Author Archives: milanmathew

The Noodle Shop off Main Street

Posted on by
Reply

Egg Noodle, Flat Noodle, Rice Noodle, or Mei Fun, you name it, the Red Bowl Noodle Shop will have it freshly made for you within fifteen minutes. This shop is owned by Mr. Li Qiang, for the past eighteen years.

I came across this peculiar noodle shop when I was walking down Main street looking for a place to eat. I saw a huge crowd of people gathered around a window just watching a man knead dough like he was born to do it. All while punching the dough, he had this wide smile of a performer putting on a show for his viewers.

“My father owned a noodle shop back at home in Taiwan, so even though I moved to a new country I wanted to keep the tradition going,” says Mr. Qiang when I asked him what made him start his own restaurant. The Red Bowl Noodle shop is a classic hole-in-the-wall Taiwanese restaurant with Peking duck decorating the restaurant. The interesting part of this restaurant is that Mr Qiang makes fresh noodles everyday, and he allows people to see him while he’s in his zone. He has a little glass screen so the customers can see the very strenuous process of making the noodles by hand everyday. I asked Mr. Qiang why he made it by hand and not use the industrial kitchen appliances and his response was, “I want the tradition of handmade noodles to still continue, no matter what new technology comes to make my life easier.”

Mr. Li Qiang came here back in 1993 as a newly wed with his wife, and he worked various jobs to start up a family. He started out as a dish washer at an Italian restaurant in New York City, then moved on to cleaning tables and various other jobs. A few years after being in America Mr.Qiang had a growing family, not only did he have to support his wife he had two little girls now. With the help of some family members that were living in Flushing at the time and a loan from the bank, Mr. Li Qiang became the owner of Red Bowl Noodle Shop.
I asked some of the regular customers, who Mr.Qiang, pointed out what they loved about the place that makes them come back once a week. The popular response was the freshness of noodles is what brings them back every time. Mr. Qiang said that his noodles were healthier when compared to other noodle shops, but wouldn’t tell me what the secret healthy ingredient is.

Mr. Qiang is currently 49 years old and, “He has the energy of a twenty year old,” customers say. He is very engaging with his customers and make sure they get the hospitality that they deserve. I asked Mr. Qiang if he was planning opening up in places other than Flushing and his response was, “No, I am happy with just this one place. I want to focus all my attention to this one place so I can perfect it.”

During my visit there I was able to acquaint with Mr. Qiang’s family and I spoke to his daughter, Cindy Qiang, who is about to go into her freshman year of college this Fall. I asked her what she was planning on pursuing during her undergraduate studies and she said business. Cindy wants to help out in her father’s business but in a way where she can expand the business to different locations.

I was very pleased to see that Mr. Qiang stayed true to his roots of cooking and brought a family business from Taiwan all the way to America. I highly recommend that everyone visit this restaurant the next time they are in Flushing, not just for the great food but for also a very engaging show put on by Mr. Qiang.

Sherilyne Zhang’s Interview as told to Milan Mathew

Posted on by
Reply

After being in college for 4 years and is about to graduate Brooklyn College to attend medical school, Sherilyne Zhang takes a walk down memory lane and reminisces on her cultural upbringing. Ms. Zhang touches upon her childhood as a second generation immigrant and how her parents’ dream to give her a better life came true.

Family in the Motherland
“I would say that we are close and it definitely got easier because technology advanced in that area, and now we can call each other and stuff. They have Wifi and stuff like that, which is kinda weird. We try to call each other either every two weeks or once or twice a month”
First Generation immigrant vs. Second Generation Immigrant
“All the time!, They just looovveee to talk about it. You can’t even complain to them because they always say we had it twenty times worse back at home, and you have nothing to worry about it. I complain about public transportation and how it takes an hour to get back and forth or just walking somewhere for fifteen to twenty minutes. And they’re just go off about how they had to walk to school and then walk back home for lunch and then walk back for afternoon school…”
The Dual Life
“So I guess I would say it was a mix, it was fifity fifity. It was more Chinese at home because my grandparents and my other relatives wanted to keep the traditions and customs we had going on so we would pass it on to the next generation. They wanted me to remember the things about my heritage and culture… I guess it was more American, because my parents stressed about adapting to American culture and assimilating. They didn’t want me to stick out as much. They would tell me to lay low and not stick out like a sore thumb”

Culture Clash (individual vs. Family)
“Having two different sets of morals and values is difficult on someone to figure out when to apply what…for example one thing would be the American value of being independent, individual and being unique versus the Asian value of being focused on your family. Every decision you make has a decision on family, and everything you do has to be for the betterment of the family. Even though I ventured out, and I am my own person, at the end of the day I have to also remember that my family is my base and that is what makes me, me.”

