and the votes are in.

asian avenuemagazine

Connecting CulturesLinking Lives

December 2014Volume 9 Issue 12

pacific mercantile downtown denver’s japanese supermarket

a look at 2014 the year’s most notable events

lao buddhist temple rebuilds with a design intended to inspire

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1134

17

Harry Budisidharta

Criminal Cases | Domestic Violence | DUI

(303) 377-3474

Think Smart.

2012 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year RecipientAwarded by the Arapahoe County Bar Association

& Asian Pacific American Bar Association

staff & supportPublisher & Founder: Christina Yutai Guo

President: Annie GuoSenior Designer: C.G. Yao Designer: Jonathan Nguyen

Marketing Coordinator: Chun GuoStaff Writer: Patricia KaowthumrongStaff Writer: Mary Jeneverre Schultz

Staff Writer: Brenda VelasquezPhotographer: Trang Luong

Intern: Mai Choua Lee Intern: Monica Lin

Intern: Akemi Tsutsui

advisors groupGeneral Counsel: Michael C. Song

Patty Coutts, Donna LaVigne, Nestor J. Mercado,Sum C. Nguyen, Alok Sarwal, Tom Shieh,John Yee, Nai-Li Yee, George N. Yoshida

contributing writers

Harry Budisidharta, Byron Elliott, Sunnie Gist, Aurelia J. Grinstead, Lee Rasizer

contributing photographers

O.A.R.S., Sabrina Rontanini

on the coverFor the fourth year, our readers have voted;

and we present you the best of 2014.

subscriptions To subscribe, e-mail marketing@asianavenuemag azine.com. A one-year subscription is $25 for 12 issues, a two-year subscription is 40 for 24 issues. Please make checks or money orders payable to Asian Avenue magazine. For details about special corporate or group rates, please call during business hours: Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm. Shipping and handling included.

advertisingAsian Avenue magazine offers businesses the most cost-effective way to reach consumers in the Denver/Boulder metro areas and beyond. For more information, call during business hours or e-mail us at marketing@asianavenuemagazine.com for our media kit and ad rates.

editorialTo submit story ideas, letters to the editor or event calendar listings, e-mail editor@asianavenuemagazine.com. Asian Avenue magazine (ISSN 1932-1449) reserves all copyrights to this issue. No parts of this edition can be reproduced in any manner without written permission. The views expressed in articles are the authors’ and not necessarily those of Asian Avenue magazine. Authors may have consulting or other business relationships with the companies they discuss.

Published by Asian Avenue Magazine, Inc.P.O. Box 221748 Denver, CO 80222-1748

Tel: 303.937.6888 | Fax: 303.750.8488www.asianavenuemagazine.com

Asian Avenue magazine is in association with the Colorado Asian Culture and Education Network.

Dear Asian Avenue readers,

Can you believe it? The last month of 2014 is here. Let’s make it count!

In this issue, we polled our readers to find the Best of 2014, including the best Asian restaurants in the Denver metro area and the best AAPI celebrities on YouTube. In 2014, Asian Americans put themselves on the map with presence in sports, literature, inventions and politics. We take a Look at 2014 to high-light the most notable events of the year.

Three years ago, the Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver burned down due to an unforeseen fire. Since the tragedy, the Laotian community has come together

through hope and healing to raise funds to rebuild the center. The Rebuild Team has recently re-leased the designs for the new building and will be hosting a New Years Eve fundraising event at The Event Center at Church Ranch. You are invited to join in the festivities, as all proceeds will benefit the Lao Buddhist Temple Fire Relief Fund.

Another tragic event in Colorado is the Sand Creek Massacre, an atrocity in the American Indian Wars that occurred on November 29, 1864. Harry Budisidharta shares with us the story of the 700-man force of Colorado Territory militia attacking a peaceful village of Cheyenne and Arapahoe, killing and mutilating an estimated 70–163 Indians, about two-thirds of whom were women and children. On November 29, 2014, members of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes held a spiritual healing run/walk that started at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site and ended on the west steps of Colorado State Capitol to commemorate the 150th anniversary.

To wrap up the year, visit the Denver Zoo’s Zoo Lights this month to see ARCINDA perform their Indonesian music and dance. We also welcome you to visit two art exhibits currently in Denver: Traveling the Silk Road at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and East and East - Alterna-tive Visions at Gallery 1261. We hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends. We are grateful for another amazing year and all of the support we have received in 2014. Looking forward to 2015 and what’s to come!

See you next year!

Annie Guo, PresidentAsian Avenue magazine

40

asian avenuemagazine

20 December 2014 | President’s Note 2

Double Happy Hours! (Dine in only)Daily 5pm to 6pm and 10pm to close

Sushi $2Hakushika Hot Sake (sm) $2

Japanese Beer (sm) $3 Selected Hand Roll $3

and more! and more!

RAMEN YAKITORI SUSHI2907 Huron St. Unit 103 | Denver, CO 80202

Tel: 720.639.2911 | www.mytokio.com

OPEN Mon-Thu & Sat: 5pm - 1am Fri: 5pm - 2am | Sun: 4pm - 10pm

Bringing the ramen culture to Denver!

Find Inside >> Table of Contents

20 December 2014 | Table of Contents 4

811

6 Event Calendar

8 Spotlight Korean-American Juyoung Kang mixes up the cocktails in Las Vegas

10 Inside Stories Pacific Mercantile is one of the original businesses founded in Sakura Square

Colorado Heights University offers a world of opportunities for students

12 Cover Story: Best of 2014 The readers have voted; and we present to you, the best restaurants of the year.

14 A Look at 2014 We take a look at the most notable events that happened this year for AAPIs.

18 Legal Column: Sand Creek Massacre The 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre offers a time for support, hope and healing

19 Op-Ed: Community College of Aurora Visit CCA to see all that a community college has to offer

20 On Scene Student organization Sibol hosts first ever Kamayan event

George Sakato participates in the Veterans Day Parade

21 National News

22 Feature The Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver looks forward to rebuilding its religious center that burned down in 2011

Local Art

24 Traveling the Silk Road at Denver Museum of Nature and Science

East and East - Alternative Visions at Gallery 1261

26 Travel Book a trip to Fiji for your next vacation spot

221220 26

upcomingColorado Budokan Boutique

Sat. December 6, 4pm to 8pm; Sun. December 7, 10am to 6pm

Colorado Budokan3547 S. Monaco Pkwy, Denver, Colorado 80237

For more info, call 720-253-7473 or visit www.coloradobudokan.com.

Visit the annual holiday craft show featuring beautiful and original Asian inspired embroidered

clothing and home furnishings, origami items, fine art, handcrafted cards and candles, bath and body products, artisan jewelry, quilted items, cro-cheted winter items, artisan pottery, home baked goods, martial arts supplies and more! A portion of all sales benefit the Colorado Budokan Youth Athlete Scholarship Fund. Buy local and support

small business this holiday season!

Arcinda performs at Zoo LightsDecember 9-11, 16-18, 23

Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St. Denver, CO 80205For more info, visit www.arcinda.org.

ARCINDA (The Arts & Culture of Indonesia) will perform at Denver Zoo’s Zoo Lights. Take a stroll through Zoo Lights and you’ll “ohhh” and “ahhh” over the 38 brilliantly-illuminated acres of lights

and 150 animated animal sculptures.

Thai Night Colorado 2014Sat. December 13, 6pm to 11pm

DoubleTree by Hilton Denver-Stapleton North4040 Quebec St. Denver, CO 80216 Admission: $40/adults w/ dinner

$25/child w/ dinner | Tables: $400 or $500 VIPFor more info, contact Eed Cefkin at

720-231-1496 or ThaiNightCO@gmail.com.

Thai Night Colorado is a fundraiser for the Thai Language and Culture Program at Wat Buddha-wararam of Denver that showcases a production of professional music and dances by the teachers and students of the Thai Language and Culture Program. The evening will share the Thai culture and promote cultural relationships within the Thai

and greater Colorado community.

Korean American Emerging Leadership Conference

Sun. December 14, 4:30pm to 7:30pmDoubleTree Hotel

13696 E. Iliff Place, Aurora, CO 80014For more info, visit www.kacfc.org.

You are invited to the Korean American Com-munity Foundation of Colorado second annual

Emerging Leadership Conference. The speakers lined up are: Korean Consul General SF, Han;

Aurora Mayor Hogan; Dr. Anthony Montoya, De-partment of Energy and Dr. Ricky Choi, MD, MPH. The conference theme is 21st Century Leadership and Career Paths since the focus of KACFC is to

invest in the growth of future generations.

