Nisei Ski Club

by Sandy Kiyomura

Most of us are aware of Executive Order 9066 where 120,000 people of Japanese descent were interned at “concentration camps” during WWII. Some of us have relatives who were detainees or know of some. It is a very sad part of America history and this musical presents it very well.

“Allegiance” is a musical about the Internment of the Japanese during WWII. If you didn’t get to see this, you missed a powerful and entertaining show. (The SF Chronicle gave it top reviews). The cast was mostly Asian and the musical covered five decades, following 4 generations of the Kimura family before the war, during the war and (a scene)50 years later. There were 25 numbers (songs) and the singing was excellent, the lyrics creative and the dancing entertaining. The lead actress Lindsay Hirata did a phenomenal performance, singing and dancing in most of the numbers. There were some light-hearted moments : “why do Japanese students do well in math? Because they were in Concentration camps”. There were many dramatic scenes that centered around the conflict between men who wanted to volunteer for the Army (under the 442 Go for Broke battalion) and the others who were protesting the war. The latter were called the “no no” boys because they would not pledge allegiance to the US. Most of the “no no boys” were sent to Tule Lake camp. But life was not all bad at the camps. They had baseball, classes and dances. I enjoyed the dance scene where the cast performed an energetic swing dance number. Dances like this must have provided moments of relief during the harsh conditions they were living under. It was sad when a baby died because of lack of medical treatments. One only knows how many deaths (suicides) there were, or how PTSD may have affected the detainees.

Before the show, I went to dinner with my family and friends. One of my friends, Eloy Maoki was born in Peru. But Eloy was also sent to a detention camp (Crystal City) when he was 4 years old. This camp was for the people from the 13 South/Central American countries that the US ordered sent to camps. There were also German and Italian detainees, however the Germans and Italians were given hearings. My daughter found that one of Eloy’s friends, Yuji Ichioka, was her Asian American studies professor at UCLA. Mr. Ichioka was a prominent historian who wrote “Issei” and “Before Internment”. We must not forget history because it is repeating itself these days…and it’s not pretty.

Editor’s note: If you missed the musical, you can see George Takei’s Allegiance the Musical in movie theaters on December 11, 2018. Find a movie theater near you at Fathom Events.

by Hoyt Nelson
Here’s another installment in Hoyt Nelson’s love affair with food.

The first Street Food that I fell in love with were the liquados in Mexico about 1963. My first trips there were in the heat of summer and the thought of a cold drink was irresistible. Various fruit juices (mainly orange) were freshly squeezed and mixed with sugar and ice. These cold drinks were pure heaven.

In Istanbul in 1974, it was a little different. I stopped to watch a street vendor barbecue what looked like intestines on a spit. He handed me a bite and I noticed a couple of oldsters tittering about how I might react. Of course I had to eat it! But, cook had not cut it up because it was easy to wrap the intestines around the spit. He also did not care that this made it very hard to clean out the original contents (which smelled and tasted like you-know-what). On my next trip to Istanbul in 2007, we had a much better experience. Fish sandwiches were being sold on a small boat moored close to the bridge across the Bosporus. We frequently don’t take time to eat lunch while touring, but we took a flyer based on the smell. It turned out to be one of our best street foods ever. We saw lots of people with fishing poles on the Galata bridge and I believe the fish had been caught only minutes before we ate them. As most fishermen will tell you, fish is at its best when it is eaten as soon as it has been caught.

Although there wasn’t a street in sight, I think the following still qualifies as “Street Food”. On our 2nd trip to Thailand in 2005, we witnessed many small floating restaurants (like canoes). All the food was cooked and sold to other working boats – mainly breakfast. We never saw a tourist buy anything since the tour boats had other plans. Further up north, we maneuvered down a fast moving river for about 5 miles on a primitive raft of bamboo logs lashed together. At the end of the trip, we stopped in the middle of a forest; there was a “kitchen” created from a tarp draped over a few saplings sitting next to a fire pit. The cook served us a Thai meal that would be considered very good under the best circumstances. Dishes were “washed” afterward in an old rusty dishpan filled with very brown water from the river we had just come from. We survived with no ill effects.

In a small town close to Yellow Mountain in southwest China, I remember a menu in (translated dishes into, frequently meaningless, sometimes laughable) “English”. One entry for “Nutritious Beef Penis” caught our eye (as opposed to all those other cheap fast food penises we suppose). Nobody in our group sampled it.

I was not tempted to try anything more exotic until a trip to Java in 2011. One night, our tour guide took us to a street market and sat us down at a place specializing in cobra. A young girl brought out a wriggling snake which she killed and skinned in front of us. The cook however was not very skilled and he deep fried the pieces till they were rock hard. The raw blood, when mixed with a little red wine was however surprisingly good.

I stopped at a gelateria in Venice in 2013 for a quick cone where I noticed a tub labeled “pina”. Pineapple sounded good so I pointed to it only to discover the flavor was in fact “pine nut”. It wasn’t too bad, but not my favorite. The next night I bought some chestnuts from a vendor not too far away, but I later discovered they were not roasted. I had no means to roast them while on the trip but was lucky enough to get them home (illegally) through customs. (I find chestnuts in the U.S. frequently to be a bit moldy, but I have always had delicious roasted nuts in several European countries.)

