That's why stores in Pittsburgh play Singapore's national anthem.

Last August, a video from Pittsburgh went moderately viral when it recorded an Asian grocery in the Strip District playing Singapore's national anthem. A video from Panda Supermarket last week shows the same thing:



The simple answer, then and now, is that grocery stores use streaming Singaporean radio stations for their in-store music. In the case of Panda, it's YES 933 FM. The video from Panda was taken around 6:00 pm; YES 933 FM plays the national anthem at the start of its 6:00 am program.

"The Making Of Asian Americans And Apia Activism," May 15 (online) at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Global Hub and Asian Studies Center will present "The Making Of Asian Americans And Apia Activism" online on May 15.

The Pitt Global Hub and Asian Studies Center present #PittAPAHM: The Making of ASIAN AMERICANS and APIA Activism, the second event in our programmatic series in honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

This panel discussion will feature Donald Young, Director of Programs at the Center for Asian American Media and producer of the PBS documentary series, ASIAN AMERICANS; Nobuko Miyamoto, singer/songwriter, theater artist, and troubadour in the 1970s Asian American movement who co-created one of the first albums of Asian American songs; and Corky Lee, photographer who photographed the Asian American movement and continues to document the daily lives of APIA folx.
Christina Ong, PhD student in the Department of Sociology will moderate the discussion.

Register here: https://pitt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMkd-mtrTwoHtyYGwqB1gD6Mz-bleLz8WRf

The event runs from 5:00 to 9:00 pm.

Andrew Ahn film Driveways, starring Brian Dennehy and Hong Chau, continues online via Tull Family Theater through May 17.

The Tull Family Theater will continue to show the 2019 film Driveways through May 17, with the Sewickley theater receiving a share of sales. A synopsis from the distributor:

Kathy (Golden Globe® Nominee Hong Chau), a single mother, travels with her shy eight-year-old son Cody (newcomer Lucas Jaye) to Kathy's late sister's house which they plan to clean and sell. As Kathy realizes how little she knew about her sister, Cody develops an unlikely friendship with Del (Golden Globe®, Tony® winner and acting legend Brian Dennehy), the Korean War vet and widower who lives next door. Over the course of a summer, and with Del's encouragement, Cody develops the courage to come out of his shell and, along with his mother, finds a new place to call home.

Tickets are available online for $12.

Live origami workshops for kids, part of online Children's Theater Festival, May 17.

An online version of the cancelled Children's Theater Festival will present origami workshops with Kuniko Yamamoto on May 17.

Kuniko Yamamoto is an origami master! In this video you will become an origami master too! You will see how origami--the art of paper folding-transforms paper into the shape of flowers and animals such as a panda, an elephant, a puppy, a cat, a daisy, or a rose. Anything is possible with origami including reaching for the stars! NASA and universities are incorporating origami with today's technology and changing the world. Kuniko will share her origami and storytelling, and together, you will fold a few simple origami models.

Materials needed:

Paper: 5 sheets of notebook paper or letter size (8 1/2 x 11), or origami paper Printer to print advance instructions.
This content was created specifically for the EQT Children's Theater Festival. Visit the artist's website to learn more about their work!

There is a live workshop for kids aged 5 to 7 from 11:00 am and a workshop for kids 8 and up from 1:00 pm. Registration is required to attend.

Sumi's Cakery reopens for pick-up orders.

Sumi's Cakery, a Korean bakery in Squirrel Hill, as reopened for pick-up orders after temporarily closing due to the public health crisis. Says the new sign on the door:

Mask Required!
Max. 2 customers.
Please DO NOT touch pastries!
Kindly let us know and We will get them for you!  Thank you

Sumi's Cakery is located at 2119 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill (map). It is open 11:00 am to 7:00 pm Tuesday through Friday, 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Saturdays, and 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Sundays.

2016 Korean film Train to Busan (부산행) watch party with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, May 13.

The next Wednesday Watch Party with Pitt's Asian Studies Center is the 2016 film Train to Busan (부산행) on May 13. From the Korean Movie Database:

A mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency! As an unidentified virus sweeps the country, Korean government declares martial law. Those on an express train to Busan, a city that has successfully fended off the viral outbreak, must fight for their own survival… 453 km from Seoul to Busan. The struggle to survive by those who have others to protect! Get on board to stay alive!

Those interested should register online and should have Netflix and the Netflix Party Google Chrome Extension.

Pittsburgh-based WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) hiring bilingual Chinese-English Education Sales Consultant (留学销售顾问).

Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement firm WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has announced an opening for a bilingual Mandarin-English Education Sales Consultant (留学销售顾问).

The Sound of (Japanese) Music with Pitt's National Consortium for Teaching About Asia, from May 14.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania shares news of an upcoming online series on The Sound of (Japanese) Music from May 14.

Join us for “The Sound of (Japanese) Music,” a series of presentations and demos by four Japanese music ethnomusicologists. Designed to take you to a deeper level of understanding of traditional Japanese music, these presentations expand your knowledge of Japanese history and culture, including modern music innovations. You will learn about the evolving traditions of the koto, shakuhachi, shamisen and the recent development of taiko drumming. Some presentations will be recorded for your use later with your students. All sessions will be held through Zoom. Registration Required: Please click here to register.

The series consists of:

Koto: Its Music and Musicians, Yesterday and Today
Thursday, May 14, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. ET (5:00-6:30 CT)
Dr. Anne Prescott, Director, Five College Center for East Asian Studies

The World in a Single Sound - the Shakuhachi, its History, and its Music
Thursday, May 21, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. ET (5:00-6:30 CT)
Devon Osamu Tipp, PhD Candidate in Music Theory/Composition, University of Pittsburgh

Strings Revolution: History and Music of Shamisen and Geisha
Thursday, June 11, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. ET (5:00-6:30 CT)
Dr. Yuko Eguchi Wright, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Pittsburgh

Taiko: Tradition as a Basis for Innovation
Thursday, June 18, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. ET (5:00-6:30 CT)
Dr. Benjamin Pachter, Executive Director, Japan-America Society of Central Ohio

Registration is required and can be completed online.

Oakland's Spice Island Tea House to reopen for pick-up, from May 8.

After temporarily closing on March 21, Oakland's Spice Island Tea House will reopen for pick-up orders on May 8.

After a month’s hiatus we are offering take-outs again except this time it’s online only! It’ll be a limited hours and menu items so if you don’t see your favorite dish, worry not! We will be adding items as we get back into the groove in this crazy new world. Check out what we have on the website.

Orders can be placed online via their website.
Spice Island Tea House is located at 253 Atwood St. in Oakland (map).

Bringing "A Touch of Orient to the region": When Pittsburgh almost built an "Asia on the Allegheny."

From a February 20, 1989 Pittsburgh Press article.

In the mid- to late-1980s, Pittsburgh was entertaining plans to build an "Asian Trade Center" on the North Shore, part of a redevelopment effort that would soon bring the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Science Center to the area. Initial plans for the Asian Trade Center in 1985 were focused on Union Station, the former train station on Liberty Avenue now The Pennsylvanian apartments. By 1988 and 1989, the plan was to construct apartments, hotels, and Asian retail in the blocks between on what is now the site of the Morgan at North Shore Apartments.