AsianTalks: Fashion design in New York is a competitive field. How has your Chinese American or Asian American heritage helped you stay focused on your career, and does your heritage play any role in the design process?

Funny you should ask…I actually took a detour from designing via Beijing in the mid Aughts because I wanted to check out China’s boom and find my roots. I was writing a fashion column for a Chinese lifestyle magazine there and living an expat’s life. It was an amazing experience, but ultimately it made me realize that my heart was still in design and my roots were back in New York.

I think of my heritage as being a fluid one… a Chinese, Midwesterner, and New Yorker, in no particular order nor importance, all of which informs me in different ways. My design process is about learning and communicating with the culturally diverse world we live in, so I’m grateful for all multiple points of view.

AsianTalks: Emmanuelle NYC has a classic but modern presence as a fashion label. But what really blew me away with your collections are they are so ahead of their time. Your designs look at least two seasons ahead. How do you do it?

That’s a great compliment! Though I don’t consider myself an avant-garde designer in the sense of reinventing the wheel with each new season, I do like to study what makes a classic and how I can reinterpret it in a way that hasn’t been done before. There really is no secret…it takes time and lots of trial and error to perfect a good design- and a good design is seasonless.

AsianTalks: Is an Asian or Asian American, Chinese or Chinese American clientele an important consideration as an Asian American designer? How do other Chinese American designers influence you in any way?

As a creative business, fashion is an international one that extends across cultures. Since the Asia-Pacific market, especially China, is a huge component in that equation today, it is really important for any designer, not just Asian or Asian American ones, to address the specific needs of their customers in that market. To succeed, I think a designer must have a strong vision that is translatable and resonates in many cultures.

My first job out of school was with Yeohlee Teng, a Chinese-Malay-American designer, who has been a generous mentor to me and has taught me to respect the materiality in design.

AsianTalks: Do you have any advice for would-be fashion designers?

To remain curious and to trust your instincts. Also not to be so judgmental – even if you dislike something, it’s important to understand the reasons behind your dislike.

AsianTalks: What other languages do you speak? Do you speak any Asian languages?

I speak Mandarin and can read Chinese, but I’m sadly out of practice with writing these days!

[Photo Credit: Emmanuelle NYC]

Chinese American designers in particular stand out from the crowd with their prominence in creative production that began in the 1980s. Designers like Anna Sui and Vera Wang were the first generation of Chinese American designers to truly appeal to a mainstream American audience of fashion lovers. By the 1990s, it was Derek Lam and Vivienne Tam gaining a prominent group of admirers. Then from the 2000s to the present, Chinese and other Asian American designers really gained recognition, with designer Jason Wu lauded for his designs of Michelle Obama’s inaugural gowns.

It’s only fitting then a retrospective exhibit of Chinese American fashion designers and their creations go on display at New York’s Museum of Chinese in America. The show, titled ‘Front Row: Chinese American Designers’ is slated to run from April 26 to September 29 and features 16 designers. The guest curator, designer Mary Ping, offered AsianTalks some insight into the exhibit, as well explaining her own involvement in the often cutthroat world of fashion.

AsianTalks: In your definition, what is a Chinese American designer?

As Valerie Steele so succinctly pointed out: designers are individuals. There is no catch-all identity connected to the broader umbrella of a Chinese American designer.

AsianTalks: How did you select the designers that are showcased at the Museum of Chinese in America?

The majority are members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. I wanted to have the full-line up of active designers in New York of Chinese descent operating their own labels. It’s amazing to take notice that this has already been over thirty years.

AsianTalks: How does the rising importance of China to Americans affect their perception of Chinese Americans in general?

The perception is certainly amplified but varied depending on where you are in America. There are shifts depending on everything from neighborhood to age group especially in New York where you have the community ecology of Chinatown fairly intact whereas if you walk a crowded shopping street in Soho or Uptown on a weekend, there are more and more Chinese tourists and shoppers.

AsianTalks: What is your background, and is this an exhibit you have considered for awhile?

I graduated from Vassar with an art degree. My only other curatorial project was a commissioned series in Paris working with my artist friends. This is the first invitation to guest curate for an institution and the idea was very organic and straightforward in alignment with the mission of MOCA.

AsianTalks: Do you speak any languages other than English? If so, how does being multilingual help your work?