Lao Buddhist Temple New Years Eve CelebrationWed. December 31, 6pm to 1am

The Event Center At Church Ranch10200 Wadsworth Blvd. #OLDEWestminster, Colorado 80021Admission: $15 for adult 18+

$10 for children 13-17 | Free for 12 & underFor more info, contact

Vanh Prakhine at 303-204-3009.

Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver is hosting a night of fun, food, friends, family this New Years Eve.

Plan your night and join the fun. All proceeds will benefit the Lao Buddhist Temple Fire Relief Fund to rebuild the temple. There will be traditional

Lao snacks for sale, live band, dancing, cash bar, raffles and a photo booth to take home a souve-

nir of the night. Don’t miss out.

Nan Desu Kan New Years EveWed. December 31, 7pm to 2am

Renaissance Denver Hotel3801 Quebec Street, Denver, Colorado 80207

Admission: $20 on-siteFor more info, visit www.ndkdenver.org/nye.

Ready to say good-bye to 2014 and welcome 2015 in style? Join Nan Desu Kan to count down to the Year of the Sheep with costumes, photos

by CG Photography, dancing, music by DJ Bullock, food, cash bar, games, royalty, and friends!

December 2014 | Event Calendar 6

events

401 Main Street • Black Hawk, CO 804221-800-THE-ISLE (843-4753) • www.theisleblackhawk.com

© 2014 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. All rights reserved. Fan Club and Isle are registered trademarks of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 years of age or older. Valid only at Isle Casino Hotel Black Hawk, CO. Promotions/events subject to change or cancellation without notice. Please visit the players club or cashier services for details. Management reserves all rights. Gambling a problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

All new members at the Isle Black Hawk Casino will receive the following benefits:

Receive a free buffet the day you enroll after playing 30 minutes.

Plus, receive 5,000 Fan Club points when you give us your email address.

Valid for new members only. Buffet offer valid up to 30 days from enrollment. Email address must be given at time of enrollment.

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Golden ShanghaiAsian Restaurant

● The Best Chinese Restaurant by 710 AM Restaurant Show● The Best Chinese Restaurant by the 1430 KEZW Restaurant Show● Voted 2007 Top 100 Chinese Restaurant in the US

1412 S. Parker Rd. A-134 Denver, CO 80231(303) 743-7666 (303)743-9079 (303)743-8210

8 December 2014 | Spotlight

Innovation, imagination and creativity describes mixologist Juyoung Kang

KKorean-American Juyoung Kang started as a bartender but evolved into a mixologist for BLVD Cocktail Company, blending and mixing an array of cocktails.

Her confidence as a mixologist has given her the ability to compete for global competitions in Sin City.

“It’s all about technique and precision,” said Kang, 35-years-old from Pennsylvania.

CompetitionsHer innovation in mixing drinks has led her

to final rounds of competition. Earlier in this year, Kang competed in the Bombay Sapphire World’s Most Imaginative Bartender program, a global bartending competition which celebrates the power of imagination in cocktail making. She creates a homemade concoction she calls Fireball, a perfect fall cocktail for those who enjoy heat in their libations.

“The learning curve is high but I’m working hard for high volume with quality,” Kang said.

Gin is one of her preferred alcohols for cocktails. Since the beginning of her career, she has tested about 800 cocktail recipes. One of her wishes is formatting all her recipes in a digital format. Back in 2013, she wrote 50 recipes. Counting in her head, she’s created a handful for BLVD Cocktail Company.

“June was knowledgeable, great to hear her experiences and stories,” said Filipino American Rhodora Reyes, a frequent visitor to Las Vegas.

Last August, Bombay Sapphire Gin crowned Kang as “Las Vegas’ Most Imaginative Bartender at the spirit’s annual competitions, presented by

GQ Magazine and the United States Bartenders’ Guild. Kang competed against 11 of the most creative bartenders, 10 from Nevada and one from New Mexico at the competitions, held at LAVO Restaurant and Lounge, located at the Palazzo Resort Hotel and Casino. Kang presented her cocktail called The Lacy Fizz, a twist on the classic Gin Fizz.

Career directionBorn and raised in Philadelphia, she also

lived in Los Angeles until she found herself in Las Vegas four years ago. In Los Angeles, Kang worked for the Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills and Thompson Hotels Beverly Hills. She did not plan a career as a bartender or mixologist. Initially, she pursued a career as a dentist, then considered a law career. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Media Arts with concentrations in Marketing, Business Law and Photography, graduated from Temple University. In fact, she played a major role in assisting the production of six student films for local and major film festivals.

But during college, while working part-time jobs, she found her calling as bartender, starting in private clubs that required white glove service. Her gigs led to places such as the Laundry Room, the secret speakeasy inside Commonwealth, and Comme Ca at the Cosmopolitan.

CocktailsWhen someone wants to try a new cocktail,

Kang quizzes her customers for precise categories, including tropical, fruit or refreshing.

Mary Jeneverre SchultzAsian Avenue magazine

9Inside Story | asian avenue magazine 9 Spotlight | asian avenue magazine

Once she figures out what the patron wants, she creates the libation from scratch.

“I want them to try something cool and blow your mind about the drink,” said Kang, who regular bar patrons call her June.

Thinking of concoctions, she recommends honey water as a cure for all in colds, sore throats and congestion. She also shares natural ingredients are surprising pieces of her cocktails such as lavender, ginger beer and fire water.

“It’s mildly sweet but not overpowering,” she said.

She matches drinks with scents and tastes.

Some of her unusual scents include tobacco vanilla. She’s also mixed teas such as Ceylon black tea and Earl’s Grey to create a new way of drinking Long Island Iced Teas.

“A good cocktail includes six ingredients, including the garnish,” said Kang, adding volume is a consideration when mixing drinks in Vegas.

Reyes agreed by sharing cocktails was delicious. “She seems to know what her customers would enjoy for the evening,” she said.

BLVD Cocktail Company

BLVD Cocktail Company, categorized as a prohibition bar, sits near LINQ, one of the newest casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. Kang, an eager learner, expressed excitement in reaching her potential as a mixologist in one of the newest bars in Sin City.

The sleek 2,400-square foot lounge highlights amazing talent from around the world while showcasing unique cocktails in a scintillating atmosphere.

Visit Juyong Kang at BLVD Cocktail Company at 3535 South Las Vegas Blvd, just outside the LINQ Casino.

William Schoolcraft, MD • Eric Surrey, MD • Debra Minjarez, MD Robert Gustofson, MD • Jennifer Brown, MD

For more information call 720-873-6243 or visit our website today at: www.ColoEggDonor.com

When I moved to Colorado in ‘99 through my Japanese friend.

Because that is the only store run by Jap-anese (Japanese American) family. Small but there are everything Japanese cooking needs and the quality of vegetable and fish are meet-ing Japanese expectation.

Old neighborhood grocer feel. Rooted in the Japanese community.

Since the early years of Sakura Square, Pacific Mercantile remains a familiar sight to generations of Denver families, who enjoy Asian cuisines.

Three generations of family ownership has evolved into a community staple among Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Island-ers in downtown Denver, marking 2014 as the 70th year of operation.

“We thrived in this community because we have been around so long,” said Jolie Nogu-chi, one of the three family member owners of this grocery store, specializing in Asian food and produce.

HistoryNoguchi credits the welcoming attitude

of Governor Ralph Carr for her grandfather, George Iniai to re-start his family enterprise at the corners of 19th and Lawrence Streets with a square footage of 8,000. Even Carr influ-enced Iniai in naming the store. Initially, Iniai believed Nippon Market would be a suitable

title for the grocery store. However, Carr en-couraged him to take a more generic name to encourage a bigger customer base to include Caucasians.

Reminiscing her grandfather’s way of cus-tomer service, Noguchi retells stories of how he personally delivered 80 pounds of rice to busy farmers and families to places such as Brighton and Longmont. Because of Noguchi’s grandfather’s customer service, the customer base evolved into a loyal and thriving base.

Through the Urban Renewal Project, the family enterprise built an Asian enclave where people of any race, creed or color could live or come to shop, said Noguchi.

“The Issei’s (first generation) were such a huge part of our community because they were loyal to each other and our businesses,” Nogu-chi said. “They were great at keeping the Asian community together.”

Noguchi’s eighty-six year-old mom works as the store’s accountant, still using the old-school method of paper instead of computer tracking. Sitting on the second floor of the store, Noguchi’s mom observes newcomers and foodies enter the store trying to find unique Asian ingredients.

Loyalty has extended to employees. The gro-cery store employs a worker, who has been with the company for 40 years. The female employ-ee, who drives from Fort Collins, works one day a week because she loves working here.

