Category Archives: Culture
Immigrant Buddhists in a resolutely non-Buddhist America
I think it’s difficult to raise children Buddhist in the United States. In college, one of the major shared experiences among a lot of my Buddhist friends was that we … Continue reading
The world of wizards
Burmese traditional religion is very intricate. Weizzas are supernatural beings (a rough English equivalent wouldbe belonging to an esoteric cult that probably predates Buddhism in Burma. I don’t know much … Continue reading
How to pronounce “Aung San Suu Kyi”
Coming across an op-ed from here, I came to the conclusion that most of the time, Burmese names are not done justice. The op-ed states this: Bush continued making us … Continue reading
Living in superficial harmony
Burma, despite its wealth of ethnic diversity, has largely neglected the issue of multiculturalism. Burmese may be the national language, but more than 10 million people (25%) within the country … Continue reading
43 years since the death of Burma’s foremost man of letters
Kodaw Hmaing, one of the most influential literary figures in modern Burmese history, died on this day in 1964. His life is worthy of being known. Ba Zan Lin has … Continue reading
A taste of Thai culture
Today, my family went to to the Wat Thai of Los Angeles, one of the largest Thai temples in the L.A. area (the other one is in the suburb of … Continue reading
Interesting Burmese word origins
A graphic I made, showing some of the linguistic diversity found in the Burmese language. Burmese has a hodgepodge of words that come from other languages, some that would surprise … Continue reading
The best Burmese salad noodles in America
The best Burmese salad noodles (hkauk hswe thoke) in America come from one very talented woman. Daw May-yu, who is originally from Mergui (Myeik) Tavoy (Dawei) in Tenassarim Division (Tanintharyi), … Continue reading
Rants on Burma
The one thing I regret about going to Burma is this: Burmese food in America no longer compares. The one-no-hkauk-swe (coconut milk noodles) aren’t as fragrant as the ones on … Continue reading
The 9th Annual Neibban Zay
Today was the annual Neibban Zay (Nirvana Market) at the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area, with profits from the different stalls going to the Brahma Vihara Monastery, which has been the … Continue reading
Poisoning farmers’ chances of feeding their families
When the Burmese government mandated that all Burmese citizens in rural areas cultivate the physic nut (Jatropha curcas), I thought the idea was absurd. Physic nut, commonly known as jatropha, … Continue reading
Stigmas of being Indian and Muslim
The recent Economist article (“Unlikely sanctuary”) on Burmese Muslims living in Yunnan, China inspired me to write about the rampant discrimination Indians, and in particular, Indian Muslims face in Burma. … Continue reading