I grew up speaking English and Shanghainese at the same time and learned French all throughout school. Naturally with French, it helps with work and meetings while navigating Paris for fashion week 2-4 times a year but Shanghainese has proven to be a work asset as well in recent years. I can communicate easily and definitely have an advantage as a Chinese-speaking customer while at factories.

[Photo Credit: Joyce Ravid]

Was it ludicrous to assume that because a product did well in America, that it would have the same outcome in another country? Apparently so. Baby food manufacturer, Gerber attempted to sell their baby food products in Africa. As many may already know, the company’s regular label has a picture of a baby, with a caption describing the kind of baby food contained in the jar. Due to their limited amount of research on the country and its people, the product failed. If Gerber had done their research properly they would have realized that African consumers associate anything that is written on the label with whatever is inside that container. Considering their lack of exposure to media advertising, when they saw a baby face on the bottle, citizens of the country became enraged. They had misinterpreted the labels to mean that the jars contained grounded-up babies.

Another well known story was when Coca-Cola tried to expand their market into China. The name Coca-cola in China was first rendered as Ke-Kou-ke-la. Because of the companies lack of research it was not until thousands of signs had been printed, did they realize that the phrase meant “bite the wax tadpole“ or “female horse stuffed with wax.” Coca-cola had wasted thousands of dollars correcting their mistake, when it all could have been avoided.

So how are you able successfully globalize your business, you may ask? You are able to do this with research. Studies confirm that research is essential to a company’s start-up, globalization, or brand localization. In order to be successful with any business decision, it is imperative that research be done as a prerequisite.

In Asian Talks latest interviews, Media Consultant, Juliana Loh, and Senior Vice President of Text 100, Jeremy Woolf; explain the most efficient strategy to globalize your company and to increase brand awareness. As technology evolves and mass media declines, social media is becoming the primary source of communication. Due to the many restrictions in Asia, the country has found a way to create its own social media tools, such as; RenRen, Sina Weibo, cyworld, mixi, or QQ. Renren (formerly called Xiaonei Network) is one of the largest social networking sites in China, it is infamously compared to as the new Chinese version of facebook. Its demographic caters to Chinese white-collar workers and students. Cyworld is a South Korean social network service. It has had a big effect on Korea’s Internet culture. Mixi is primarily for Japanese natives. The site offers the option to organize and join communities, network, and promote brands.

With the turning century, it has become very opportune to utilize these new tools like never before. Familiarizing yourself with new social media sites in Asia and taking advantage of interacting with people on an intimate level can go a long way in this day and age. Acquiring this sort of knowledge enables you to have an infinite number of avenues to reach your target market and go beyond the potential you ever deemed possible compared to what you would’ve had with traditional media.

To many of you in the social media field, Woolf’s name will sound familiar. He has been cited in David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR, and has coauthored the book The Social Media MBA: Your Competitive Edge in Social Media Strategy Development and Delivery, available from Wiley. Read on for insights into social media practice, Hong Kong versus New York life, and other perspectives from a seasoned expat who has lived in Sydney, Hong Kong, and now New York.

AsianTalks: You’ve worked as a social media professional in both Hong Kong and New York. Just how different are these two environments?

I look at social media in the context of overall communications. So while my title is digital, social, certainly the agency’s focus is communication and all its iterations.

So looking at New York versus Hong Kong, I think different but similar is probably the best way to describe the two. I mean clearly the scale here is so much larger from a consultancy perspective. Just the size of the budgets, the size of the audiences you’re dealing with is much larger.

But I think fundamentally we’re all trying to achieve the same thing, which is, from a brand perspective, trying to get people to do something. The way we do that is slightly different between the markets.

AsianTalks: What kind of company is Text 100, and how does it set itself apart in this brave new digital world?

We’re a global communications company, which is a change in the way we saw ourselves, because until relatively recently we positioned ourselves as a public relations consultancy, and I think that change for us is quite important, sums up what’s going on in communications. I think the term public relations was limiting, because really over the past 100 years or so that term has largely come to mean things like media relations.

So what we’re doing as a global agency is recognizing the change and influence, change in the way people are making decisions. Which is why we’re broadening our horizons, if you like, from media relations to a much greater focus on digital and social.