Noguchi’s grandfather sat in front of Pacif-

ic Mercantile even when he lost his eyesight, greeting regulars and customers entering the grocery store. He died at 101.

Merchandise of Pacific MercantileHard to find ingredients include Okinawan

potatoes, Shiso, daikon, specialty rice brands, sushi grade fish, salty snacks such as fish chips, pickled vegetables, nori and noodles. For local produce, the grocery store taps into surround-ing farms such as Tagakawa and Kyoto.

The family enterprise has expanded their in-ventory to include rice cookers, chopsticks, tea sets, sake sets, cookbooks and tools required for creating sushi at home.

Denver resident Shigemi ‘Sherry’ Cree shares why she enjoys shopping at Pacific Mercantile. “Because that is the only store run by Japanese (Japanese American) family. It’s small but there are everything such as Japanese cooking needs and the quality of vegetable and fish are meeting Japanese expectation.”

Community changesNoguchi, along with her brothers, Kyle

Nagai and Keith Nagai, managed the store operations through purchasing, inventory and day-to-day tasks in maintaining the store.

“My brothers and I are Sansei’s (third gen-eration), so we have seen many changes in our community,” Noguchi said. “Our mom, is a Nissei’s (second generation) were great listen-ers, and did what they were told to do.”

Noguchi believes Sakura Square is a corner-stone to keep the heritage alive by annual events to bring generations together and keeping the history alive for future generations.

FutureNoguchi is renovating a space

as a coffee and tea shop that will also serve Asian dessert favor-ites. A local woodworker has assisted in building attractive dis-play cases to showcase lacquer ware, collectible dolls and local art work.

“Sakura Square is family.” said Noguchi. “There have been many changes, from families moving in and out, new busi-nesses, renovations but the bot-tom line is, hopefully, Sakura Square is here to stay. This is our home.”

1010 December 2014 | Inside Story

Pacific Mercantile stands as the flagship of Sakura Square

By Mary Jeneverre Schultz | Asian Avenue magazine

11Inside Story | asian avenue magazine

In December 2011, Li “Chi Chi” Qui, fresh off a plane from Den-mark, started a new life in America. Working as an au pair, she quickly acclimated to life in the United States. “In fact, I did not pick Colora-do. It was my first host family who chose me to be their au pair and I loved the baby, so I accepted their invitation. After having been living here for three years, I fell in love with this city.” says Li.

Her story really starts with her childhood in the Shandong Province in eastern China, located about 250 miles south of Beijing. She group in the city of Zibo and started her college career at Zibo Vocational School, taking a variety of introductory business courses and partici-pating in student government.

Despite living in China’s third most affluent province, Chi Chi dreamed of seeing the world and became an au pair in Denmark. This gave her the opportunity to explore the various cultures in Europe, including trips to France, Germany and Monaco. Her interest in seeing more of the world led her to America.

Though she had moderate English fluency, Chi Chi knew she was not proficient enough to get accepted into a collegiate program in the United States. That’s when she talked to Piyaporn “Fon” Noiwanit about Colorado Heights University, a small non-profit school in south-west Denver. Originally from Thailand, Fon was a friend of another au pair in Chi Chi’s program. Already a CHU student studying Intensive English, Fon encouraged Chi Chi to pursue her dream. Says Chi Chi, “Fon told me CHU could help me to change my visa and the tuition fee

is affordable. So I became interested in CHU and applied.” Chi Chi Li started taking English classes at CHU in fall of 2013 and

quickly improved her English skills. The CHU program is a perfect re-source for an aspiring student, offering daily 4-hour classes that incorpo-rate reading, writing, speaking and listening skills along with traditional English grammar. According to Chi Chi, “The ESL Friday workshop is really good. Students have different problems of their English study, but the workshop helps them to work on their weakest areas.”

In a few months, Chi Chi had improved her fluency enough to qual-ify for admission to the CHU business school. “This is a great place where students help each other and professors offer help as well. No matter which kind of question, there will be always someone to help you to work it out,” she says. But, her favorite aspect of CHU is the diversity. “I love the diversity the most at CHU. I am always interested in different cultures and this is one of the reasons why I started to learn English, because I want to experience different cultures and talk to people from different countries with different backgrounds.”

In May, Chi Chi began earning her BA degree in International Busi-ness. “I plan to finish my study in the USA and then decide where to go next,” says Chi Chi, “After earning my BA, I am planning two di-rections. One is to finish my MBA at CHU, and another one is to study Physical Therapist Assistance.”

No matter which path Li Qui follows, a world of opportunity is opening for her.

A World of Opportunityat Colorado Heights University

3001 S. Federal Blvd, Denver, CO 80236 | Tel: 303-937-4225 | www.chu.edu

PHO MAI RESTAURANT6765 W 120th Avenue| Broomfield, CO 80020

Tel: 303-466-6346 www.facebook.com/phomairestaurant

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is the beloved beef noodle soup that is popping up in restaurants all across Denver. Voted Best Pho restaurant, Pho Mai is modernly founded in 2010 but its deep Vietnamese rooted, and traditional ways of cooking have been a timeless custom passed down through gener-ations of family for countless years. “The love and fine craft we put in to making your food is brought out in every dish we serve and we hope you are able to sense this in every bite you take,” says the restaurant staff.

Dine early for breakfast or during later hours because un-like many traditional pho restaurants, Pho Mai is opened for extended hours as late as 10:00 p.m. everyday. Also more rewarding than most pho houses, Pho Mai has a larger se-lection of menu items full of different styles of noodles and rice plates, not to mention their special house dishes as well.

The family-run restaurant’s mission is to bring its customers together in a relaxing and comfortable atmosphere with fresh fine foods, whether it be a classic bowl of pho or one of Pho Mai’s other authentic dishes.

Best of 2014Best Pho

Best SushiSUSHI SASA

2401 15th Street #80 | Denver, CO 80202Tel: 303-433-7272 | www.sushisasa.com

Within its first year of opening, Sushi Sasa was given the title of Best Sushi Restaurant by Westword, The Rocky Mountain News, and CitySearch—and now Asian Ave-nue magazine!

Sushi Sasa is also one of the 1,500 restaurants to be fea-tured in the Zagat review of top American restaurants. In addition, the Gabby Gourmet listed Sushi Sasa as the only Japanese restaurant that is “to die for”. The restau-rant is described as modern, minimalist Japanese eatery known for sophisticated preparations of fresh sushi.

We polled our readers and the votes are in for the best of 2014. Cheers to the new year!

December 2014 | Cover Story 12

DAE GEE7570 Sheridan Blvd | Arvada, CO 80003Tel: 720-540-0700 | www.daegee.com

Dae Gee (which means pig in Korean) is a Korean BBQ restaurant that provides fresh and dynamic food. Dae Gee believes in progressive thoughtfulness, which means to ed-ucate its patrons about Korean food. On its menu includes several vegetarian dishes including zucchini pancake and tofu soup. Or you are welcome to order the unlimited bar-becue special.

Dae Gee is the integration of food, the arts and experi-ence! The restaurant was so well received in Arvada that it will be opening its second location on Colorado Boulevard in Denver by the end of the year.

YAK AND YETI RESTAURANT AND BREWPUB

7803 Ralston Road | Arvada, CO 80002 Tel: 303-431-9000 | www.theyakandyeti.com

With 4.5 of 5 stars on Yelp, Yak and Yeti Restaurant is most deserving of this year’s Best Indian award. Yak and Yeti features fine Indian food, along with hand-crafted beer, made right on the premises. In Nepal and India, food is an art form that has been passed on from generation to generation, from guru (teach-er) to vidhyarthi (pupil). The cuisine is as rich and di-verse as Nepalese and Indian civilization, encompass-ing a vast scope of traditions and regional variations in taste, color, texture, appearance, and delicacy.

Best Indian

JJ CHINESE RESTAURANT2500 W Alameda Avenue | Denver, CO 80219

Tel: 303-934-8888| www.jjrestaurant.com

Voted for several awards including Top of the Town, Best of Denver and Dining Guide during the past de-cade, JJ Chinese restaurant is among the very best in Denver.

They are the real deal. Chef Kevin Ho, who worked for 20 years as a cook in Guangzhou, China, and Los Ange-les, opened JJ Chinese in December 2002.

The menu includes a number of seafood options as well as dim sum made to order. The small, hard-to-find restaurant is patronized by Chinese-and, increasingly, non-Chinese-customers who hanker for authentic Can-tonese cooking. Seafood is Ho’s specialty, so take him up on it.

