EVENTS BY THE BAY
Association of Chinese Cooking Teachers (ACCT) opened up the Chinese New Year with an action filled evening of fine food with guest speakers, cooking demos and plentiful gifts for all. Guests to Oakland’s Peony Restaurant were greeted with colorful red bags filled with recipe books and stuffed animals, candies and of course, red lai see envelopes at their seats.
Featured speakers Nona Wyman, Rhoda Wing and Jean Chew, shared their childhood experiences living at the Ming Quong Home for girls. Sydnie Seid continued the event speaking of Chinese dining traditions and cultural etiquette. Chef Raymond Tang, former owner of Aromas Restaurant, demonstrated the making of a Chinese fruit and vegetable salad which was enjoyed by all. Tane Chan gifted the guests with Chinese ceramic mugs emblazoned with the dragon design, and President Doris Lum delighted the audience of 150 guests with a table full of door prizes for lucky winners. Among the happy gourmet lovers of good food, who probably like eating better than being Chinese cooking teachers were Paul and Agnes Lam, Gloria Gee, Aaron and Maelene Wong, Al Low, Ginger Lai, Beverly Wu, Robin Jangs, Hank Quock, Frank Jang, Karen Dea, Esther Fong, and Don Lee.
Palo Alto Players did themselves proud with the Bay Area Premiere of “Give Em Hell, Harry,” a one man show about former President Harry Truman. Peter Vilkin’s Harry is very believable, although his tall frame is not like Truman’s stocky build, and he earned a well-deserved standing ovation the night I attended. Palo Alto Players is a local stage company that should be proud of this fourth showing in its 81st season, which it has aptly named, “Expect the Unexpected.” Coming next will be their productions of “Annie” in April and “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” in June. paplayers.org.
Another fine Silicon Valley theater company is TheatreWorks, which stages its plays in Palo Alto and Mountain View. Its current show, “The Pitmen Painters” is the true story of the Ashington Group, a hardscrabble group of 1930s miners who attend an art class because that was the only one offered in their small town, and end up becoming sensations in the British art world for their own creations. It’s filled with hilarious smart human banter among cronies, by an expert cast. TheatreWorks, as per tradition, has come up with another winner so go see it before it closes February 12. Next production will be the West Coast Premiere of an off-beat comedy “Now Circa Then.” theatreworks.org.
Fans of Cirque Du Soleil will be happy to hear it will bring its “Totem” production to San Jose March 2. The Big Top production was a huge success during its recent San Francisco run, and among the top notch cast of entertainers is a local performer from San Mateo, Asian American Umi Miya, who plays one of the frogs in the show. Other Asian entertainers will be the cleverly agile unicycle girls. Since the day in 1984 when a group of 20 street performers went on stage, Cirque du Soleil has brought wonders of delight to more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities on five continents.
Be sure to plan on getting under the Blue and yellow Grand Chapiteau in San Jose during this limited engagement. Tickets: cirquedusoleil.com/totem or by phone (800) 450-1480.
For you families out there who want to celebrate Chinese New Year together, February 11 is the day. At 3 p.m. you can go to Louise Davies Hall where the San Francisco Symphony is offering an hour of lion dancing, children’s activities, dim sum snacks, fortune telling and much hoopla celebration before 4 p.m. when everyone enters the concert hall for a program of Chinese music performed by the San Francisco Symphony orchestra under the direction of Carolyn Kuan. Following the program, lucky sponsors and guests will cross the street to City Hall to enjoy a sumptuous banquet at this popular sold-out soiree which concludes the Symphony’s day long New Years celebration.
The day’s celebration event finishes another year where the SFS is honoring the Chinese New Year holiday with a fine program as it has done for the past decade under fine community volunteer leaders as Yuri Pascarella, Margaret Liu Collins, Jessa Wu, and this year’s chairwomen Sharon Seto and Iris Chen. Congratulations to all for a fine program where all proceeds go to promote music education in our Bay Area schools.
The popular Chinese New Year parade will bring lions, dragons and firecrackers through downtown San Francisco that same night of February 11, so the City will really be hopping with new year festivities that night. The Year of the Dragon is always a popular one which brings prosperity and peace, and to expectant mothers, strong and intelligent babies! Gung Hay!
For another fun night on the town in San Francisco, the smash hit ABBA musical “Mama Mia” comes to the Orpheum opening February 22. Fun for all ages, this is an old favorite of lively music, and thanks to SHN for bringing it back to San Francisco.