AsianTalks: Because social media has had such an influence on the way companies now promote their products, would you say individual professionals are becoming brands themselves?

Yes, absolutely. I think with the decline of mass media, everybody has that opportunity. There was a nice phrase from someone a while ago, which was that every company is a media company, and I would add that every individual is a brand. And you’ve certainly got opportunities that you didn’t have before, because barriers to entry were so large.

But certainly you could build out a brand using a free platform, like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter, and if you know who your audience is, or you’ve got something to say, which is the one thing that hasn’t changed over the years, then you can absolutely do that.

AsianTalks: What do you miss about Hong Kong, and what do you recommend doing while there?

I miss the Hong Kong 7S Rugby Tournament, which started on March 22. I miss that terribly! I see people on Facebook talking about it.

I miss dim sum, I haven’t had the right dim sum in New Jersey, where I live.

I miss my friends, I miss the culture of Hong Kong. The pace in Hong Kong I think is comparable in many ways to what happens in New York. They’re both networking cities. They work very hard, there’s a good nightlife, there’s a lot of similarities.

The other thing I’d say is learn about the place that you are in. One thing in Hong Kong or Singapore it’s relatively easy to fall into an expat bubble and not take advantage of the environment you’re in, not learn about tit, not learn about its history. I always tell people, the first thing they should do in Hong Kong is go to the museums. There’s some great world-class museums where you can learn about the history.

AsianTalks: What kind of language barriers did you face while working in the Asia-Pacific region?

From my perspective I think I was a little spoiled. I was based in Hong Kong for most of that time. I did speak what they call taxicab Cantonese, it was enough to get me home. And I had some conversational phrases, but it wasn’t as if I had to learn the language to function. I worked in an environment where English was the business language.

When I worked in mainland China I wasn’t there often enough, but I feel if I was based there I would have had to learn the language, which is much more critical.

But I think if anyone was going over to Asia and particularly to China you need to immerse yourself more in the language.

Social media consultants are in demand on both sides of the Pacific for several reasons, but in Asia not only do consumers look to US platforms like Facebook or Twitter for the latest on trends and must-haves, similar competitors like RenRen in China or Mixi in Japan can bring an interesting twist to the usual plot of getting users familiar and loyal to your brand and product.

For more on social media in Asia, we turned to Juliana Loh, a media creative and digital strategist based in Hong Kong. Loh has advised multinational corporations such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and has worked with boutique hotels in China.

AsianTalks: There are so many social media platforms that allow companies to promote their brands. Which platforms, in your experience, worked for you?

I think making this decision on what’s the best platform to engage is largely dependent on the product, the target market and geographical location. Twitter works well in North America, but still lukewarm in Southeast Asia, where engagement and follower bases tend to be much lower.

Facebook is the medium that thrives better in this region, with the exception of China where all the English channels are blocked. And Korea and Japan are on their own networks for communication, so I would recommend tweaks in communication strategy for those particular markets too.

There are many brands that have successfully launched and adapted their campaigns across channels and countries. BMW, for example, has a very cohesive strategy for their international campaigns across different channels in different countries, with strategic and tactical campaigns for the China market. Youku and Weibo are particularly strong mediums to communicate effectively to a targeted audience. I worked on their global campaign for the car launches into China from 2006 to 2009.

Cartier is perhaps another brand that has done immensely well in China, until most recently with their new Destinée collection that’s bordered on hard sell.

AsianTalks: How are global brands able to localize themselves in a city, like Hong Kong, so it is memorable, and symbolic to travelers?

It is a breeze for brands to localize themselves in Hong Kong — it’s a shopping, food and wine mecca and there’s a charming juxtaposition of old and new. It’s got an excellent geographical location, almost all service staff are bilingual and the vibe is cosmopolitan. English and Chinese are widely spoken and there’s freedom of access to all social media platforms where marketing and communications can be easily adapted across the board, perfectly streamlined. A perfect spring board for brands venturing into China.

AsianTalks: You’re a food lover, and it shows! How does building an ‘individual brand’ that revolves around your personal story translate into the brands you work with?

I keep church and state separate, but that doesn’t mean I pigeonhole myself. I would also assume for everyone else it’s basic professional protocol to have personal and corporate clients branding separate (unless you’re an artist commissioned specifically for your work for the brand). I also work with retail, automobile, real estate clients that do very interesting work and it’s always a pleasure to add variety into the mix – it keeps one constantly inspired.