Best Korean BBQ

Best Chinese

13Best of 2014 | asian avenue magazine

December 2014 | Cover Story 14

CHOLON MODERN ASIAN BISTRO1555 Blake St. Suite 101 | Denver, CO 80202

Tel: 303-353-5223 | www.cholon.com

ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro’s contemporary southeast Asian menu often reads simply—pork ribs with smoked tamarind bar-becue sauce and green papaya salad, or asparagus and mush-room salad with soy-truffle vinaigrette—but simple it is not. The restaurant, voted for Best Asian Fusion in Denver, is open for lunch Monday to Friday, in addition to dinner nightly. ChoLon will be extending its hours for New Years Eve this year; and they are of-fering the regular menu plus some additional specials, including a foie gras soup dumpling.

Best Asian Fusion

PACIFIC OCEAN MARKETPLACE

6600 W. 120th Ave| Broomfield, CO 80020Tel: 303-410-8168

www.pacificoceanmarket.com

Pacifc Ocean Marketplace first opened in Denver in 1989. Voted the best Asian supermar-ket of 2014 is its second location in Broomfield which opened in 2005. The supermarket is known for its authentic, Pan-Asian ingredients from Chi-na, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, the Philip-pines, and beyond.

Pacific Ocean Marketplace is one of the leading providers of fresh seafood throughout Colorado and metro Denver. Take a look at one of their tanks and select your favorite lobster, Dungeness crab, oysters, or more! And taste the difference.

In addition to selling produce, bakery goods, deli meats and vegetarian items, the market provides Chinese herbal medicine and home-ware including Chinese bowls and chopsticks.

On December 6, 2014, they will celebrate the grand opening of their Aurora locations, off Mississippi Avenue and Peoria Street. No mat-ter which location you choose, the Lam family would like to welcome you to their stores.

Best Asian Supermarket

Best in a TV SeriesSTEVEN YEUNWalking Dead - AMC

Who better to watch your back during the zombie apocalypse than Steven Yuen? Yuen better known as Glenn Rhee, his character on the hit TV show The Walk-ing Dead, has become an icon in zombie fandom.

The South Korean-born American is now on his fifth season of The Walking Dead and has made appearances on several other shows. Each new episode has Yuen’s fans watching anxiously to see if he is next on the zombie hit list, but with his popular-ity, its very unlikely he will depart any time soon. Or will he?

Best YouTube Channel WONG FU PRODUCTIONSPhilip Wang, Wesley Chan, Ted Fu

The Three Amigos of the American filmmaking group, Wong Fu Productions is com-posed of Wesley Chan, Ted Fu, and Philip Wang. Since their first major short film, Yel-low Fever, in January of 2006 they have produced a whirlwind of productions and gained global popularity.

The group has produced full length films and hundreds of shorts and music videos for artists like David Choi. Their videos range from romance to comedic mockumenta-ries, which have accumulated over 1.9 million subscribers and over 283 million views. They also organize events and concerts and tour the country speaking to students.

Best of 2014 | asian avenue magazine 15

Best YouTube Musician KINA GRANNISSinger, Guitarist

Kina Kasuya Grannis, half Japanese and half European American, is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who was the winner of the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. As a result of winning, she earned a recording contract with Interscope Records and had her music vid-eo played during the commercials of Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008. She has since boomed on YouTube with dozens of hit music videos and songs.

Readers‘ ChoiceFAVORITE ASIAN ANIMAL...The Giant Panda

Giant pandas live in the moun-tains of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. They once lived in lowland areas, but farming, forest clearing, and other development now restrict giant pandas to the mountains. It is easily recognized by the large, distinctive black patches around its eyes, over the ears, and across its round body.

ASIAN COUNTRY THEY’D MOST LIKE TO TRAVEL TO...Japan

Japan is an archipelago of 6,852 islands with the world’s tenth-larg-est population of over 126 million people. Honshū’s Greater Tokyo Area, which includes the capital of Tokyo and several surrounding prefectures, is the largest metro-politan area in the world, with over 30 million residents. 10,364,000 tourists visited Japan in 2013.

ASIAN LANGUAGE THEY MOST WANT TO LEARN...Tagalog

Tagalog is the languages of the Philippines. The vocabulary is composed mostly of words of na-tive Austronesian origin. However it has a significant number Spanish loanwords.

December 2014 | Feature 16

A Look at 2014Can you say Sriracha? According to market research firm Eu-

romonitor. since 2000, the sales of the hot sauce has grown 150 percent, which is more than that of BBQ sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard combined.

January 29, 2014Satya Nadella, an Indian-American,

was appointed as CEO of Microsoft, succeeding Steve Ballmer.

Before becoming CEO of Microsoft, Nadella was Executive Vice President of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group, responsible for building and running the company’s Computing Platforms, Developer Tools and Cloud Computing Services.

February 4, 2014Robert Lopez and his wife, Kristen

Anderson-Lopez, claimed the Oscar for best original song for “Let It Go,” which they wrote for the hit Disney musical “Frozen.” The award makes Lopez the first Filipino American ever to win an Oscar and aslo one of only 12 EGOTs — people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

March 2, 2014

To mark Women’s History Month, two Asian American women pioneers, Grace Lee Boggs and Yuri Kochiyama, were featured in an article published in the News Tribune.

Boggs (left) has spent her life advocat-ing for civil and labor rights. She is still active and passionate at the age of 98. Kochiyama (right) is a strong supporter of nuclear disarmament, Asian Ameri-can and women’s rights at the age of 92.

March 12, 2014The poet wins the Pulitzer.Vijay Seshadri has become the first

Asian American ever to win the Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category.

His book 3 Sections was hailed by the Pulitzer Committee as “a compelling collection of poems that examine human consciousness, from birth to dementia, in a voice that is by turns witty and grave, compassionate and remorseless.”

April 15, 2014Michelle Wie won her first ma-

jor championship, winning the U.S. Women’s Open by two strokes at Pine-hurst, NC.

The 24-year old Wie has put enor-mous pressure on herself, choosing to play against the men earlier on in her career. “I’m so grateful for this oppor-tunity. There are moments of doubt. At the same time, I had so many people around me…never lost faith in me and pushed me forward.” She said.

June 23, 2014

A Look at 2014 | asian avenue magazine 17

A Look at 2014

Jose Antonio Vargas was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and held for much of the day af-ter trying to leave a Texas border town without a valid U.S. visa.

Vargas, perhaps the best-known un-documented immigrant in America, had gone to South Texas amid a border crisis that prompted the White House to request $3.7 billion in emergency fund-ing. He was unaware when he traveled to Texas of the extensive checkpoints in the area and let immigration authorities finally caught up with him.

July 15, 2014Linsanity lives on in LA!Jeremy Lin was introduced to the media

and Lakers fans with the team revealing he’ll wear No. 17 for Lakers this season.

Lin wore No. 17 in his unexpected breakout season with the New York Knicks back in 2011-12. The Linsanity era was one of excitement and scrutiny as Lin went from a relative unknown to a star.

July 24, 2014The U.S. Department of Education

projects that for the first time, K-12 stu-dents of color will comprise a larger per-centage of public school students than white students.

Out of 50 million projected public school students, 49.7 percent will be white, while 50.3 percent will be Afri-can American, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Alas-kan, and multiracial.

September 2, 2014

LED bulbs light up our lives. Japanese American Shuji Nakamura

along with his two colleagues from Ja-pan won the Nobel Prize for Physics of this year.

The trio developed blue light-emit-ting diodes in the 1990s which made the LED bulbs possible.

October 7, 2014Olympic Gold Medalist Kyla Ross

has won her first gold medal in Worlds in Nanning, China.

It was the second straight gold medal for the United States, becoming the first team to win back to back champion-ships in a decade. Ross led off for Team USA in three of four events.

October 12, 2014Let’s get political!After 2014 election, twelve elected

Asian Americans will serve in the next Congress beginning in 2015. The num-ber is a new record and does not include two Asian Americans who are non-vot-ing members from U.S. territories. (See this issue’s National News for details.)

November 5, 2014

December 2014 | Legal Column 18

About HARRY BUDISIDHARTAHarry received his law degree from the University of Colorado Law School. He has his own

law firm and is the current president of the Mile High chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organization in the United

States. Contact him at harry@denverfirm.com

Harry would like to thank Anthony Bowman from Asian Americans Advancing Justice for his help in drafting this column and for the background information regarding VRA and VRAA.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek Massacre, a very dark chapter in our nation’s history.

