Susan Choi, Ocean Vuong among those scheduled to speak in Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures Series in 2020-2021.

The 2020-2021 Ten Evenings schedule was recently announced and it includes authors Susan Choi and Ocean Vuong.

Squirrel Hill's Chengdu Gourmet temporarily closes.

Chengdu Gourmet in Squirrel Hill has temporarily closed. "Take care and stay safe" says a sign on the window. For part of this public health crisis the restaurant was open for take-out orders. Located at 5840 Forward Ave. (map), Chengdu Gourmet is routinely named among the best Chinese restaurants in the city, and in February its chef, Wei Zhu, was again a semi-finalist for a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic.

2018 Chinese-Japanese film Flavors of Youth (肆式青春, 詩季織々) with Pitt's Online: Screenshot Asia, April 7.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center's online iteration of its Screenshot: Asia programming festival is hosting a virtual viewing party of the 2018 animted Chinese-Japanese film Flavors of Youth (肆式青春, 詩季織々) on April 7:

Join us and the Asian Studies Center on Zoom to watch Flavors of Youth with the Google Chrome extension, Netflix Party!

To register for the event, please go to https://pitt.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rEJR55KqTOyyDv57KChBNQ.

*Note: You must have a Netflix account and have downloaded the Netflix Party Chrome Extension. To download, go to this link (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/netflix-party/oocalimimngaihdkbihfgmpkcpnmlaoa?hl=en)

Shadyside's Tokyo Japanese Store changes hours, limits number of shoppers.

In response to the current public health crisis, Tokyo Japanese Store in Shadyside has limited its hours of operation and the number of shoppers permitted in the store at one time. In an email sent to a local Japanese mailing list, the owner says store hours are now, through April 30 at least, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm every day but Monday, with the number of shoppers permitted in the store now reduced to five. The owner also encourages people to visit the store's homepage for the latest information, as information on Google and Yelp has not been updated.

The Japanese grocery store is located at the corner of Ellsworth and College Avenues in Shadyside (map).

Remote Chinese Language & Culture Club Meeting at Pitt, April 6 and 15.

Chinese Dim Sum, by Lezlie (Creative Commons)

The weekly meetings of the Chinese Language & Culture Club Meeting at Pitt are now online and will meet remotely on April 6 and 15. They are open to the Pitt community and those interested should contact Jennifer Wallace (jlw200@pitt.edu) and Bei Cheng (beicheng@pitt.edu) with specific questions.

1985 North Korean monster film Pulgasari (불가사리) with Pitt's Online:Screenshot, April 10.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center and Screenshot: Asia festival will present an online screening of the North Korean monster film Pulgasari (불가사리) on April 10.

Pulgasari (1985) is a North Korean dark fantasy film about a selfish king’s attempt to foil the working class’ plan to overthrow him from power. Built by a blacksmith, the tiny Pulgasari only becomes alive and grows after eating the blacksmith daughter’s blood and an assortment of tools. The monster soon earns a vital role in the battle between the working class and the king and his royal army. For those looking for something to do during this time of social distancing, SCREENSHOT: ASIA will be offering a free online screening of Pulgasari with an introduction by Pitt professor Mark Best.

Please join us on Friday, April 10th at 3 PM on Zoom (online). To register, please visit https://pitt.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LZ4s6anrSjW53dN3udXOLg.

Screenshot: Asia is a forthcoming Asian film festival scheduled in Pittsburgh for Fall 2020.

Online ordering from Strip District's Lotus Food.

Lotus Food, a large Asian grocery store in the Strip District, is, offering online orders for pick-up, like other Asian stores in the area.

Customers first create an account and login; the store offers a Chinese or English version of the site. You then browse the site and add items to the cart. Upon checkout you will be prompted to enter your cell phone. After paying you will then receive notification when the order is ready to pick up. Please note that some items may be on back order due to high customer demand.

Lotus does typically offer delivery, but that is currently unavailable due to the current public health crisis.

Many More Asian Market remains open for pick-up orders.

Many More Asian Market, at the northern end of the Strip District (map), remains open for pick-up orders. They do not have a website or an online ordering mechanism, and their latest Facebook post both welcomes customers and asks their patience:

So we have been locking our door and only doing store pick up for awhile now... it’s the only way we can make sure our staff are well protected and let them feel comfortable to continue to work with us during tough time like this....it was a tough decision since we do not have a website, nor a catalog, nor some sort of picture to show our customer..... it breaks my heart to see our customers walk away because they think that we would not understand what they’re looking for.... don’t feel shy, don’t be afraid to ask questions! Don’t be afraid to write down “ white round sticky things that gummy and tasted very good” or say something like “ that noodle that is yellow and round and thin and curly” ... we WILL found it, we DO understand! We CAN try at least! It might took 30-40 minutes for us to pack it up for you since we have a HIGH volume for pick up order almost everyday, and we are WAY under staff.... but we really hope that we can continue to serve our customers that have been with us all these years!

Oakland's Oishii Bento, Chick n' Bubbly temporarily close.

Oakland's Oishii Bento and Chick n' Bubbly switched to take-out and delivery orders on March 16 in response to COVID-19, and announced today that they will temporarily close until further notice for the safety of staff and the community.

Sakura in North Park.

via @PghSakuraProject

The Pittsburgh Sakura Project estimates the peak viewing season for some of its cherry blossom trees in North Park is now through April 5. The group typically organizes a hanami viewing festival around this time each spring, and reminds people to practice safe social distancing this year. Here is what the group forecast on the 29th:

CHERRY BLOSSOM VIEWING FORECAST
With two warnings:
1. Keep your healthy social distance from others while enjoying the blossoms
2. The ground is currently very wet and muddy, so wear the right footwear, and plan to use a picnic table if you're going to eat.
The "peak" is rolling, since the various groves (types) of cherry trees reach their peaks at different times. It's already nice, and most trees will be in full blossom between next Sunday (4/5) for about one to two weeks. This may change due to weather.
桜の見頃は4月に入って5日以降と思われます。