Sense of Community in Flushing
“I would say that in my opinion, culture is what made it tight-knit especially the immigrant population. Because everyone has similar cultures and striving for the same end goal- The American Dream. But I would say that the first generation is much more tight-knit compared to the second generation because we don’t associate with each other because we are Asian, it is usually cause we grew up together.”

Culture Shock
“It’s not like I didn’t know other people existed, but to be actually surrounded by different people is like a different aspect. They have such different experiences and different backgrounds and different values and different beliefs and different belief systems. Which really places the importance of recognizing that there are other people in the world, and you’re not just in your little bubble.”

The Future
“I definitely want to the instill the Chinese values that I grew up with, because I do value a lot of them. I think it is important for people to experience other cultures from a young age, and to understand that there is another side of the world. Not everything is just about you and your culture.”

The Diminishing Effect

Posted on by
Reply

depth and layer

This picture was taken by Simon Bray and it shows the Diminishing Effect. To take a piece like this make the most of the scenario, get right up close to the first object in the line, making it appear very large within the frame. This gives the impression that there is a significant reduction in size through the repeated objects, with the final object appearing insignificant compared to the first.

For the Family…

Posted on by
Reply

Milan Mathew
Prof. Siegel
Immigration Narrative
03/01/16
Immigration Narrative
Back in the small state of Kerala there was a hard-working woman named Aleyamma Chacko who was the oldest of twelve siblings. She was the only one sibling who had the will power to persevere and do well in school. One day her mom’s step-brother came to her house and told her that since she was doing well in school he would take her to Jaipur, another state in India, to pursue a nursing degree. In the the late 60’s and 70’s a lot of young Indian women were pursuing a nursing degree, because it was a job that allowed them to go abroad to countries like America, England, New Zealand, Ireland etc. Aleyamma went to Jaipur and completed her nursing degree and by that time there was a marriage proposal waiting for her back home. It was a young man who she had been family friends with for a long time, Mathew Thomas. He came back from the Indian military for vacation. On November 5th, 1970 Aleyamma Chacko became Mathew Thomas’ lawfully wedded wife. A year later, Mathew Thomas was stationed in Baroda, Gujurat and he and his newly wedded wife moved there to the military headquarters. A year later, Aleyamma was expecting her first born and soon after she was a mother to two beautiful baby boys. Aleyamma thought her life would always be in India and she wouldn’t be able to broaden her horizons. In 1977 her uncle, the uncle who had sent her to nursing school, had moved to America and filed for her visa to come to America. On April 14th, 1978 Aleyamma Mathews embarked on her journey to America. Though she was saddened to leaved her mother land and to go to a country where she was not familiar with the language or culture, Aleyamma knew this was the best decision she could make for the future of her family. Aleyamma left her husband and kids in the hopes that in a few months she would have all the tools to file for the rest of her family. Two weeks after being in America, Aleyamma landed her first job in a nursing home in New Jersey. She worked endlessly with one goal in her mind, to be finally reunited with her family. After working in a nursing home for a year and a half Aleyamma was able to bring her family to America and become reunited again. In 1979, Aleyamma and her newly migrated family moved to Manhattan and lived in a one bedroom apartment on Thayer Street. Soon after with the help of Aleyamma’s uncles, Mathew Thomas was able to get a job in the Transit Authority of New York. From that point onwards Aleyamma worked hard to make sure her two sons got really good education, and worked day and night to provide for family along side her husband. As things started to stabilize, Aleyamma decided to move her family to Long Island, where a lot of South Indians were living at that time. In 1986, the Mathews moved to Westbury to their first ever home.
Aleyamma made sure her children were raised in Christian Indian household. Aleyamma made sure her sons knew how to speak the mother tongue, Malayalam, and was well versed in Indian culture. Aleyamma and her husband made it a point to make sure her children were taken to Indian once a year to never forget their roots and who they were.
Aleyamma is my dad’s mother, also known as my grandmother, and also known as one of my best friends. If it wasn’t for the determination my grandmother, I, Milan Liz Mathew, wouldn’t be here in this country today. Though my grandmother isn’t given a lot of recognition for providing a future for my family, Since my grandma instilled cultural values into my father, he transferred those same values into me. Even though my friends make fun of me for being a “FOB” or a “fresh off the boat”, I always see it as being culturally well versed. I enjoy going to India every year, watching Indian movies, and being able to converse with my grandparents in Malayalam.
Since I have been raised to be culturally sensitive, I have been able to appreciate the beauty of other cultures. My mother coming straight to America after marriage has had a big impact on the person I am today. My father, who was brought up in America since he was 7 went back to India when he was 24 to get married in a traditional Indian arranged marriage. Soon after the marriage my mother was expecting me, so she stayed back in India and we both came to America when I was three months old. In this day and age, it is very uncommon for young grooms to go back to India to find a bride, yet alone commit to an arranged marriage. Since my mother was born and brought up in India and was only exposed to American culture after marriage, that has had a big impact on the way I was raised. My dad being a bit more modern and understanding to the fads allowed me to do things my mother was not comfortable with because of her background. For me this worked in my favor as well, I had a modern dad who allowed me to lead a normal life in an immigrant Indian, while I had an Indian mother who kept me in check with my Indian heritage and reminded me of the expectations that were put on me. Today I am a person who puts culture first, before every decision I make I rethink and to see if culturally this was the right thing to do. Would my parents be upset about it? Is this what they did back in India? What would mom do? In my eighteen years of life I have dated a total of two guys. When I decide to go into a relationship there are two criterions the boy has to fulfill, they have to be able to understand Malayalam and be willing to visit India with me every year, if it becomes a long term relationship. As you can see, culture plays a big role in my dating life as well. I would need a guy who is able to appreciate the Indian culture like I do, and come from a culturally sound childhood like mine.
Without the persistence and determination of my grandmother, my family would not be economically and socially sound like we are today. It was through her big decision to move to this big country and give her a family a better life that I am able to sit in an American college pursuing my dream to become a doctor.

Wedding Dress worn by Inshata-Theumba

Posted on by
Reply

This was a beautiful cream colored wool wedding dress worn by Sisette La Flesche when she got married to Thomas Tibbles. It is a two-piece dress, where the jacket and skirt are separate. The jacket has a high collar with gold ruffles around the neck area and it has lace ruffles down the arms. As we look at the skirt it is very similar to the jacket, but on the center it has a gold detailing and a mini train in the back.
Susette La Flesche descended from Omaha tribal leaders on both sides of her family. She was raised on an earth lodge, though she also attended a mission school. At a young age, La Flesche witnessed the expulsion of the Ponca tribe from their homeland to Indian territory in 1877, and the repeated imprisonment of Standing Bear and other Poncas who had attempted to return to Nebraska. After seeing all of this, La Flesche turned towards a career of a nationally known activist who argued against the involuntary removal of indigenous people from their homelands and for Indian citizenship rights. The story behind the dress is, La Flesche found a soulmate in Thomas Tibbles a newspaper reporter from the Omaha Herald who followed the Ponca case.
From this dress we can see the effect settlers had on the Native Americans. La Flesche, a Native American born girl was directly affected by the way her people were treated and therefore decided to take action and became an activist. This dress really depicts the role colonization played in the life of a Native American. Straying away from traditional norms, La Flesche wore a western dress to her wedding day. Some may argue that it was because she was getting married to a white man but La Flesche was the daughter of two tribal leaders so there was some western influence on her decision. This gives us more insight about American History because this piece is of a woman who led civil rights for Native Americans, but along with that she assimilated with the western culture and took on some of the new traditions that were brought forth to her.

Wedding Dress worn by Inshata-Theumba

Wedding Dress worn by Inshata-Theumba