In the summer of 1864, Colorado Territorial Gov-ernor John Evans issued a proclamation asking “the friendly Indians of the Plains” to come to Fort Lyon so that they could negotiate a peace treaty between the Plains Indians and the U.S. government. Responding to the proclamation, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes went to Fort Lyon and were told to establish a camp at Sand Creek. They were also told to fly the US flag to indicate their peaceful nature and to wait for the arrival of the peace delegation. The tribes complied with the U.S. government’s requests.

Instead of a peace delegation, the Colorado Terri-tory militia arrived at Sand Creek on November 29, 1864. Even though they knew that the tribes were there on a peaceful mission, the soldiers proceed-ed to slaughter around 200 tribal members, most of whom were women, children, and elderly. Not satisfied with the massacre, Colonel John Chiving-ton, ordered his men to scalp the dead and he later paraded the body parts of the dead Indians through the streets of Denver.

However, two officers, Captain Silas Soule and Lieutenant Joseph Cramer, refused to obey Chiv-ington’s order and told their men to hold fire. After the massacre, both of them wrote letters to various elected officials in Colorado asking them to inves-tigate the massacre and prosecute the perpetrators. The letters were circulated in Washington, D.C.,

and investigations into the massacre were opened by the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the Tribes, and an army commission. All of them came to the same conclusion: Sand Creek was a massacre of the Plains Indians who were under the protection of the U.S. government.

The Joint Committee on the Conduct of War forcefully condemned the massacre and declared that, “[Chivington] deliberately planned and exe-cuted a foul and dastardly massacre… having full knowledge of their friendly character, having him-self been instrumental to some extent in placing them in their position of fancied security, he took advantage of their in-apprehension and defence-less position to gratify the worst passions that ever cursed the heart of man.” Sadly, no charges were ever brought against Chivington or any of the sol-diers that committed the massacre.

The site of the massacre is now preserved by the National Park Service. On November 7, 2000, Pres-ident Clinton signed Public Law 106-465 creating the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site.

On November 29, 2014, members of the Chey-enne and Arapahoe tribes held a spiritual healing run/walk to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Sand Creek massacre. The healing run/walk will start at the Sand Creek Massacre National Histor-ic Site and end on the west steps of Colorado State Capitol. Everyone is welcome to attend. Find more information at www.SandCreekMassacre150.com.

150th anniversary of the

SAND CREEK MASSACRE in Colorado

A 1936 painting by western artist Robert Lindneux depicts the Sand

Creek Massacre.

The site, on Big Sandy Creek in Kiowa County, is now preserved by

the National Park Service.

Op-Ed | asian avenue magazine 19

LLet’s address an issue head on about the perceived quality of commu-nity colleges.

Let’s open a dialogue regarding preconceived notions about commu-nity college education being judged subpar, or consider the notion that neighbors, friends and family will perceive attending a community col-lege to start a student’s post high school educational journey as somehow a “defeat” – that the immediate and continued four-year pathway to a bachelor’s degree is the only option one should consider.

That opinion is perfectly valid for some, just as there likely will be no changing of minds among certain segments about what should represent the only appropriate step within the higher education path.

But here’s a case that one size fits all shouldn’t be for everyone, particu-larly in what is for many tight economic times, and especially when there’s a smart option that exists right here within the neighborhoods of Aurora.

For a moment, set aside whatever stigma about community colleges to which you may adhere, if any.

The facts are that Community College of Aurora offers cutting-edge programs, and instructors with workforce experience and masters or doctoral degrees.

At CCA, students determined to take the pathway towards a bache-lor’s degree can accumulate credits for core curriculum necessary for a multitude of majors at four-year colleges but do the preparatory work while paying a fraction of the cost of taking comparable classes with similarly qualified instructors at a four-year university.

In fact, there may be advantages to starting at CCA before completing a four-year degree. And, in the end, the diploma from the university of one’s choice still can be hung on the wall.

CollegeAtlas.org cited several recent studies that found students at-tending community colleges more often participate in classroom discus-sions, and receive more individual interaction and direct feedback from faculty than their university peers. Class schedules are flexible, for those planning on working and attending school.

Still, the bottom line in making any educational choice for the first two years of study is whether the college delivers the kinds of expertise in teaching and commitment to learning that will allow students to succeed.

CCA sets a high bar in academic rigor, quality, and innovation, and should be considered on its own merits.

The first two years of study in STEM fields such as Engineering, Math and Computer Science stand alone in their quality, as do courses that in-clude the Calculus sequence, Organic Chemistry and Physics. Many stu-dents, some already earning degrees, come to CCA specifically to enter its Science program to prepare them for graduate-level health care programs.

The excellence of the college’s science curriculum also has resulted in a partnership with the University of Colorado College of Nursing, allowing students to begin at CCA and complete a four-year degree at CU through a dual-admission process.

Each year, an Experimental Design Class has a project sponsored by the Colorado Space Grant Consortium that takes students through most of the steps of a real NASA mission. The same stepladder approach of planning, testing, and designing is conducted, and critiqued by working

scientists in the field, before student teams launch their payloads nearly 100,000 feet into the atmosphere. The entire endeavor is meant to train the next generation of scientists and engineers so that they’re employable at NASA or by similar contractors.

But there is a wide array of programs available that will expand minds and horizons, whether a job, language proficiency, or a head start on advanced degrees are goals. Among the options:

• Translation and Interpretation. Functionally bilingual individuals can in a minimum of two semesters prepare to be part of a field that, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, is undergoing 42 percent growth during the decade starting in 2010 and qualifies as one of the 15 fastest-growing industries in the nation. Speakers of Russian, French, Amharic, Arabic, Spanish, Somali, and others already have completed the program. But anyone with foreign language proficiency skill can par-ticipate, be it Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese or a slew of African dialects.

• The Colorado Film School. The rigorous professional training envi-ronment students receive in acting, directing, screenwriting, cinematog-raphy and more is impeccable. CFS continuously is voted one of the top 25 film schools in the world by Hollywood Reporter and was identified by International Cinematographers Guild (ICG) Magazine as one of the “superlative” film programs in the nation.

• College ESL: CCA is one of two state programs in which students automatically qualify to enter regular college classes at CCA once they’ve completed the ESL course sequence. Other colleges require an extra step. For an immigrant population that wants to get back to a pro-fessional job perhaps held previously, CCA is positioned well to help smooth that transition back into the workforce, since no college entrance exams are required for admission, while students also receive the benefit of small, low-cost classes.

• Concurrent enrollment: The program provides free college credit during high school, saving time, money, and reflecting well on student applications to four-year schools. CCA has agreements with all Auro-ra Public Schools, Cherry Creek School District (except Cherry Creek H.S.) and far Denver northeast schools in the Montbello and Green Val-ley Ranch neighborhoods.

And participating in these, and other programs, in a cost-efficient manner doesn’t equate to “cheap” or merely “getting what you pay for.” It’s not just economical – it’s smart.

At CCA, full-time enrollment of 12 credit hours, after Colorado Op-portunity Fund deductions, costs $1,521.95 in tuition and fees (based on fall numbers). Comparing one’s first two years at CCA before transfer-ring to a four-year institution can mean a substantially reduced financial burden versus other in-state colleges: University of Colorado-Denver ($7,448.20 savings), Colorado State University ($10.390), University of Colorado (11,432.20) and University of Denver (9,008.20).

That doesn’t factor in the financial commitment associated with the final two years, or more, it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree.

So before considering one-size-fits-all, give CCA a second glance.The possibilities at hand can be found by visiting CCA in person at

Lowry or CentreTech or on the web at www.ccaurora.edu.

By Lee Rasizer, Community College of Aurora

December 2014 | On Scene 20

On November 17, Sibol, a CU Denver stu-dent and alumni organization had their very first Kamayan at Auraria Campus. The orga-nization was founded in 2011 from the grass root efforts of students Allison Riley, Rebecca Elmore, Javier San Andres and Lester Knight. All four are of Filipino descent.

Sibol is a Filipino word that means growth or sprout of bloom. The organization aims to grow and mentor community-oriented and ethi-cal leaders who live a legacy of positive impact to the community; united by a passion for Fili-pino culture and values. To date, the organiza-tion has 33 members.

The idea of Kamayan came from one of the co-founders, Elmore. She read an article about a Filipino restaurant called “Jeepney” in New York City, and the owner’s passion to share Fil-ipino food unabashed. According to the owner,

typical Filipino restaurants tend to serve only “white-approved” foods such as lumpia and pancit, but there is a reluctance in serving foods such as dinuguan or eating with your hands.

“With that in mind, Sibol decided to make a statement and share something different with Auraria Campus. We decided to share and highlight Kamayan as a practice that we are proud of,” Elmore said.

