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Welcome to GungHaggisFatChoy.com
Home to my passions for my inter-cultural adventures, Gung Haggis Fat Choy: Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner event. Save Kogawa House campaign, Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team, Find what you are looking for by 1) scroll the topics links, 2) use the search function ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Join the Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team for lots of summer fun, fitness and friendship. We are a social team full of cultural vigor, that likes to eat. We have been featured on television, local, national and international. We have a unique and internationally famous fundraiser dinner event. We practice Sunday 1:30 pm -3:30 pm Tuesday 6pm-7:45pm Wednesday 6pm - 7:45 pm We meet at Dragon Zone clubhouse - just south of Science World in Creekside Park above the Aquabus and dragon boat docks. Our coach Todd Wong has 15+ years of experience including novice, recreational and competitive levels, and both community and corporate teams. Our 2005 Season brought us the David Lam Award for being the team that best represented the multicultural spirit of the Alcan Dragon Boat Festival, and Bronze medals at the Vancouver International Taiwanese Dragon Boat Race. In 2007, we won Gold in B Division at Vernon Races. For more information: Click on Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dragon Boat team information phone: 604-987-7124- e-mail: gunghaggis at yahoo dot ca ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2009 TICKETS Available in October 2008 WHAT: GUNG HAGGIS FAT CHOY: Toddish McWong's Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner - 12th Annual Dinner, celebrating 250th Anniversary of Robert Burns' birth + Chinese New Year's Eve. WHEN: 6PM January 25 2009, SUNDAY doors open 5pm WHERE: Floata Chinese Restaurant, #400-180 Keefer St. CULTURE: Our Performers create something special for us every year with traditional and contemporary performances featuring everything in-between and beyond! FOOD: A quirky fusion/mix/buffet of Scottish Canadian and Chinese Canadian culture 10 course Chinese banguet dinner 2004 - The debut of Gung Haggis Won-Ton 2005 - Haggis lettuce wrap! 2007 - Haggis dim sum appetizer buffet 2008 - Scotch tastings! Watch for more surprises in 2008! Description of 2006 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner featuring performers: Rick Scott & Harry Wong, The Shirleys, Joe McDonald & Brave Waves, Sean Gunn, author Joy Kogawa, with co-host Prem Gill . Media Inquiries Call Gung Haggis Productions 604-987-7124 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sponsors
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Friday, November 25
Sexy Black Men: a Vancouver guide to loving women and learning to love themselves
by
Todd
on Fri 25 Nov 2005 11:57 PM PST
A Common Man's Guide to Loving Women
Firehall Arts Centre
November 11 to December 3, 2005
written by Andre Moodie
directed by Denis Simpson
starring Awaovieyi Agie, Kwesi Ameyaw, Peter John Prinsloo and Hayden Thomas
Where can you find four sexy black men, who are hip, urbane, and live in Vancouver's trendy Yaletown neighborhood? Well... believe it or not - at the Firehall Arts Centre on the corner of Cordova St. and Gore St. in the Downtown Lower Eastside.
Denis Simpson directs the Andrew Moodie play "A Common Man's Guide to Loving Women. Set designer Derek Butt has created a beautiful urbane condominium that every person would want to live in. A wide screen tv with a kick-ass sound system, complimented by a very cool dining set complete with clear acrylic chess set. This is not some "gangsta crib in the 'hood." more »
Wednesday, November 23
Naomi's Road - Community Concert at Nikkei Place Sat Nov 26
by
Todd
on Wed 23 Nov 2005 10:51 AM PST
This Saturday, Naomi's Road, the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble production of Joy Kogawa's children's story plays at Nikkei Centre in Burnaby - just off Kingsway.
It's a wonderful production, full of hope and tears, great singing, staging and acting. more »
Sunday, November 20
Joy Kogawa is one of Almanc's 100 Greatest British Columbians
by
Todd
on Sun 20 Nov 2005 01:03 PM PST
This past week CBC Radio host Mark Forsythe of BC Almanac, has been promoting his new book Almanac's 100 Greatest British Columbians. This is a BC Version of CBC television's The Greatest Canadian.
The names are all listed by categories with no numerical value.
