L.A. Life, Outlook

The Moon, Some Tacos, and a Night of Reflection

By Kevin Jiang

I am a connoisseur of all foods of all cultures. I will pretty much eat anything, as long as it is edible and doesn’t taste like dirt. I’ve eaten turtle, raw steak, pork knuckles, chicken feet—you name it and I’ve either had it or am willing to try it. But you can’t find or accurately pinpoint a culture’s essence in a (subjectively) weird meat or ingredient. In my opinion, it’s the spices and the flavors that really capture a culture’s essence.

Personally, I still prefer Chinese, as well as other Asian cuisine, over all other types of food, perhaps that has something to do with the way I grew up. Whether it is Korean, Thai, Indian, or any of the other many countries that constitute Asia, the flavors all hold their own unique taste profiles and embody the culture. However, second to my love for Asian cuisine is fusion, specifically Asian fusion.
The night before the last Autumn Moon Festival (AKA Harvest Moon or the Super Moon), I was in Chinatown where I had an amazing food experience. There were dozens of food trucks lined in an alleyway, but they weren’t just any food trucks. They were—you guessed it—Asian fusion food trucks. Of course I couldn’t manage to try all of them, but I did manage to try three: Jogasaki, Kogi BBQ, and Tokyo Doggie Style.
Jogasaki sold sushi burritos. Crazy right?! It was really just a large sushi roll minus the seaweed, wrapped in soy paper. The flavors were on point, capturing everything I loved about sushi: the delicate texture of fresh salmon, the refreshing crunch of cucumber, and the slight acidic sweetness of sushi rice. Kogi BBQ brought all the savory-sweet and charred flavors of kbbq into a corn tortilla, easy to hold and perfect to snack on while I waited for the takoyaki (octopus balls) from my last stop of the night.

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Outlook, USC

Ball If Life

By Anna Ngo

5 seconds left. The crowd was silent. 4 seconds…Sweat trickled down my face. 3 seconds…I weaved through my opponents. 2 seconds…I tossed the ball in the air. 1 second…The ball bounced around the rim. EERRP! The buzzer went off, and the crowd went wild as I made the winning shot. “Anna! Anna!” My name echoed throughout the stadium as the audience and my teammates chanted it repeatedly.

Those are the moments I live for. Basketball has been a huge part of my life, and it all started when I was five years old. My mom had dragged me to this Tracy McGrady Basketball Camp at a nearby church. At that time, I had no interest in basketball, let alone know what it was.

I vividly recall my very first steps into the gym. The stench odor of sweat wrinkled my nose as the shrill whistles drummed in my ear. Pounding fast, my heart beat to the dribble of the basketball. I stood there motionless as a sea of eyes glared at me. I felt their critical stares penetrate my skin. I was mentally and physically unprepared for this, so I sat down on the bleachers and refused to participate. However, my mom desperately wanted me to try it out, so I made a deal with her. If I participated in the camp, she had to take me to Build-A-Bear. It was the hottest commodity at that time, and all my schoolmates had a bear from there. (Don’t forget, I was five years old at that time.)

With each day, I started to develop a liking for basketball and that liking turned into a passion. One thing led to another. After the basketball camp, I joined the YMCA basketball league in elementary school. As I got into middle school, I played for the school’s team as I led it to the zone championship. I also played for my high school team, going from the freshman team to varsity. On top of that, I played for the Athletic Amateur Union (AAU) during the summer during the offseason. Thus, I had played basketball for 18 years straight up until I got into college.  Thinking I’d need time to try other things, I took a break from basketball during my freshman year, but I soon realized that this was a mistake. I missed being on the court. Therefore, I tried out for the USC Women’s Club Basketball Team and made it in, thus reuniting with the sport that became more than just a passion, but a life lesson.

I can honestly say that the deal I made with my mom was the best thing in my life because not only did I get my Build-a-Bear, I also got a life-long experience that has helped shape me into the person I am today. It has taught me the value of teamwork, communication, commitment, and hard work. I guess you can say, “Ball if Life.”

Featured image from PublicDomainPictures.net

Anna Ngo is a rising junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering (Petroleum). She is from Houston, Texas but is loving the Los Angeles atmosphere. She has been dancing and playing basketball since she was five years old. However, she loves all sports and enjoys cooking and exploring. The one thing she loves the most is engaging herself in new cultures and experiencing new things. 

Outlook, Travel

Living Abroad in Indonesia

By Stephen Kim

People say to me all the time: “Have you ever thought about studying abroad? Don’t you ever want to experience living in another country? Think about it. College is the only time for you to go out and do something like this!” I’m sure everyone has been asked this before. But my response to them is: “I already have! For six years of my life!”

After being born and raised in southern California for the first twelve years of my life, I moved to Indonesia and attended an international school during my junior high and high school years. Living in Indonesia has impacted my life tremendously, providing me with a broader cultural perspective and worldview, and has made me the person I am today.

One aspect of Indonesian culture that I experienced and was fortunate enough to learn was about good manners when you enter into another person’s home. Upon being welcomed in, guests will usually be offered some food or some sort of tea or coffee. However, you must kindly decline their offer. A little while later, they will generously offer food, tea, or coffee again for the second time. Once again, you must respectfully decline their kind gesture. Finally, some time later, they will offer it to you for the third time. By this time, however, you are free to accept it. The reason for this long and complex process is that the first and second times they offer you food and drink, they might not actually have anything in their kitchen to offer you! They are just trying to be good hosts. If you say yes to their first or second offers, you will put them to shame for not having anything to present you. This is an example of a small cultural lesson that I had to learn in my daily Indonesian life but, big lessons were also presented to me in various ways, one of which I’ll remember for my whole life.

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