The event was attended by 75 guests from different student organizations as well as orga-nizations outside the campus.

The history of Kamayan was presented by Dr. Faye Caronan, Sibol’s student organization advisor who is also an assistant professor of Asian American studies at CU Denver.

Caronan cited Kamayan as a pre-colonial practice by the Filipino, during meals prior to the Spanish colonization in the early 1500s. Before the Spaniards’ introduction of utensils with the use of spoons and forks, Filipinos used their hands to bring the food in their mouth.

Sibol takes pride in being able to share this experience to its guests not only through wit-nessing, but through live participation. Guests ate with their bare hands and enjoyed the food that was served on banana leaves. The menu included rice, lechon (roasted pork), fried tila-pia, chicken barbeque, shrimp, lumpia, atchara (grated papaya) and halo-halo for dessert.

The event was catered by one of Denver’s notable Filipino food trucks, “The Orange Crunch,” and was generously funded by the Student Government Association and CU Den-ver President’s Diversity Fund. Some special Filipino dances were performed by the danc-ers from the Filipino-American Community of Colorado.

The organization is hoping to make it an an-nual event. Sibol holds its membership meet-ings every Monday at 5:30 p.m. at Tivoli 440 on Auraria Campus. For more information, you can like them and send them a message at www.facebook.com/sibolauraria.

Aurelia J. Grinstead National Federation of Filipino American Association

Photos by Sabrina Rontanini

The annual Denver Veterans Day Parade was held this year on November 8, 2014. Over 2,000 participants formed into various serials that represented each major American military conflict, while 4,500 spectators cheered on. The official party for the parade this year was led by Mr. George “Joe” Sakato, accompanied by his daughter Leslie, and transported by Mr. Gordon Calahan.

Sakato rode the parade route in a 1944 Wil-lys Model MB Jeep w/cargo trailer. Calahan, the jeep owner, and himself a veteran of the Colorado National Guard, is a member of the Military Vehicle Collectors of Colorado.

“November 8th was a day where we, as a grateful citizenry, stopped to pay the appropri-ate respect to our veterans. Having Mr. Sakato and Leslie lead our official party, in a vintage World War II vehicle, really added depth to the whole experience. We are extremely grateful to Mr. Sakato and Leslie for spending this time with us,” said Byron Elliott, Vice-President of

Colorado Veterans Project and Parade Chair.Sakato was born in Colton California. He

was 20 years old when Pearl Harbor brought the US into WWII. He distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on October 29, 1944, on hill 617 in the vicinity of Biffontaine, France.

The Military Vehicle Collectors of Colorado (MVCC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of vintage historical mili-tary vehicles from all periods, conflicts, wars and countries.

The MVCC participates in approximately 35 events throughout the year with our vehicles, uniforms and equipment, including parades, pa-triotic and charity events, and static displays. The MVCC supports many military and veterans or-ganizations, and military related charities.

Byron ElliottColorado Veterans Project

Students host first Kamayan event at Auraria Campus

George Sakato rides in Veterans Day Parade

National News | asian avenue magazine 21

12 Asian Americans to Serve in Next Congress

Ted Lieu is the new elected U.S. Senator of California. He was born in Taipei,

Taiwan. His family immigrated to Cleveland, Ohio, where he grew up. Before 2014 elec-tion, he was a Democratic Party California State Senator, represented the 28th Senate District.

Reaction from Asian American civil rights groups remains negative to the

grand jury decision not to prosecute Officer Darren Wilson in the killing of Michael Brown.

Many called for a national dialogue on rac-ism and a Department of Justice inquiry into the matter.

“We continue to urge the Department of Jus-tice (DOJ) to robustly pursue its investigation into Michael Brown’s death, as well as the Fer-guson Police Department’s policing practices,” said a statement from South Asian Americans Leading Together. “The importance of reform-ing the DOJ’s guidance on racial profiling has never been more urgent, and we continue to

Twelve Asian Americans will serve in the next Congress beginning in 2015. The

number is a new record and one more than 2014. That number does not include two Asian Americans who are non-voting members from US territories.

The new names are California State Sen-ator Ted Lieu (D) who defeated Republican Elan Carr by 58 – 42 percent and State House of Representatives Mark Takai (D) of Hawaii who won 52 -48 percent over Charles Djou.

All the other Asian American incumbents won. They are:

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA),Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL),Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY),Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA),Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA),Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA),Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA),Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) andRep. Mike Honda (D-HI).U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) was

elected last year.There are two additional AAPI members of

Congress if you count the non-voting members from U.S. Territories. They are Gregorio Kili-li Camacho Sablan and newly elected Aumua Amata Radewagen. Non-voting delegates are elected to two year terms. While they do not have a vote in the full Congress, they are enti-tled to vote in committee.

Jeremy Lin Quietly Having Career Year For Laker

Lin isn’t at the New York Knicks/Linsan-ity levels, but that’s not necessarily a

bad thing. Lin is playing a much smarter game than he has in the past and he’s being a lot more choosy about the shots he’s taking. It’s no coin-cidence that he’s putting up career highs in field goal shooting (.490), 3-point shooting (.383) and effective field goal percentage (.552).

Over Lin’s last four games, he’s playing at his season average with 30.5 minutes per game, but his production is up. Lin is averaging 16.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals while shooting 56 percent from the field. Those might not be Hall-of-Fame numbers, but they’re excellent and would be welcomed by about 25 teams in the league.

Indian American Becomes One of the Youngest Lawmakers in the US

Asian Americans Call for National Dialogue on Race Post-Ferguson

23-year old Niraj Antani is one of the youngest lawmakers in the coun-

try. The law school student was selected as the replacement Republican nominee for the Ohio State House of Representatives after his friend, mentor and incumbent, Terry Blair, died in June.

In the election Antani defeated Democrat Patrick Morris.

“As the person who is the second Indian American state elected official in Ohio history, I believe that the Indian American community enriches our society,” he said. “The Repub-lican Party needs to work to bring everyone into our party.”

Antani says he became interested in pol-itics after being admitted into the Washing-ton Leadership Program which matches In-dian Americans to internships in the nation’s Capitol.

Mark Takai is the new elected U.S. House of Representatives representing

the 1st district of Hawaii. He was a four-time High School Swimming Champion and a High School All-American Swimmer. Before 2014 election, he has served in the Hawaii state leg-islature from 1994 to 2014.

call on DOJ to swiftly reform the guidance to meaningfully protect all communities against law enforcement profiling.”

The Council on American Islamic Relations or CAIR called for a national dialogue on race.

“The tragedy in Ferguson makes it imper-ative that Americans of all races and back-grounds initiate national action to address the issues of systemic racism and police profiling that the shooting brought to the surface.

“We urge all Americans to contact their elected officials to urge passage of the End Ra-cial Profiling Act (ERPA) and any similar leg-islation that addresses unconstitutional actions by American law enforcement.”

December 2014 | Feature 22

What happened?Thirty years ago, Laotian immigrants settled

and called Colorado home and together they built the Lao Buddhist Temple (LBT) of Den-ver. They built a community.

However, on December 5, 2011, the Laotian community lost everything that they had built due to a fire that engulfed the main building, as commonly referred to as the Sala.

If that was not the worst news that the com-munity could endure, shortly after the fire, their beloved Venerable Monk, to which the namesake of the temple is named for, Wat Lao Sidaounnaram, was diagnosed with brain tu-mor and eventually succumbed to his deterio-rating health.

What would become of the Laotian community and its temple now that trag-edy has struck and seemingly hope and faith would be lost?

What happened after?All hope and faith was not lost however.

Nearly three years after the fire, a group of community volunteers and professionals have teamed up to form the LBT Rebuild team and accomplished some major milestones in the re-build process. Just a week before Thanksgiving 2014, and less than six months after the city of Westminster’s unanimous vote in favor of the Temple’s planning and development submis-sion, an approval of Permit for Construction had been granted and the community can final-ly break ground and rebuild.

“In the aftermath of destruction and tragedy,

a community came together, formed a strong bond, a strong team, and made it a point to work together as a team, to rebuild, bigger and more beautiful than ever, something that our community and the city of Westminster can be

proud of,” said Emmy Thammasine, lead de-signer and lifelong community member.

The outpour of so many volunteer’s time

and dedication to rebuild portrays the impor-tance of community: without a temple, there is no community, and without a community, there is no future and no identity for the future Lao generations growing up in Colorado.

The teamWith a plentitude of skillful and talented pro-

fessionals within the community, architects, de-signers, engineers, accountants, administrators and project managers stepped up to the plate to volunteer and take on the responsibilities and leadership roles of a design and construction project. Being that each and every volunteer has a full-time job and a family, finding extra time to dedicate to another “full-time job” of rebuilding would prove to be challenging.