AsianTalks: What is your language background?

I grew up speaking Cantonese at home and learnt Mandarin from the age of 5. I also read and write simplified Chinese, so language was never a barrier living in the two cities.

I come from a world where everyone one around me has at least one tattoo. Of course, as a lady I was taught that it is unprofessional to have one, and although acceptable, it was still un-ladylike but never forbidden. If it was absolutely necessary to get a tattoo, I was directed to place it somewhere on the body that could be covered. So it was outlandish for me to hear that having a tattoo in Asia, let alone in any country was forbidden.

Curiosity consumed my body so I was itching to know more. I decided to not only do some research of my own, but also ask my fellow associates as well. Based on my previous assumptions, I gathered that although the majority of individuals in Asia do not have tattoos, it was not completely uncommon to have them. Similar to Los Angeles, the people of Korea associate having tattoos with criminal activity. “People who have tattoos are people that are usually in gangs,” responded my colleague.

Okay, so I could understand that. Tattoos usually signified a bad reputation, and a bad reputation either meant no job, or family disgrace. But what else could prevent someone from getting a tattoo? It was only when my associate elaborated that I truly understood. In Korean culture, our bodies are like temples, precious and important. Tattoos are permanent, and can never be changed nor erased, so as a gift of appreciation to your mother for bringing you into the world; you want to give her the same body she gave birth to, pure, unflawed, and untarnished.

Tattoos have grown in popularity and are now considered socially acceptable all around the world; so why deprive someone of their right to free will? Tattoos are not only considered an outlet for self-expression, but a way to indicate tribute, gain inspiration, and recall fond memories. There are several reasons to acquire a tattoo, for instance a portrait of a departed loved one, a spiritual symbol to ward off evil spirits or a tribal tattoo, to mark strength and virility.

The main reason why tattoos have a negative connotation, especially for women may be blamed on decades of social stigma that tattoos have no place in the world other than to associate yourself with gangs or it is just purely injurious, but as with all other things, we have to start somewhere to bring about a change in people’s overall perceptions and begin to appreciate the true rationale behind why people, women included, love to get tattoos. Only when that time comes, and only then, would people be able to view tattoos at last, as something worthy and tolerable for all to enjoy.

While the petition was denied, we also know the annual holiday is an important part of the cultural calendar in China, Vietnam, and Korea. And what the holiday signifies is pretty universal. From time spent with family, sharing food, to preparing for a fresh start, we learned from Heather Brady of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) how Lunar New Year is a tradition that brings us back to what’s most important in the life cycle.

AsianTalks: What is the historical background behind the Lunar New Year, and has there been a vernacular shift from referring to the event as the Chinese New Year? If so, why?

Lunar New Year has such a lengthy history—it is a centuries old celebration—but its precise origins are difficult to trace. At MOCA, we often talk about the relationship between the holiday and China’s agricultural history. As farmers could not plant or harvest in the winter, they spent time cooking, cleaning, eating and visiting with friends and family. To this day, these customs are integral elements of Lunar New Year celebrations.

Because the date of every New Year is determined based on the phases of the moon, it is not uncommon for the holiday to be referred to as Lunar New Year. Also, when we are talking about Lunar New Year, we are talking not only about a holiday important to people of Chinese descent, but also in Vietnamese, Korean, and other East Asian communities.

AsianTalks: The Museum celebrated the Lunar New Year on February 2. What kind of events took place, and what was the reception?

We ushered in the Year of the Snake with a day-long festival, ‘Express Your Inner Snake: Celebrate Lunar New Year at MOCA.’ The festival is, annually, one of the most popular and well-received family days at the Museum. This year, we had a record number of over 500 visitors.

Throughout Lunar New Year, we also offered a series of special walking tours, which were a huge hit with visitors. Some stops on the tour included: the nearby Church of the Transfiguration, home of the largest Chinese Catholic congregation in the United States and where special masses and ceremonies are held on Lunar New Year’s Day; Doyers Street, also known as “Barbershop Row” where many get haircuts just before the New Year; and Mott Street, where tour participants saw many traditional Lunar New Year’s decorations.

