What I Read This Week
Trying something new! A roundup of things I read: old, new, and inbetween. Hopefully you find something you like.
Racial Solidarity and Hazing
Although the profile is old, (I am forever cleaning out a backlog of bookmarks), this piece in the New York Times from 2017 about the hazing death of a young Asian-American man from New York hurt my heart. I was confused and achey reading about initiation rituals that help awaken racial solidarity and consciousness, but that also have killed and injured people in the name of a sense of belonging. It is hard feeling like you don’t belong. It is harder to watch the place you feel belonging in become a place that harms you in new and violent ways.
Read If: you care about race issues in America, college life, or the way history is taught/not taught.
Kaya Toast and Culinary Exposure
All the buzz about representation and Crazy Rich Asians has made me happy, but as a food scholar, and someone who has been researching Singapore for the last several years, I was incredibly pleased to see this piece on the food in the movie in Bon Appetit. The interview with the author doesn’t just explore the dishes that are famous in Singapore’s cuisine, but also allows room to explore the meaning of those dishes.
Read If: you want to learn about Singaporean cuisine, you want to know more about Kevin Kwan, or you like delicious photos of faraway food.
The Law and Sexual Assault in Ontario
In a horrific turn of events, the defence of extreme drunkenness seems to have been restored as an option in Ontario courts. Not only does this make it more likely to get away with sexual assault, but it may have a chilling effect on women who got drunk before they were assaulted even coming forward in the first place. Incredibly disappointing and reprehensible.
Read If: you want to be up to date on a terrible turn in law, you keep up with news related to gender and sexual assault cases in Canada or Ontario.
That’s all for now. See you next week!