However, time never became an issue. Fam-ily, friends and the community understood the importance of rebuilding project and gave full support to the volunteers. Their continued sup-port and understanding makes them a critical part of the team.

The “Rebuild Team” consist of Sunnie Gist, Emmy Thammasine, Tom Pong, Thinh Nguy-en, Pat Panpradith, Jack Yui Phommatha, Dar-ren Gist.

Inspired to design and designed to inspire

Inspiration and design comes in many shapes and forms. The inspiration of this com-munity grew out of disaster and tragedy. Their

Sunnie GistLao Buddhist Temple Rebuild Team

For more information or to donate to the Lao Buddhist

Temple, contact Sunnie Gist at lbt.rebuildteam@gmail.com.

Lao Buddhist TempleInspired to Design and Designed to Inspire

The Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver burned down on December 5, 2011. The Laotian community has rallied together to rebuild the temple with an inspirational design.

Lao Buddhist Temple | asian avenue magazine 23

inspiration has led to hard work and a beauti-ful design. The design, in turn, was meant to inspire: inspiring the future Lao generations to preserve the Laotian culture and the teachings of Buddhism.

The design intent was to narrate the past, beautify the present and inspire the future. The past is an architectural style of French Colonial Architecture combined with design elements that tells the story of Buddhism. The sweep-ing curved roof creates a dramatic sensation, reaching up to the skies, mimicking the ma-jestic flatirons in the background as it rises up towards the sky.

Exaggerated overhangs of the roof not only add to the dramatic sensation, but also provide

shaded relief and protection from the ever changing Colorado weather. The colors are vi-brant as it incorporates traditional color sym-bology of Buddhism.

Every detail of the building draws inspira-tion from traditional Lao Buddhist Temples, from the ornate door and window surrounds to the profiles of the base and materials. The building is really simply a blank canvas for an artist to create inspired artwork. Artwork, whether it is mural paintings or wooden sculp-tures, represents the beautification of the pres-ent and opens the door to the future.

What was erected thirty years ago on this site was done so with limited resources, educa-tion and money. Many Laotian immigrants at

that time came to America with little to nothing but with much faith, heart, soul and a single vi-sion of creating a bright future for the children, they built a community. The community today, armed with higher education, more resources, newer technologies and money, has a golden opportunity to rebuild, re-strengthen, and re-plenish a culture and community that was re-duced to ashes. Looking forward, the possibil-ities are limitless for the Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver and its community.

The vision becoming reality is near. The team and the community are excited. The city of Westminster is excited. The permit has been ob-tained and something beautiful is about to hap-pen. Let’s go Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver!

Lao Buddhist TempleInspired to Design and Designed to Inspire

Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver Rebuild Team

Design for the new Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver

Lao Buddhist Temple New Years

Eve Celebration

Wednesday December 316pm to 1am

The Event Center At Church Ranch10200 Wadsworth Blvd. #OLDE

Westminster, Colorado 80021Admission: $15 for adult 18+

$10 for children 13-17 | Free for 12 & underFor more info, contact

Vanh Prakhine at 303-204-3009.

Lao Buddhist Temple of Denver is hosting a night of fun, food, friends, family this New Years Eve. Plan your night and

join the fun. All proceeds will benefit the Lao Buddhist Temple Fire Relief Fund to

rebuild the temple.

There will be traditional Lao snacks for sale, live band, dancing, cash bar, raffles

and a photo booth to take home a souvenir of the night.

Don’t miss out.

December 2014 | Denver Museum of Nature and Science 24

The Silk Road comes to life for visitors as they travel 5,700 miles east to west through five cities that were flourishing at the time of this historic trade route.

JOIN THE CAMEL CARAVAN, introduction The Bactrian camel was the “ship of the desert” that carried people and goods

along the Silk Road. Camels have astonishing adaptations, including the capacity to conserve water and go up to 15 days without a drink.

• Life-size camel models are decked out in full caravan regalia and loaded with trade goods.

• Colorful maps reveal the routes of the Silk Road, and Facts for the Traveler answers questions about the rigors of the journey.

XI’AN, the imperial city of China’s Tang Dynasty The demand for silk transformed Xi’an into a cosmopolitan urban capital and

the largest city in the world at the time with more than a million inhabitants.• A display of live silkworms reveals the once carefully guarded secrets of seri-

culture (raising worms to make silk). Threads from many cocoons are twisted together by hand to form a single thread for weaving.

• A massive replica of a Tang-era loom is 7.5 feet high and still only 80 percent the size of a full-scale loom.

• A display of instruments accompanies an interactive that allows visitor to “play” individual instruments or several at once to create a traditional Chinese tune.

TURFAN, a central Asian oasis between the Gobi and Taklimakan deserts Turfan was famous for its exotic markets, vineyards and wine, and complex

irrigation system that provided life-giving water for its people and crops.• A re-creation of an enticing night market overflows with goods—sapphires,

silks, jades and rubies, leopard furs and peacock feathers, and fruits and spices—and with sounds, such as snorting camels and haggling merchants.

• A sampling of heady fragrances of patchouli, jasmine, and rosewater, and the aromas of clove, turmeric, and nutmeg recalls the success of the Silk Road.

• Take-home recipe cards feature a spiced date treat that travelers might have eaten.

• A reproduction of the karez water system shows why Turfan thrived.

SAMARKAND, a cosmopolitan city of merchants Located in today’s Uzbekistan, Samarkand was a major trading center for caravan

merchants who were indispensable in the transfer of goods, ideas, and religious be-liefs. The city was also a center for fine papermaking and luxury metalwork.

• An animated book presents tales that travelers might have told along the routes, such as “The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs” and “The Lion and the Hare.”

• An interactive tabletop map invites visitors to discover links among cultures, technology, and geography, revealing some surprising connections.

• Historic paper artifacts from the era range from a Chinese woodblock print of a Buddhist prayer to a Koran page. There are also precious metal pieces, including raw silver ore and a Persian coin that is 1,800 to 1,900 years old.

There’s no need to travel halfway around the world to acquire goods from the distant lands of the Silk Road. A themed Silk Road Bazaar offers exotic items large and small for sale—from tea to textiles and from spices to silk.

Traveling The Silk RoadDenver Museum of Nature and Science presents

Denver Museum of Nature and ScienceNovember 21, 2014 - May 3, 2015

2001 Colorado Blvd. | Denver, CO 80205 | 303-370-6000 www.dmns.org/traveling-the-silk-road

Open Every Day 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Gallery 1261 | asian avenue magazine 25

This winter, Gallery 1261, Denver CO, presents East and East – Alternative Visions, a landmark exhibition dedicated to

contemporary master painters Quang Ho and Vincent Xeus. The exhibition will be on display from December 12, 2014 to

January 24, 2015. This exhibition offers a once-in-a-generation survey on two of the most imaginative and groundbreaking

artists.

Quang Ho’s works have declared themselves an indispensable part of the contemporary art landscape. He places the mas-tery of “basic visual elements” at the center of his endeavor,

embedding wordless intuition and inspiration. The last time audiences were treated with a large-scale Quang Ho exhibi-

tion was in 2009. East and East – Alternative Visions includes some 20 new works from him, most of which have not been

on display.

In the last several years, master veteran artist Quang Ho has used a wide variety of styles and impulses to develop new

visual ideas and concepts such as “figures in empty space” and the “concept of weightlessness”. His latest highly charged, sty-listically disparate work includes floating nudes, disappearing

still life, and glazed monotone head studies. These works are united by a singular approach – momentary explorations.

Xeus earned widespread fame through his enigmatic, emotionally compelling figurative works. With astonishing

sensibility, Xeus examines and visually transforms contrasting human emotions and experiences. He is producing near 15

new works for the exhibition. This group of paintings brings together two significant strands of Xeus’ identity, his Chinese

cultural heritage and his constant desire to test traditions.

Known for his Old Masters-like capabilities and daring visions, Xeus often dislocates and alters familiar imagery to

“break conventional barriers” and to create “instinctive con-nection with the essence” of his paintings. Born in post-cul-tural-revolution China, Xeus witnessed drastic political and

social transformations. From serene to precarious, Xeus frequently challenges the notion of time and subjectivity by

sampling motifs across time in a single painting. The full arc of Vincent Xeus’ creativity and diversity is on display in this

exhibition: from elegant Flemish-inspired portrait to techni-cally and iconographically complex large format paintings, in

which genres and styles intermingle, transform and collide.