Most Asian countries are known for great street food and Singapore is no exception. We made a special trip to the most famous area known as the Maxwell Street market to check it out. It takes up nearly a city block of 6 or 8 orderly rows of about 25 stalls each, with stationary tables and chairs in common areas between rows. Everything is pretty cheap, delicious and very clean. You can wander around and pick a little of this and some of that.

One of the joys of SouthEast Asia is the exotic (to us) fruit. Our local guide in Java bought samples of various kinds like rambutan, jackfruit, red dragon fruit, durian, mangosteen (but not durian which is known for its rotten smell). – all quite good. These days, you can buy many of these at Asian markets like Lion or 99 Ranch, but it probably wouldn’t be as fresh. We later bought some durian in Bangkok, just to try. Once past the nose, it is mild and fairly sweet. One can however still see signs posted in some hotels, railroad stations, etc. saying “NO DURIANS ALLOWED”.

Sandy Kiyomura

Have you ever watched “Dancing with the Stars” and thought that you would like to dance? You don’t have to be a star to dance. This is something anyone can do (whether there’s snow or not). When I ask friends if they would like to learn to dance, the two answers I get most are “I don’t have a partner” and “I have two left feet”. My response is: “I will find you a partner because we rotate partners” and “I have people with two right feet!” If you can walk, you can dance. In fact, they have “adaptive dancing” for people with disabilities. I have taught people who are visually impaired and they are often better than “normal” people.

I have been dancing for about ten years and teaching for seven. I find that dancing is not only a physical activity, but it strengthens the mind and it’s good for the soul. My mother had Alzheimer’s disease and that is my greatest fear. Ballroom dancing is the only physical activity which has been shown to ward off dementia. Here’s a study that says that dancing makes you smarter and increases cognitive acuity. https://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm

When I first started dancing, I had trouble remembering the steps. I took lessons and still couldn’t remember. So I decided to enroll in the Ballroom Dance Teacher’s College where I studied for 16 months and learned to teach 17 dances. My personal experience has taught me that when I teach, I become more proficient. Over time, my memory improved and now I can dance 20 to 30 patterns around the room. In addition, the physical and social benefits are great. Where else can you pay as little as $5 and meet people, dance to great music and feel energized? Many of my friends have made dancing part of their life. They are in better shape and look like healthier and happier people.

In summary, dancing can expand your social circle. It is uplifting and fun, helps you get fit and improves your self-confidence. https://www.ballroomdance.co/benefits-of-ballroom-dancing/

If you would like an introduction (free for first class), come to the Mastick Senior Center in Alameda. I teach every Wednesday from 1-2 PM.

Hoyt Nelson

This month I want to talk about an unusually tight group of good restaurants just off of Saratoga Ave on Payne in W San Jose. They are all within 200 ft. along a strip mall, with only 3 or 4 non-restaurants. Going from L to R, there is a Japanese, Korean, Burmese and Ethiopian place. The prices are all moderate and I would happily return to any of them.

The first on the left end is Dan, an “Izakaya” Japanese informal pub (originally meaning a stand-up sake bar). The menu is especially long, with many of the standard Japanese menu items and many special entries like several intestine and sea urchin items. The drink menu is also very extensive, including Junmai Ginjo and Ginzano Suzume Kuro.

Next in line is Yummy Tofu & BBQ. It’s a Mom & Pop Korean place with many of the standards and a good Banchan (7–9 small side dishes that normally come free with all main dishes). Korean was never a favorite with me, but we have been there about a dozen times in the last 3 years and we now consider the cuisine to be one of our “standards”.

A couple of doors down is Kyusu, a Burmese place with probably the best atmosphere of the bunch. The cuisine is close to Thai, but many dishes are similar to that of Laos, and some are only found in Burma. Everyone must try the tea leaf salad. It’s one of the signature dishes for Burma. It’s a mixture of cabbage (or lettuce), ground peanuts, minced Burmese peppers, garlic, fermented tea leaves, lemon juice, split peas, sunflower and sesame seeds, tomato and shrimp powder – all mixed together by your server at your table. They are also famous for their fish “chowders”. It’s pretty good, but Mandalay on California at 6th in San Francisco is still my favorite of this cuisine.

On the end of the mall is Zeni, an Ethiopian restaurant. We typically order a veggie combo (and a non-veg combo if there are at least 4 in our group. There are no utensils, so 6 – 9 dishes of meat and/or veggie stew and salad are plopped on an enormous pancake-like bread called injira. Another basket of injira (usually cut up into 2” by 5” strips and rolled up) is provided and is used to scoop up a mouth full of whatever. At the end of the meal, bits of the soaked injira that was the base of the meal can be eaten, if you have enough room. If you like to drink with your meal, there is usually a bottle of taj (a semi-sweet Ethiopian wine) available. This cuisine is not for everyone, but is an experience everyone should have at least once. Another down side is that the place is usually quite crowded and has a line of 10–15 out the door. I also must admit, I like the similar Walia at the corner of San Carlos and Bascom even better. You may have to wait here too, but it’s worth it.

Note: I always consult YELP.com before going to a new place, but there are a few caveats. 1). I usually like to see at least 25 reviews so that It’s unlikely that reviews are “stacked” with just the owners’ biased comments. 2). The more up to date the reviews are, the more I believe them. Things can change. 3). I frequently wait a few months after a place opens so that places have time to iron things out and the reviews have a chance to gather a believable consensus.