AsianTalks: Recently a petition to make the Lunar New Year a national holiday was circulated at the White House. Does your organization believe it should be national holiday, or a federal holiday?

While this is a question that requires more conversation, MOCA does observe the Lunar New Year holiday each year.

AsianTalks: US-China relations are often marked by tensions. Do you believe celebrating holidays like the Lunar New Year help people to better understand/appreciate Asian culture?

Yes. At our Lunar New Year Family Festival, we were excited to see a very diverse mix of families in attendance. Throughout the day, I had the chance to speak with several parents and ask what brought them to the event. In almost every case, they talked about the importance of introducing children, as early as possible, to their own and other cultures.

Creating opportunities for people of all backgrounds to learn about holidays like Lunar New Year and experience related customs and traditions in an intimate, meaningful way can definitely serve to encourage further understanding and appreciation of Asian culture.

AsianTalks: What are some other initiatives that MoCA is working on to enhance intercultural understanding in the United States?

MOCA’s next big event for families will be our Qing Ming Family Festival on April 6. This is a day when we remember and honor family and celebrate spring. During the event, kids and adults will have the chance to learn more about the history of the Qing Ming Festival, share stories about their families, make their own kites–an especially popular activity to do on Qing Ming, and start seeds to mark the beginning of the growing season.

Yaeri Song, a freelance producer based in Seoul, founded Seoulist two years ago to provide a slice of cultural life she enjoyed in her new hometown. Thanks to her labor of love, Seoulist is now one of the most valuable sources of information for Seoul-bound travelers and new residents on art venues, indie performances, and other events that show a side of Seoul beyond the Gangnam Style craze.

For more on Yaeri and her Seoul, check out our interview below!

AsianTalks: What is your background, and how did you decide to start a life in Korea?

I was born in Seoul, but spent most of my childhood in the United States. I had studied film in college, and I was working in New York when a new wave of Korean films piqued my interest. I initially returned to work in the film industry, but it seems like I’ve done nearly everything but that since arriving in Seoul four years ago.

AsianTalks: We see and hear more about Korea these days. What’s hot in Korea now, and what’s Seoulist’s approach to Korean trends?

We don’t normally cover topics that receive international spotlight (e.g., Gangnam Style) on Seoulist, but we focus on what we know best, like interesting shifts and micro-trends within our neighborhoods. With trends coming and going so quickly, it’s not easy to say what’s hot in Korea right now, but one thing we’ve definitely noticed is that there are more overseas Koreans returning to Seoul, and they’re bringing with them some amazing talents, products and services.

Itaewon, which has always been the epicenter of international activity, now has more acclaimed restaurants and café/bakeries than ever before. The pop-up restaurant scene—most of them run by expats and overseas Koreans—has exploded just within the past few months. Seoul’s Mexican food scene is heating up. And with the government’s support, we see more young people willing to sacrifice a corporate or financially stable job to start up ventures and small businesses.

AsianTalks: How did Seoulist come about, and do you think there are still opportunities for entrepreneurial journalists and bloggers in Korea?

When I first arrived in Seoul, I found that there weren’t many English-language resources on the city aside from a handful of magazine that were mostly Itaewon- and expat-oriented. Seoulist launched with the idea that everybody wants to feel like a local—even if they’re a visitor. With a core team of editors and contributors, we’ve created a neat community while exploring the city and promoting the culture, but SeoulistMag.com is still a passion project. It’s hard to build a sustainable company on web content alone, so our plans for this year include building an offline presence that can work in tandem with the website.

AsianTalks: Seoul is such a cultural hot spot. Favorite place for coffee? Barbecue?

My go-to Korean barbecue joint is Donsadon, a popular Jeju samgyeopsal (barbecued pork belly) joint near Hongdae. If I have guests in town, I’ll splurge at Daedo Shikdang, a Korean beef restaurant that has several locations around the city. Seoul’s definitely having a Mexican moment as of late. I’m always craving the kimchi carnitas fries at Vatos Urban Tacos, and I’ve never known a single person to deny that Don Charly serves the most authentic Mexican tacos they’ve ever tasted (the chef-owner is from Mexico City).

