Pitt purchases "Love Tea" building in Oakland; eventual fate of cafe unknown.

The University of Pittsburgh's University Times reports today the school purchased 229 Atwood St., currently home to Love Tea, in December for $2.1 million.

"The university is currently reviewing options for future potential development at this location," a Pitt spokesman said.

The former office supplies store was first Love Yogurt, then Love Ramen, and as of September 2019, Love Tea. In its own way it's been a bellwether of dining trends, as first a frozen yogurt chain, then a build-your-own noodle bar, and finally a bubble tea place.

As the Pittsburgh Business Times source article notes, the university's master plan involves building student housing in the area currently occupied by it and Bouquet Gardens.

"'Authors and Anecdotes' Book Club: Featuring Caroline Kim," February 11 at Pitt.

via @carolinewriting

The University of Pittsburgh will present "'Authors and Anecdotes' Book Club: Featuring Caroline Kim" on February 11.

Join this week's featured author, Caroline Kim, the 2020 Drue Heinz Literary Prize winner for our featured book, The Prince of Mournful Thoughts and Other Stories.

Exploring what it means to be human through the Korean diaspora, Caroline Kim’s stories feature many voices. With humor, insight, and curiosity, Kim’s wide-ranging stories explore themes of culture, communication, travel, and family. Ultimately, what unites these characters in the book across time and distance is their longing for human connection and a search for the place—or people—that will feel like home.

Click HERE to be directed to the University of Pittsburgh Press website to learn more about The Prince of Moral Thoughts and Other Stories. Purchasing options for the book is available on this site, and it can also be purchased at any independent bookstore of your choice. (While we encourage you to read the books ahead of time it is not a requirement to participate in the series.)

Join our special guest host, Chloe Wertz, Publicist at the University of Pittsburgh Press, as we not only discuss her book, but also dive into Kim's personal literature collection, her favorite readings, and participate in a live Q&A!

5 random attendees to this book club session will receive a free copy of The Prince of Moral Thoughts and Other Stories, courtesy of the University of Pittsburgh Press!

The event starts at 12:00 pm and is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

1957 film Sumpah Pontianak online with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, February 3.

The University of Pittsburgh's Asian Studies Center will present the 1957 film Sumpah Pontianak on February 3 as part of its Pontianak Film Series.

Third in the series of schlocky films from the 50s. The first Pontianak film appeared in 1957 Singaporean Malay horror film directed by Indian film director B.N. Rao starring Maria Menado and M. Amin. Based on the Malay folktales of a blood-sucking ghost born from a woman who dies in childbirth. The smash hit premiered on 27 April 1957 and screened for almost three months at the local Cathay cinemas. Its success spawned two other sequels, Dendam Pontianak (Revenge of the Pontianak, 1957) and Sumpah Pontianak (Curse of the Pontianak, 1958). It is also said to have launched the Pontianak genre in Singapore and Malaysia, with rival Shaw producing its own Pontianak trilogy and several movies of the same genre were also made in Malaysia.

The movie starts on Vimeo at 7:00 pm, though registration information is not yet available.

2020 Goro Miyazaki film Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女) in Pittsburgh, February 3 and 4.

The 2020 Goro Miyazaki film Earwig and the Witch (アーヤと魔女) will play in Pittsburgh-area theaters on February 3 and 4. A synopsis, from the distributor:

Growing up in an orphanage in the British countryside, Earwig has no idea that her mother had magical powers. Her life changes dramatically when a strange couple takes her in, and she is forced to live with a selfish witch. As the headstrong young girl sets out to uncover the secrets of her new guardians, she discovers a world of spells and potions, and a mysterious song that may be the key to finding the family she has always wanted.

It is currently scheduled to play at the Cinemark theaters in Monroeville and North Hills, with tickets available online via Fandango. The February 3 shows are dubbed in English while the February 4 shows are in Japanese with English subtitles.

Fantuan / Just Order Enterprises Corp. (饭团) hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Developer.

Fantuan, a delivery service catering to Asian restaurants and groceries that expanded to Pittsburgh over the summer, is again hiring Mandarin-speaking Business Developers.

Full Job Description

Fantuan was founded in Vancouver, Canada in 2014. With a mission of “life made easier,” the company is a one-stop platform providing food delivery (Fantuan Delivery), reviews (Fantuan Reviews), an errand service (Fantuan Rush), e-commerce and marketing services. Fantuan is one of the top Asian life-services platforms in North America, currently operating across Vancouver, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and other metropolitan areas in Canada and the US.

Responsibilities

• Actively develop business partners and maintain relationships with existing businesses
• Correctly instruct customers to register, install and use merchant app
• Responsible for the offline promotions
• Complete specified monthly tasks on time

Matcha-flavored popcorn with Row House Cinema, March 11.

Matcha Popcorn is available for pre-order through Row House Cinema:

Ah remember the days when we thought the 2021 Japanese Film Fest would happen. Crazy times! Instead, we'll be celebrating with some Japanese-inspired popcorn made with Steel City Salt Company's Matcha Salt.

"In Conversation Online: Dawoud Bey and An-My Lê," January 16 with Carnegie Museum of Art.

via anmyle.com.

The Carneige Museum of Art will present "In Conversation Online: Dawoud Bey and An-My Lê" online on January 16 in the final weekend of Lê's exhibition On Contested Terrain.

Join artists Dawoud Bey and An-My Lê for a conversation on the occasion of the closing weekend of the exhibition An-My Lê: On Contested Terrain.

Both artists work with scale, representation, memory, lived experience, and the traces of history in landscape. The recent turn to this subject in Bey's work connects with Lê's longstanding interest in the genre and reunites these MacArthur Fellows more than 25 years after their graduation from the MFA program at Yale University in 1993. Learn about where their careers have traveled since that time and what they have in store for the future.

The online event runs from 12:00 to 1:10 pm and is priced at pay-what-you-wish. Registration can be completed online.

Oriental Market moving up the road to Old McKnight Road and the former David's Bridal.

Work is underway on Old McKnight Road in the North Hills on a new location for Oriental Market, an Asian grocery that operated a little further south on McKnight Road since 2011. A reader sends this photo of this building at 7300 Old McKnight Road (map), which used to house David's Bridal.

Pittsburgh-based WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) hiring bilingual Mandarin-English Education Sales Consultants.

Pittsburgh-based Chinese education consulting and placement firm WholeRen Education (美国厚仁教育集团) has announced openings for Mandarin-speaking Education Sales Consultants.

Ineffable Cà Phê owner and family opening Phat's bar in Oakland this month.

via @phats418

Phat's is scheduled to open on Semple St. in Oakland on January 21, 2021. It's located at 418 Semple in the spot formerly occupied by Panther House Bar & Grill. It will be owned and run by the family behind Ineffable Cà Phê, a Vietnamese cafe that opened in Lawrenceville in 2017.