BC's top ten literary writers include Joy Kogawa, George Bowering, Wayson Choy, Dorothy Livesay more »
Fundraising Drive Launched for Joy Kogawa House
by
Todd
on Sun 20 Nov 2005 12:16 PM PST
Organizers of the drive to preserve the childhood home of novelist and poet Joy Kogawa were jubilant after Vancouver City Council voted unanimously on November 3 to grant a 120-day demolition delay order to preserve the home and to recognize its historical and cultural heritage. The four month period will allow the Save Kogawa House Committee to raise funds to purchase the property and convert it into a major centre for Canadian and international writers. more »
Thursday, November 17
Ricepaper Magazine on CBC radio: Shelagh Rogers interviews Jim Wong-Chu and Jessica Gin-Jade
by
Todd
on Thu 17 Nov 2005 02:31 PM PST
Ricepaper Magazine on CBC radio: Shelagh Rogers interviews Jim Wong-Chu and Jessica Gin-Jade Listen to the interview on CBC's Website! Shelagh Rogers interviewed Ricepaper Founder & Publisher Jim Wong-Chu and Editor-in-Chief Jessica Gin-Jade on November 10! Check out http://www.cbc.ca/soundslikecanada/ and tune your dials (or find webcasts) for CBC Radio One's "Sounds Like Canada" 10:00am (10:30 am NT) - or listen as I do at CBC Radio online. Ten years in the magazine industry is no small feat. More like a
small miracle. So CBC Radio's "Sounds Like Canada" shared Ricepaper
Magazine's successes (and misses) with a national audience of 1.3 million listeners across Canada. It was a great interview. Listen to Jessica talk about how
difficult it is to find kimchee in Halifax, and Jim talk about the
"cultural engineers" that are turning Ricepaper into the hip and
happening success that is so exciting.
Office 604-879-5962 Tuesday, November 15
REVIEW: Save Kogawa House Nov 12 Special Concert
by
Todd
on Tue 15 Nov 2005 02:41 PM PST
The concert event went well today. About 100 people in the Alice Mackay Room, at the Vancouver Public Library + CTV coverage. Pretty good for very short notice.
The event started with Harry Aoki and Alison Nishihara playing Pachabel's Canon on harmonica and piano. Then I welcomed everybody and explained what the SAVE KOGAWA HOUSE committee was all about. I also told people that we were very grateful for the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble gifting us with a performance. I had seen excerpts at a Roy Miki lecture, the Vancouver Arts Awards, and still I had tears in my eyes when I saw performances on opening weekend and just last week at the library. more »
Sunday, November 13
Janice Wong's Book CHOW featured on CBC Radio North By Northwest with host Sheryl Mackay
by
Todd
on Sun 13 Nov 2005 06:24 PM PST
 Janice Wong's Book CHOW featured on CBC Radio North By Northwest with host Sheryl Mackay This morning Janice Chow was interviewed by Sheryl Mackay on CBC Radio's North By Northwest, just after the news about 8:40am to 9am, Sunday Morning, Novemeber 13th. CHOW From China to Canada: Tales of Food + Family, has been making all the local talk show rounds. It is a unique book that blends together the recipes of her father's Chinese Restaurant "The Lotus" together with stories of how her great-grandfather Rev. Chan Yu Tan came to Canada, his 6 children and their integration into Canadian life, and growing up with her family in Prince Albert. The book is a combination cookbook, family history, Chinese-Canadian history and memoir. Janice described giving a book launch at Prince Albert, SK, at the site of her father's first restaurant called "Wings." She had never been there before, but the present owners had found boxes in the storage area containing menus and items from the original restaurant. Chow is available for sale on Amazon.ca and was #132 of Amazon's top 10,000 selling books yesterday. You can even flip inside the book for select pictures and quotes Janice has also let me know that you can hear some of the past CBC radio interviews at archived bits, 20051021 is Shelagh Rogers, Week 43 is Don Genova.
Ricepaper Magazine loves Save Kogawa House concert with Harry Aoki, Raymond Chow, Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble
by
Todd
on Sun 13 Nov 2005 04:39 PM PST
Ricepaper magazine is Canada's only nationally distributed magazine covering Asian Canadian arts and culture. Editor Jessica Gin Jade and Publisher Jim Wong-Chu were interviewed on CBC Radio's Sounds Like Canada by Sheila Rogers on Thursday Morning.