I’m also on a lifelong quest for the perfect Neapolitan pizza. Pizza d’Buzza is a delicious local favorite, but I prefer Giani’s Napoli for shorter queues and a chewier crust. I don’t shop a lot, but when I do, it’s usually for big items so I frequent second-hand markets near central Seoul (Shindang-dong for large appliances and Dongmyo for odds and ends). But these are not your typical tourist guide markets; you need a little charm and luck and strong Korea negotiating skills to get the most out of them!

AsianTalks: The Korean language is unique and sometimes a bit challenging to learn for foreigners. Do you recommend, though, foreigners do learn Korean? How do you get around?

If you’re coming to Korea for anything aside from a short trip, I would highly recommend that you learn the language. If you make the time and dig around, there are many free Korean classes around Seoul, many of them sponsored by the city. Otherwise, try a language exchange or join a Meetup group like LanguageCast.

I would like to take this time to share some of those stories with you. I came to this country to earn my undergraduate degree. I actually had high hopes when I first arrived in America, as far as making many American friends and studying English to improve my language prowess.  However, in earnest, it has been a tougher mountain to climb than I expected. Learning English just isn’t that easy.

My parents back home probably envision my American life as something made out of a movie. You know, watching the news on CNN, reading the New York Times, understanding everything I hear or peruse. And at school, sitting on the grass outdoors in the sun and interacting with American students without any language barrier. To my dismay, this just was not reality. Not even close.

I only have one semester left now before I can walk down the aisle and graduate. As long as I have been here, something has been bugging me to find out for a long time. It always made me curious why people in America do not carry an umbrella in the rain. I probably could not last a single day when there is something I really want to know about so I zealously asked people around me why they think it is what it is.  My American friends, both of Korean and non-Korean origin, always retort in awe and curiosity themselves whenever I pose that question to them. They are like “I don’t know, that is actually a very good question.”  Some people joke that rain in the States is rather clean, so we do not need to run for cover here.

That is odd, because I mean rain is rain isn’t it? Could the rain that falls in America, Los Angeles to be exact, really be that different from the rain that falls in Seoul? As bad as air quality is in Korea, Los Angeles also has heavy air pollution. Then is it because Americans are too laidback and do not care about getting themselves wet that they just do not bother to carry around an umbrella? My head is filled with full of questions I want answered.

I went out with my girlfriend last weekend when it was raining. People were not carrying umbrellas as usual and were just getting themselves wet. So I asked my Korean-American girlfriend why people here just refuse to use umbrellas. Her take on it was rather simple. After a long pause, she went on to tell me that umbrellas are not sold here enough for people to have the chance to go buy one. I was in doubt so I replied, “Shouldn’t they check the weather before they head outside? I seriously doubt whether umbrellas are sold everywhere would make a difference.” After that, my girlfriend was at a loss herself.

Most Asians, if not all, wear umbrellas when it rains. It is pretty rare to see someone not covered in an umbrella and get soaked in the rain. People will give you a look and wonder why you are not carrying an umbrella.  When I was a kid, my parents always used to tell me to carry an umbrella whenever it was raining outside. Their reasoning behind it was that since the rain was acidic, it is bad for you. Aren’t American kids told the same by their parents?

It should not be as much of a surprise anymore, but in some cases, Korean women carry umbrellas in the sun when there is not a single drop of rain falling. This is apparently to protect their skin from the rays of the sun and wrinkling. Sometimes I wonder if this is the big factor in how Asian women could maintain a wholesome younger look.

The bottom line is that it really does not feel good to get soaked. Walking in wet clothes or shoes just is not too comfortable. Why do you think most Americans don’t carry umbrellas? Is it just culture difference or just the norm? And do you believe Koreans simply pay too much attention to their looks while Americans don’t?

It was the food culture of Asia that beckoned writer Robyn Eckhardt to shift her focus from a dissertation on politics in rural China to writing about food and other travel topics for The New York Times, Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, and other publications that sought her expert opinion on the culinary and cultural aspects of eating in Asia.

Eckhardt has been blogging since 2005, and has been living in Asia for over 15 years. Her blog, Eating Asia has been voted by The Times (UK) as one of the world’s 50 best food blogs.

AsianTalks: You are a food lover and your blog is widely recognized as one of the best food blogs in the world. Tell us why Southeast Asia is the ultimate food destination.