East and East – Alternative Visions offers a rare opportunity to examine one of Quang Ho and Vincent Xeus’ greatest legacies

in common – their powers of observation and invention.

East and East - Alternative VisionsGallery 1261 presents

Gallery 1261 presents East and East - Alternative VisionsDecember 12, 2014 - January 24, 2015 | Opening reception: Friday, Dec 12, 6-9 p.m.

1261 Delaware St., Denver, CO 80204 | 303-571-1261 | www.gallery1261.comOpen Tues. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 6 p.m

December 2014 | Travel 26

Fiji, less than 15 hours away from Denver via air, is a place of proposals, honeymoons and new beginnings.

Instead of the inclusive resorts, island seclu-sion or cruise line hopping around the islands within the Fiji territory, consider trekking through the pristine areas of the Upper Navua Conservation Area.

Conservations, sustainability and responsi-ble travel all jump out when seasoned travelers are more focused on traveling to pristine, un-touched lands.

Adventure TravelEnter O.A.R.S., a California-based adventure

outfitter, that has provided whitewater rafting and nature-based vacations since 1969. Over the decades, the company has set the

Fourteen years ago, in the highlands of Fiji, O.A.R.S. worked with the local Mataqali peo-ple, a logging company, and a land trust to cre-ate the Upper Navua Conservation Area, which protects the region from logging and has raised more than $1 million for the community.

According to the tourism office of Fiji, the country is expecting a record number of global arrivals in 2014, estimated at 690,000, with ap-proximately 4,500 people joining O.A.R.S. on 1-day river trips.

Conservation EffortsTo continue conservation efforts, O.A.R.S.

announced the release of a new short film,

River of Eden, by award-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Freshwater hero Pete McBride. Selected as a finalist for the 2014 Banff Mountain Film Festival in November, the five-minute movie tells the unique conservation story behind one of the only protected rivers in the South Pacific --- Fiji’s Upper Navua.

“River of Eden” by award-winning filmmak-er Pete McBride is presented by O.A.R.S., ac-cording to communication specialist Cari Mor-gan of O.A.R.S.

Morgan shared, “Our hope with this project is to not only introduce people to one of the most beautiful rivers in the world—Fiji’s Upper Navua—but also show the power of ecotourism to promote a conservation ethic in developing parts of the world.”

The film captures the pristine beauty. During the filming, McBride traveled into the highlands of Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu to explore the Upper Navua River and find out why the locals said “no” to easy money from resource ex-traction, and instead, turned to tourism to fund a conservation area. What the filmmaker discov-ered was not only on of the most beautiful rivers on Earth, a “mini” tropical Grand Canyon, but a low-impact commercial rafting operation in the Upper Navua Conservation Area that has given more than $1 million back to the local commu-nities in the last 15 years.

“We wanted “River of Eden” to tell the unique conservation story behind one of the only pro-tected rivers in the South Pacific, but also remind

people that conservation is a fight that’s never over. Despite being protected, the health of the entire Navua River corridor is continuously at risk because of illegal logging within the Up-per Navua Conservation Area, as well as gravel mining operations on lower stretches of the river. Ultimately, the fate of this “mini-tropical Grand Canyon” is in the hands of future generations, so introducing people to the Upper Navua was im-portant not only for the river’s ongoing protec-tion, but the long-term sustainability of the region and its people,” Morgan said.

Fiji offers a wide variety of activities for ad-venture seekers of all levels, including an ac-tion-packed jet boat ride up the Nadi river inlet or a white water rafting trip through the lush rain forests or venturing into the Sawailau Caves.

Located in the heart of the South Pacific, Fiji is blessed with 333 tropical islands that offer unparalleled beauty, pristine blue waters, white sandy beaches, lush rainforests and activities to thrill and inspire adventure seekers of all calibers. Home to some of the happiest people on earth, Fi-jians are known to be warm, welcoming, and gen-uinely delighted to greet visitors to their country. It is this combination of community, activity and pervasive love of life that gives every visitor to Fiji the sense that they are being welcomed home, and fosters deep connections that help happiness remain long after the trip is over.

People of FijiBased on 2007 census, the popularion of Fiji

By Mary Jeneverre Schultz | Asian Avenue magazineFiji

Travel | asian avenue magazine 27

is 837,271, according to the tourism office of Fiji.Fiji is perhaps the most cosmopolitan of all

South Pacific nations. Its population, just over 785,000, is an amalgam of Indians (46.2%),Fi-jians(49.9%), ‘part-Europeans’ or half-castes (1.7%), Europeans (0.7%), Rotumans (1.2%), Chinese (0.7%) and other Pacific Islanders (1%).

Fijians, the indigenous inhabitants of Fiji, are Melanesians who possess a mixture of Polyne-sian blood which is very apparent in the eastern islands (such as the Lau group), but less so in the west and interiors of the main islands. Many of the present chiefly families trace their descent, through 11 or more generations, from strangers who sailed or drifted to these shores from dis-tant islands, and who settled singly or in small groups among the Melanesian people already occupying the land.

Fiji’s Indians can be divided into two broad cultural categories reinforced by physical dif-ferences. Those from the north of India – the ‘Calcuttas’, or ‘Calcutta Wallahs’ – came from Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh through the im-migration point of Calcutta and spoke ‘village’ Hindustani. The second group was the ‘Madras-sis’, who generally had darker skin and lacked the sharp features of those from the north. They were recruited from Madras, Malabar, North Ar-cot, Vizakapatnam and Tanjore in southern India and spoke Tamil, Telegu and Malayalam. From

this amalgam of cultures ‘Fiji Hindi’ has become the lingua franca of Fijian Indians.

The Rotumans, a distinct Polynesian ethnic group, come from the island of Rotuma (386 km north-west of Fiji). The Rotumans ceded their island to Fiji in 1881 and have been gov-erned as part of Fiji since then. They enjoy full citizenship, and many have settled on Viti Levu in order to find greater opportunity. Some have married Fijians or Chinese. Although a separate racial and cultural group, Rotumans have always assimilated easily and see themselves as an in-trinsic part of the Fijian nation. Today Rotumans number about 11,500, most of whom live out-side Rotuma.

The Chinese, of whom there are about 5,800, first came to Fiji in 1911. They have the reputa-tion of being model citizens and generally make a living as merchants or restaurateurs. Many have intermarried with the local population.

The total membership of other ethnic groups of Pacific Islanders is about 7,300. Tongans, who as traders and warriors have lived in Fiji for hundreds of years, form the largest part of this community.

The second most important members of this group numerically are the Banabans, who are Micronesians. Originally from minuscule Ocean Island, which lies just south of the equator near the 170th meridian of east longitude, the

Banabans were employed by a British mining company to excavate the rich deposits of phos-phate that covered their island home. There are about 3000 Banabans living on Rabi Island and throughout Fiji.

Other ethnic groups include Tuvaluans (for-merly Ellice Islanders), Samoans and the descen-dants of Solomon Islanders. The Solomon Island-ers were brought to Fiji during the 19th century by ‘blackbirders’ (who might politely be called labour recruiters) as labourers to work the cotton and sugar plantations. Although these islanders have by now thoroughly mixed with Fijians, they still trace their ancestry back to the Solomons.

With weekly departure dates for O.A.R.S.’s 1-day Upper Navua Rafting trips, as well as monthly departure dates (excluding March and July) for the adventure company’s 8-day High-lands to Islands: Fiji Explorer, there is still wide-spread availability for 2015. Group sizes vary from a max of 16 people for our 8-day Fiji ad-ventures, while the company can accommodate up to 24 on the Upper Navua day trips.

For more information about an expedition with O.A.R.S., visit www.oars.com or call for a catalog at (800) 346-6277 or email at info@oars.com.

Mary Jeneverre Schultz has listed Fiji on her bucket list of places to visit when she retires from her regular nonprofit job.

Photo credit: O.A.R.S.

By Venerable Master Hsing Yun

Be one world, one act, one mind.Do, say and write.

Observe people, self, mind.

HUMBLE TABLE, WISE FARE

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2015 ScholarshipsSScholarships are available for Denver Public Schools’ students. Availability is limited in certain classes.

For qualiications, visit www.tccls.org. Candidates must submit applications for consideration to CCLS’s P.O. Box 3232, Littleton, CO 80161 or email: cclsschool@gmail.com.

First Day of Spring Semester: January 4, 2015

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© 2014 Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Isle, Fan Club and Calypso’s are registered trademarks of Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Must be 21 and have an Fan Club® card. Not valid with any other offer. Not valid for 50% off of one buffet. Valid only at Isle Black Hawk. Gratuity is not included. Limit of one coupon per person, per day. Management reserves all rights. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

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