MORE ON THE MIRACLE OF MAUI
Last month I shared some of the adventures I had on Maui, but there were more wonderful memories that I didn’t have room for, so let me tell you more of what to do in this sleepy slower moving island. Many visitors to the island say that Ka’anapali is where the action is, and with 5 hotels in the area, you can bet there are people everywhere. The 759-room Westin Maui Resort and Spa was a prime destination for me to meet old friend, Sumithra Balraj, who showed me that here is a hub for an abundance of activities, whether you come on a honeymoon or with the whole family. There was the Gemini Catamaran that came right up on the beach to whisk one to a sunset cruise, or eco-adventure tours. For my golf-aholic hubby’s pleasure, we met Ka’anapali Golf Resort pro Sutee Nitakorn who set us up for a wonderful morning of golf on the Royal course with its bluff above the highway and sweeping views of the West Maui landscape , and the blue Pacific. Ever changing trade winds made the course a challenge, and what a surprise to find Dr. Guy and Barbara Wong greeting us from their ninth hole course-side home as we drove by. Melissa Ludwig told us that when the course opened in 1962, it was the very first resort course built in Hawaii, one of the late Robert Trent Jones Sr.’s only two Hawaii golf designs.
After four hours of swinging, pitching and putting, it was time for wife Gerrye to follow her pleasures to The Heavenly Spa, given in 2010 the best destination spa Choice Gold Award by Fodor. I was so relaxed while being treated to the spa’s popular Heavenly Massage in one of its 16 treatment rooms that I fell rapidly in heavenly slumber. Upon awakening, however, my tired muscles felt fully revived resting in the spa’s ocean view relaxation lounge. Who says Hawaii living isn’t next to heaven? Ready to explore the 12 acres of Ka’anapali Beach fronting the hotel, we couldn’t resist stopping at TropicaRestaurant, the hotel’s signature restaurant where we sat at our table on the lawn to bask in the sunset views from ocean front dining amidst tumbling waterfalls and under tiki torch lighting. I drool recalling diving into the Pacific Bouillabase with Lobster from Kona and our seared diver scallops.
Now you know why we loved our Maui week getaway. I advise you to do the same to give you a boost to start the New Year right. Aloha, Maui, thanks for the memories.
SILICON VALLEY NEWS
Chi Am Circle welcomed 10 new members at its annual Membership Tea which drew over 80 members and guests to the lovely home of member Vicki Ching in Palo Alto. New members included Margaret Abe Koga, Danielle Fu, Sharon Lai, Judy Lee, Michele Lew, Janet Ozasa, Shelley Sze, Irene Thompson, Jouce Tom, Leslie Tomihiro, Anna Tse, Wendy Soi and Jackie Yu. Hosted by the Chi Am Board, this tea opens up a year’s calendar of monthly activities, said Presidents Rose Tokugawa and Helen Yamauchi, along with Program Chairs Ginger Lai and Linda Toda. Chi Am Circle is a women’s social service club of over 100 women who have been active in the community for over 40 years. They welcome new members. Enjoying the afternoon of fellowship were Clara Lee, Zeny Seid, Shelley Cen, Wendy Fong, Valerie Jeung, Monica Eng, Teddy Sue, Jennie Leung and Liza Wong. ChiAmCircle.org.
There were many hearty handshakes and hugs for Otto Lee at his last Sunnyvale City Council meeting as friends and colleagues celebrated his 13 successful years on the Council and Planning Commission. The party continued from City Hall to the Firehouse Brewery in downtown Sunnyvale for the popular former Sunnyvale Mayor and his wifeSally. We wish him much luck in his back to normal life, and hope the community will continue to see him actively participating in local events.
William Chang brought excitement to the Milpitas Great Mall and his restaurant there, the Mayflower, when he brought in a giant Lion Dance troupe to perform in front and inside the restaurant. Although the restaurant was already packed with diners, the lions traipsed in, and everyone dashed upon chairs to see how high the lion could jump to get their red envelope offerings. Among those celebrating at the party were the whole Chang family, Mr. And Mrs. Jim Fung, Albert and Angie Ooi, Peter Chang and Eric Chan. Son Abraham Chang had to rush back to the family’s other restaurant, Merlion, in Cupertino, where his training at Paris’ Cordon Bleu is helping his develop new menu items.
Author Ying-Ying Chang spoke on her new book about her daughter’s life,“The Woman Who Could Not Forget – Iris Chang Before and Beyond The Rape of Nanjing” at the Saratoga Library before a capacity Friends of the Library crowd. It is a very moving story of the passion her daughter felt towards her writing of Chinese American history and that of China.
Using Water That Is Too Hot