by the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council. As the Gwangju Ilbo reported on Tuesday (copied entirely from a university press release):

광주교육대학교(총장 박남기)의 는 초등학교 예비교사 80명이 여름방학을 이용해 미국 캘리포니아와 뉴욕에 소재한 대학교, 그리고 말레이시아와 베트남 교육대학교에서 약 1개월 동안 세계문화와 학교교육, 그리고 영어연수 프로그램에 참여한다.

지난 2009년 겨울방학부터 광주교대와 미국의 대학교가 함께 마련한 미국문화와 학교교육, 영어연수 프로그램은 8월 7일까지 약 1개월 동안 미국 캘리포니아주립대학교와 롱아일랜드대학교, 그리고 피츠버그 언어교육기관에서 진행된다.

To summarize, 80 elementary education students from Gwangju National University of Education are spending their summer breaks participating in month-long training programs in California and New York, and in education universities in Malaysia and Vietnam, to learn about world culture, methodology, and to undergo English-language training. The press release, titled "초등학교 예비교사 글로벌시대 준비한다" (Elementary education teachers preparing for global era") and not directly linkable, continues:

또한 미국 피츠버그 언어교육기관에서는 오전 영어교과 수업을 비롯해 학교 기숙사가 아닌 홈스테이를 통한 미국사회의 다양한 직업세계와 세계 각국의 문화를 직접 체험하게 된다.

If you can read Korean and if you can view Hansoft Word Processor files---two big ifs---you can look through the reports written by previous' years' participants.


Thank you, Geun-ae.

Overseas training programs are a regular part of university education programs in South Korea, and veteran English teachers routinely undergo intensive training programs both in and out of the country. It's just not every day that they come to Pittsburgh. And it's not every year that they can root for the Pirates. I'd like to see the mainstream media pay attention to this and other educational and cultural exchanges that occur in the city, for this is really how relationships across borders are built. But I guess if it doesn't have UPMC, PNC, or Dollar Bank sponsorship in this town, it doesn't exist.

WVU reaches out to Asia.

In Malaysia in 2010, via WVU Today.

The Charleston Daily Mail has news out of Morgantown about five West Virginia University representatives currently on a recruiting trip to Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia:

Vietnamese restaurant "Miss Saigon88 Cafe" coming to Oakland.

Pittsburgh is getting a new Vietnamese restaurant, on 256 N. Craig St. in North Oakland (map). The area a few blocks south, in and around the University of Pittsburgh, already has a ton of Asian fast food places, but nothing Vietnamese. This location is the little sister of Saigon 88, a pan-Asian restaurant in the South Hills (menu) that will operate the new cafe.

Based on the awning, it looks to have a lot of bases covered with "Pho Noodles Soup & Sushi Bar * Vietnamese * Japanese * Chinese * Thai". If it's a place to get a decent Vietnamese hoagie in the area, I just might have to rent the 2nd floor apartment.


The exterior on July 19th.

Signs first went up a few weeks ago, but there is still a good deal of work to be done in the interior of what used to be a popular bar and sandwich place that closed last year. The inside is still under construction, but I estimate it should be ready for the fall term.

"Sullivan and Son", bicultural Ko-Am sitcom set in Pittsburgh, premiers tonight.

Two Korean flags, a Steeler's football, and a WDVE sticker. Via SullivanandSonTBS on Youtube.

Most television shows are at best just placeholders for advertisements, but given the focus of this site it's probably worth mentioning that "Sullivan and Son" premiers tonight at 10 pm on TBS. It's a sitcom set in Pittsburgh, starring Korean-American and native Pittsburgher Steve Byrne, with the dad from "Wonder Years" and Korean-American actress Jodi Long as his parents. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a preview over the weekend. I won't pretend to be interested in the details, but the last paragraph caught my eye:

"Sullivan & Son" makes a game effort to get regional details right and mostly succeeds with a WDVE sticker on the jukebox, characters clad in Penguins gear and even an accurate Allegheny County Health Department logo in episode two. But the miscues also stand out, like when a cop refers to "the 79," inspired, no doubt by Southern Californians' tendency to put "the" before any Interstate number ("the 405," "the 10," etc.).

One way to stay engaged in dull shows and movies is to spot the inaccuracies and anachronisms. One common error, for example, is that pieces set decades ago often slip up and use modern money.


In 2008's 님은먼곳에, set in Vietnam in 1971, he's trying to bribe a driver with a five-dollar bill printed in 2001.

And what made the 2007 show "The Kill Point" tough to watch, other than the plot and the actors, was that nobody had a Pittsburgh accent in a show shot and set in downtown Pittsburgh. A quick look around "Sullivan show's YouTube channel doesn't reveal any authentic accents here, either. It doesn't look terribly interesting or funny, either, but at least it's better than "K-town", the web-only Koreatown version of "Jersey Shore".