Jenny Uechi, writer and managing editor attended the November 12th Celebration and Awareness concert for Save Kogawa House. Jenny wrote:
"Naomi's Road" a huge success at Vancouver Public Library! more »
Tuesday, November 8
Sunday, November 6
Chinese Canadian History Fair in Nanaimo at Malispina College
by
Todd
on Sun 06 Nov 2005 11:52 PM PST
Chinese Canadian History Fair in Nanaimo at Malaspina College
The Chinese Canadian Historical Society of BC organized another history fair, this time at Nanaimo's Malaspina University-College. Nanaimo's Chinatown used to be a thriving bustling place from 1860 to 1923. My great-great-grandfather, Rev. Chan Yu Tan, had ministered at the Chinese United Church around 1924. After becoming increasingly derelict it was destroyed by a fire September 30, 1960. CCHS board member Dr. Imogene Lim played a big part in bringing many presenters together from Nanaimo, Cumberland, Vancouver and Prince George. Here's what Imogene had to say about the event: "Although we had a very wet and stormy day, I think we can say the second CCHS Chinese Canadian History Fair was a success; we drew a sizable crowd to all the featured activities. There was a lot of mingling and conversation between visitors and between exhibitors; in many cases, a reunion and reconnecting of intersecting lives." Fourteen displays were presented including the Nanaimo District Museum, Cumberland Historical Society, Chinese Women Aviators, Trev Sue-A-Quan's Guyanese Chinese genealogy titled "Cane Reapers," Head Tax Redress, 1907 Riots, Chinese soccer team featuring Queene Yip, chinese cemetaries, and Chinese Canadian women pionneers. Janice Wong presented her book CHOW From China to Canada: Stories of Food and Family. This was followed by a panel discussion with Dr. Imogene Lim, restauranteur Gerry Wong who along with Janice all grew up in restaurant enviornments. Gerry's father had chinese restaurants in Nanaimo, while Imogene's uncle and father ran the WK Gardens in Vancouver, which she described as a "high end" restaurant which had catered to Prime Ministers, royalty and entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Gary Cooper. Imogene even showed some of the original menus and special event menus created for events such as weddings and royal visits. Karin Lee also showed her movie Comrade Dad, as well as having a display table. It was the Vancouver Island premiere of Comrade Dad, a Karin Lee film about her father, Wally, who ran a Communist bookstore in Vancouver's Chinatown in the days before China was recognized by the Canadian government. The NFB film featuring my cousin Rhonda Larrabee's story about growing up half Chinese and half First Nations, Tribe of One, was also shown. I set up a display of the Rev Chan Family, including the poster displays that were made for our family reunions in 1999 and 2000. It was very cool that I had pictures of Janice Wong's parents, Dennis and Mary, her grandparents Joseph and Rose, and her great grandfather, the Rev. Chan Yu Tan with his wife Wong Shee, as Janice is my 2nd cousin once removed. Rhonda Larrabee is also a relative as her father Art is my grandmother's elder brother, so we had pictures of Rhonda at the reunions as well, with her brothers, daughters and grandchildren. I had meant to phone my grand-aunt Helen who lives in Nanaimo, and tried to reach her through Directory Assistance once I got there but to no avail. As I was setting up the display, I saw a white haired woman approach the Rev. Chan Family display flanked by CCHS board members Larry Wong and Edgar Wickberg. "That's my grandfather!" she exclaimed, "And my grandmother! How did you get these pictures!" Both Larry and Ed looked over at me, as I stood silently behind my Auntie Helen. I held my finger to my lips asking them not to say anything. "That's his sister! How did you get these pictures!" my Aunt continued pointing at the pictures. I finally spoke saying, "Please don't touch the pictures, they are very sensitive." "Sorry," she said as she kept looking at the pictures saying, "That's my Aunt! That's my Uncle!" "Excuse me," I said, "How are you related to these people in the pictures?" She turned and looked at me. Her eyes suddenly widened joyfully in recognition. "Todd! What are you doing here?" It turned out that Auntie Helen's friend had been listening to CBC Radio's North By Northwest, and host Sheryl Mackay had talked about the Chinese Canadian History Fair at Malispina College, and she told herself that her friend Helen had to be there. "You look just like your sister!" Janice Wong exclaimed to Auntie Helen, when I introduced them to each other for the very first time, during the CHOW book signing, after the panel discussion with Janice, Gerry and Imogene. They had never met each other before, but they knew they were family. Thursday, November 3
Kogawa House Demolition: Todd Wong's Nov 3rd presentation to Vancouver City Council
by
Todd
on Thu 03 Nov 2005 11:02 PM PST
The following is the basic text of my presentation to Vancouver City Council's Standing Committee on Planning and Environment, November 3rd, 2005.
Hello Council members and guests
Thank you for receiving our request for a delay of demolition for 1450 West 64th Ave, known as “Kogawa House.”
Thank you also to council for attending the Joy Kogawa Cherry Tree planting and ceremony that took place here on Tuesday.
Save Kogawa House committee is a local and national advocacy committee in existence for two years since Kogawa House first came on the market. more »
CBC French Television: films Save Kogawa House committee in action at City Council Nov 3
by
Todd
on Thu 03 Nov 2005 10:29 PM PST
Just watched Radio Canada - French television
Our segment looks GREAT!
