Friday Favorites: Yuna's "Rouge," Biography "The Old Tea Seller," and More
Friday, April 10, 2020
Asia Society at Home
Learn More
Discover your newest binge and get to know our staff a little better with the Asia Society Texas Center's team favorite ways to stay entertained indoors! Each week, we'll share our picks for what to read, watch, listen to, and more.
Film: Shoplifters by Hirokazu Koreeda
Recommended by Oleg Jolic, Senior Vice President of Operations and Strategic Initiatives
"A beautiful meditation on love and family (biological or any other). In many ways a gentler, more humanistic and spiritually driven take on the class and the family than Parasite, Shoplifters is a masterpiece."
Find it on: Hulu | Google Play | Amazon
TV Show: Abnormal Summit
Recommended by Rebecca Becerra, Education, Outreach, and Data Coordinator
"I think it's a great show for anyone interested in Korean culture and language, because the show makes interesting comparisons between Korean and other cultures, and it's neat to see non-Koreans speak Korean so well! It's very motivational when you are learning the language."
Find it on: Netflix
Album: Wild Wild East by Sunny Jain
Recommended by Stephanie Todd Wong, Director of Performing Arts and Culture
"We worked with Sunny Jain to present his band Red Baraat a couple years ago, but his new album Wild Wild East is a more personal journey. Through an awesome mix of American jazz and traditional Indian sounds, he explores his own family's migration to the U.S. and his Asian American identity. Plus, I love the new play on the traditional 'Cowboys and Indians' theme."
Find it on: YouTube (official video) | Smithsonian Folkways | Spotify
Album: Rouge by Yuna
Recommended by Kaitlyn Ellison, Performing Arts and Culture Manager
"Yuna's music is smooth and catchy. She released Rouge mid-2019, and it is a great afternoon listen with indie pop and R&B vibes — and her collaborators come from all over the world. A highlight for me is the song (and video) for "Castaway." She has also been going live with quirky short clips during shelter in place!"
Find it on: Yuna's website | YouTube (music video) | Facebook
Biography: The Old Tea Seller: Life and Zen Poetry in 18th Century Kyoto by Baisaō
Recommended by Alex Perlloni, Facility Assistant
"The Old Tea Seller is the story of Baisaō, a poet and Buddhist priest in Kyoto. He left life in the temple and began to make his living by selling tea on the streets around the city where he met influential poets and thinkers. Written in the style of Zen, the book is a combination of poems, memoirs, and travel writings of 18th century Japan. For those who enjoy drinking tea, Baisaō had a profound message of what drinking tea is all about: Live a simple life, serve others, and enjoy a cup of tea."
Find it on: Powell's Books | Amazon | Google Books
History: The Making of Asian America by Erika Lee
Recommended by Chris Dunn, Marketing and Communications Manager
"Historian Erika Lee surveys the history of Asian America, from the first sailors on the 1500s up through the modern era. It's a history you did not learn in high school."
Find it on: Simon & Schuster (with links to purchase)
Novel: The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
Recommended by Jennifer Kapral, Director of Education and Outreach
"Historical saga exploring the lives of haenyeo (women sea divers) from Jeju Island on the South Korean coast. Heartbreaking, inspiring, and enthralling, this book is ultimately the story of the ties that bind us through generations."
Find it on: Lisa See's website (with links to purchase)
Business and Policy programs are endowed by Huffington Foundation. We give special thanks to Bank of America, Muffet Blake, Anne and Albert Chao, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Nancy Pollok Guinee, United Airlines, and Wells Fargo, Presenting Sponsors of Business and Policy programs; Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, and Leslie and Brad Bucher, Presenting Sponsors of Exhibitions; Dr. Ellen R. Gritz and Milton D. Rosenau and Wells Fargo, Presenting Sponsors of Performing Arts and Culture; and Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Presenting Sponsor of the Japan Series. General support of programs and exhibitions is provided by The Brown Foundation, Inc., The Hearts Foundation, Inc., Houston Endowment, Inc., the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, McKinsey & Company, Inc., National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, Vinson & Elkins LLP, and Mary Lawrence Porter, as well as Friends of Asia Society.
About Asia Society at Home
Though Asia Society is temporarily closed, we are dedicated to continuing our mission of building cross-cultural understanding and uplifting human connectivity. Using digital tools, we bring you content for all ages and conversations that matter, in order to spark curiosity about Asia and to foster empathy.
About Asia Society Texas Center
With 13 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and West. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach.