2021 Favorites
I love thinking about why I like or dislike (or feel neutral about) anything, including books, movies, TV shows, food, etc. I’m sure this is annoying for some of my friends and family. They’d probably love to watch a movie in peace without my beady eyes boring into them afterwards as I eagerly ask what they thought and why. But I think the way people process and reflect on content says a lot about themselves and the zeitgeist of a particular time period.
As we near the end of 2021, I want to share some of my favorite things that I read, watched, and ate this year (nothing sponsored and no spoilers).
Books:
Crying in HMart (memoir): Michelle Zauner (of Japanese Breakfast) wrote a memoir about her relationship with her Korean mother before, during, and after her mother passed away. Afterwards, Michelle grapples with how to retain pieces of her Korean heritage without her mother’s presence. I easily entered a state of flow every time I picked up this book, and I finished it in just a few days earlier this year. This book is so well-written and relatable; it even reignited my love for reading and inspired me to post a series of IG stories about how much I love reading. Here’s an excerpt of the book.
A Place for Us (fiction) follows the lives of a Muslim family in America over decades. I love reading fiction books before I sleep, but the problem here is that I would get so engrossed in this book and frequently end up going to sleep past midnight or 1am.
The Undocumented Americans (nonfiction): This is one of the most important books I read in 2021. Karla Cornejo Villavicencio is one of the first undocumented immigrants to graduate from Harvard. She writes about the experiences of undocumented immigrants during 9/11, the Flint Water Crisis, and other similarly arduous times. The way she writes is so personal and poignant, and I learned and felt so much.
Longform articles:
I’m so excited that I found Sarah Topol this year, especially two of her articles (i.e., Is Taiwan Next? and Her Uighur Parents Were Model Chinese Citizens. It Didn’t Matter.). Sarah writes about international issues and weaves together interviews and history to write thorough pieces. In her articles, she’ll go in-depth on the narratives of a few individuals. I’m Taiwanese, so I was particularly moved by her story about how China’s actions toward Hong Kong over the last few years may affect Taiwan. If the above links don’t work for you (because paywalls), I saved pdf versions here and here.
Movie:
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: I love Simu Liu, but more importantly, I love seeing a cast of Asians in a mainstream movie. I don’t watch that many action or Marvel movies, but I loved the fighting and action scenes here (this is a cool video of the director, Destin Daniel Cretton, talking about one of the pivotal scenes). I also love that ultimately this is a movie about familial love and sacrifice.
TV shows:
The kind of shows I like resemble the types of friendships I look for - ones rife with laughter, but also where you can be vulnerable and talk about serious issues and uncomfortable experiences.
The Chair: Sandra Oh stars as an English professor who’s just been appointed as the chair of her department. This show touches on things like how to be an ally (and why people might struggle to do so consistently), being a single mother, adoption, cancel culture, intergenerational relationships within immigrant families, ageism, female friendships, intergenerational friendships, how your Asian and non-Asian backgrounds may coexist (and / or conflict), and how people of color in different generations may respond to racism.
The Sex Lives of College Girls: You might already know that I’m a huge Mindy Kaling fan, in which case it’s no surprise that this show made my list. SLCG was created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, and is about four women who enter their freshman year at a fictitious elite New England university. As one of the actresses says in that article I linked, “[the show is] not about the act of fucking. It’s about everything in between. How messy it is, how awkward it is, how funny it is…all of it.” This show is so funny, but does not shy away from grappling with important issues. I can relate to each of the main characters in a different, but very specific way.
Chinese dramas:
I started watching Chinese dramas at the end of last year to improve my Chinese, and I’ve really enjoyed watching them. For both of these, it took me a while to get really into them (maybe around episode 10 of 40 or so), but I’m glad I did. The links below are from YouTube and have English subtitles.
Go Ahead challenges the notion of how a family can look.
Nothing But Thirty is about three women on the brink of turning 30, who deal with romantic relationships, professional aspirations, and friendship.
SF restaurants:
I will never call myself a “foodie,” because I really don’t like that word. But I do like trying new food, eating good food (it definitely doesn’t have to be fancy), and thinking about why I like or don’t like what I’m eating. My predilection for Asian food is clearly reflected in my choices before.
Hodala (Inner Richmond) is a Taiwanese restaurant that has incredible Tomato Beef Noodle Soup. After I discovered this place, I would get takeout from here multiple times a week almost every week. For the sake of my wallet, I’ve since curbed this habit. But every time I get this dish (which is still a lot), I love it.
Sizzling Pot King (SOMA) is a dry pot place that also serves a few side dishes and a rotating menu of entrées. I didn’t start eating dry pot until mid 2019 (TY Five Spices in Boston’s Chinatown), but it’s now one of my favorite foods. I’m always trying to come here, so if there’s a group dinner happening, I will likely try to nudge the group in the direction of Sizzling Pot King (figuratively and literally). I don’t really know how to explain dry pot - it’s kind of like stir fry in that you pick what ingredients you want, what type of spice, and the spice level, and then the restaurant will cook it for you. I love anything 麻辣 (má là), which is more of a numbing type of spicy. I also had a delicious eggplant and century egg dish there that came in a mortar and pestle that you have to mash together yourself. What could be better than earning a delicious meal by undergoing a strenuous arm workout beforehand??? (I would not recommend getting Sizzling Pot King for takeout - the experience and quality of food just isn’t as good.)
Thank you for reading! I thought about adding favorite songs or artists to the list, but this piece is already longer than I thought it would be (okay, but since you’re SO curious, my favorite artists this year are keshi and boy in space - even though I was in ILLENIUM’s top 0.01% of listeners).
I love discussing this stuff, so please reach out if you read / watch / eat anything I mentioned OR have favorites of your own that you’d like to share! You can also follow me on Goodreads, where you can look up my email address or I can find you. (Are people using a Goodreads equivalent for shows and movies? I would love to get in on that.) I won’t ever be offended if you don’t like something that I like (unless you’re rude about it), because I love hearing new perspectives.
Anyways, happy holidays, everyone! Hope you find time to relax and spend time with loved ones (and read / watch some good books and shows) as we enter 2022.