Oh gosh, thank you for the kind words — but EatingAsia really isn’t a “star” blog. We don’t have tons of hits or tens of thousands of Twitter followers. I think we’re more of a cult blog — our readers are pretty loyal and pretty enthusiastic and we appreciate every single one. It’s also worth noting — I’m only half of the blog. The photographs are by my talented partner David Hagerman, who photographs food professionally as a freelancer.

Why Southeast Asia for food? Because it’s got a little bit of everything, something for everyone. For me, the Chinese culinary influences throughout the region resonate because I started out professionally as a China-focused academic. Southeast Asia is really a region of many migrants, many of whom came from China, and every where they landed the food that they brought with them morphed just a bit to show influences from their new home. So, for instance, Hainan chicken rice in Ipoh, Malaysia, isn’t quite like Hainan chicken rice in Thailand. Wonton mee in Kuala Lumpur is served with pickled green chilies on the side, and it can be eaten “dry” (soup on the side), and it’s topped with sticky sweet BBQ’d pork — quite a different animal from the wonton mian you get in Hong Kong.

There’s an abundance of food styles in Southeast Asia — from rich coconut milk-based curries, to light fresh rice paper-wrapped spring rolls, from sticky rice to fragrant basmati rice (a favorite of Indian communities in Malaysia and Sing), from in-your-face spicy and sour laab (chopped meat salad) in Isaan to the complex bitter herb-toasted chili-padek fishy (uber fermented fish condiment) flavors you get in a northern Lao-style laab.

I love that you can go from one country to another and eat the same type of dish — sour soup, for instance — in so many iterations. Canh chua in Vietnam, tom yam in Thailand and tom yam in Malaysia (not the same animal!), asam in Indonesia, sinigang in the Philippines.

And I love that Southeast Asia still holds so many “unknown” foods. Not unknown as in no one at all knows about them, but unknown as in not known to the general traveling public, even those who are obsessed with food. The Philippines and Indonesia in particular, I think, hold so many little known culinary treasures. For me, it’s fantastic to have lived in this region for over 10 years and to feel that I still have so much to learn about its cuisines. I’ll never be an expert here. And that is exciting.

I could go on. There is much to love about the food in this part of the world.

AsianTalks: What’s it like being a freelance journalist in Southeast Asia? Are there many opportunities for travel?

I am a freelance journalist based in Southeast Asia, and that’s a difference. This is where I live, but assignments often take me further afield — for instance to Turkey, where I am spending more time lately, or to China.

The Southeast Asian outlets I write for are really Southeast Asian arms of American media. Wall Street Journal Asia, for instance, for whom I write a regular column on street food. Or The New York Times Travel Section, or Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, where I’m on the masthead as a contributor.

So for me being a freelancer here is, I suppose, much as it would be if I were a freelancer in the USA. In a word — HARD! I work long hours, never take vacations, send out reams of pitches so that I can catch enough assignments to make a living.

I do travel a lot for work, about 5 months of the year, usually with my partner David who photographs many of my stories (he also works on his own photographing for other writers). I do enjoy the assignments that allow me to stay home — but there’s only so many articles on Penang one can write without plagiarizing oneself again and again!

In the end, I’ll go wherever the story is (and wherever an editor will send me). It’s always a treat to get an assignment in my home region.

AsianTalks: Tell us about your last meal on earth.

Difficult! I would want a taste of all my favorite cuisines. I might start with a small bowl of asam laksa, because it’s tart-fishy-spicy flavor would get my appetite going. I’d move on to a wee pasta course — a really wonderful Bolognese-style ragu, maybe — then follow that with a beautifully grilled fish accompanied by a bracing rocket salad. I’d finish with Turkish-style poached quince topped with a huge slab of kaymak, or Turkish clotted cream. I’d definitely precede it all with a cocktail, maybe a nice rye Manhattan or a good limey gin and tonic, and have a dolcetto di Dogliani to sip on throughout (after the asam laksa course!).

AsianTalks: Language-wise, what is it like getting around in Malaysia? Have you ever needed a translator?

Malaysia is easy. Almost everyone speaks some English, many people speak a lot of English. I studied Bahasa Malaysia for 6 months after I arrived in mid-2005 but found that I never use it because so many people speak English (I do use it in Indonesia though). I speak Mandarin and can resort to that when necessary.

In the end, I am mostly about food. And I have found that that enables me to communicate with almost anyone, anywhere in the world that I find myself.