We taped it! - now to digitalize and convert to a
webcast... hmmm.... new technology....
I am having enough of a challenge working on the new weblog www.kogawahouse.com Shots showed the house, Obasan cover, One Book One
Vancouver stickers, etc...
Short interviews with Todd, and Joy, pictures of
Ann-Marie, Diane Switzer, our lunch meeting at Kirin Restaurant with Marion Quednau, Jackie Byrn and my girlfriend Deb Martin. more »
Kogawa House: Vancouver Council votes unaminously to create 120 day delay to demolition application
by
Todd
on Thu 03 Nov 2005 05:51 PM PST
GOOD NEWS today!
We had a good committee presentation with good support from Vancouver Heritage Foundation, Alliance for Arts and Culture, Writers Union of Canada and Periodical Writers Association of Canada.
CBC Radio-Canada Television (french language) even showed up to film us during our lunch meeting at Kirin Restaurant, as we made our presentations, and as we shared congratulations with each other afterwards. more »
Writing Associations across Canada support preservation of Kogawa House
by
Todd
on Thu 03 Nov 2005 12:29 AM PST
OUR VISION FOR KOGAWA HOUSE
The Save Kogawa House Committee believes it can preserve that heritage by purchasing the property from its current owner and converting the home into a writers-in-residence centre. Ten writers associations representing several thousand writers have endorsed our proposal and would select members from their organizations to reside in the house for a period of approximately one month each.
This is their vision of the house as well:
Brian Brett, Chair of the Writers Union of Canada:
“The Writers’ Union of Canada, representing over 1,500 professional writers, supports the effort to save Joy Kogawa’s childhood home on 1450 West 64th Avenue in Vancouver from demolition, and would like to encourage its conversion into a major writers centre for Canadian and international writers.
Vancouver would greatly benefit by designating the Joy Kogawa House as a literary landmark and establishing it as a writers-in-residence centre in which Canadian writers and writers from abroad could write first hand about our complex and evolving multi- and inter-cultural society and how different values and traditions can peacefully interact.” more »
Tuesday, November 1
Vancouver City Hall "Joy Kogawa Cherry Tree Planting"
by
Todd
on Tue 01 Nov 2005 08:42 PM PST
Today, Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell pronounced November 1st as "Obasan Cherry Tree Day." Campbell read the proclamation in celebration of the planting of a cherry tree graft from the childhood home of author Joy Kogawa. Mayor Campbell acknowledged Councillor Jim Green who spearheaded the tree planting initiative, going to the house with Kogawa last year to take the tree clippings that were nurtured for a year for the planting.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Paul Whitney, City Librarian, Vancouver Public Library, and James W. Wright, General Director, Vancouver Opera. Joy's novel Obasan was the 2005 choice for the library's award winning program One Book One Vancouver. James Wright said that when he came to Vancouver he was given a copy of the book "Great Canadian books of the century" written by Vancouver Public Library (1999) (ISBN 1550547364). He said that he read about Obasan, and it was one of the first books he read after arriving in Vanouver. Next he discovered Kogawa's children story Naomi's Road, and was so moved by it, he commisioned it as an opera. PICTURES! more »
Tree planting at City Hall today: Cherry Tree graft from Kogawa House
by
Todd
on Tue 01 Nov 2005 09:17 AM PST
Tree planting at City Hall today: Cherry Tree graft from Kogawa House
  Today at 1pm, Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell and city councillors will plant a cherry tree graft taken from the old cherry tree at Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Ave. The cherry tree and the house figure prominently in both books Obasan and Naomi's Road, written by Joy Kogawa. The cherry tree is getting old and diseased now, so grafts were taken to help preserve its memory. Unfortunately, the tree was pruned severely last fall. But imagine 5 year old Joy Kogawa, swinging and climbing from a younger tree, still full of vibrant life and cherries. (Read one of my favorite books Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree.") Vancouver City council passed a motion to plant the tree graft in September - the same week an inquiry for demolition of Kogawa House was made. Also attending the tree planting will be Paul Whitney, Chief Librarian of Vancouver Public Library, and James Wright, General Directof of Vancouver Opera. Obasan was VPL's 2005 choice for One Book One Vancouver program, and Naomi's Road premiered on September 30th, as a 45 minute opera commissioned to tour BC schools. Also listen to CBC Radio's "On the Coast" 4-6pm, Paul Grant's Art Report interviewed me yesterday about saving Kogawa House.  Cherry Tree at Kogawa House - photo by Don Montgomery  Cherry Tree at Kogawa House - photo by Don Montgomery  Cherry Tree at Kogawa House - photo by Don Montgomery |
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