differentiate between the five traditional styles of Shaolin Kung Fu -

• tiger
• leopard
• crane
• snake
• dragon

Chapter 1:

Goa trance is inspired by ignorant appropriation of Indian culture by hippie-tourists.

Chapter 2: The arrival and immigration of the Vietnamese to the US after the influence by exile and anticommunism has initiated the production of Viet Kieu, which has now formed and evolved in multiple ways. With the enthusiastic individuals of Vietnam and the advances in all different forms of technology the Vietnamese have formed a “special blend of nostalgia that appeals not only to the members of the diasporic communities but also to the residents of Vietnam, ultimately evolving Viet Kieu over time.

Chapter5 : Due to colonization, Languages have affected one anthers meaning and created new words and meanings for exsiting words. It has lead to a sense of privledge in some cases due to education and has influenced popular music by being able to have double meanings and be interchangeable in language.

Kato:

Hollywood has a desire for  the kine-aesthetic and performative narrative in the forms of Samurai and Kung Fu films, which is the art born of reclaimation of culture from post-colonialism.

FUSION CUISINE!! 

More thoughts on different chapters from Dave. “If fusion is heralded as the democratic melding of cuisines, it is largely because it is a type of culinary multiculturalism that seems to challenge the rigidity of national boundaries and fixity.” In Ashland, MA there is a restaurant based around the idea of fusion cuisine. On the website this is the entry of the restaurant and its basis for meals. “Welcome to Fusion Cuisine located in Ashland, MA. This stylish and modern restaurant blends a variety of different Asian cuisines into an extensive and delectable menu featuring Chinese, Thai, and Japanese tastes. Red, plush suede booths, private tatami rooms, an eye-catching marble top bar and an array of plasma televisions are just a few glimpses into this contemporary and relaxing dining experience. Large groups and private parties are easily accommodated in our spacious rooms by our knowledgeable and friendly staff. Come explore a feast for your senses as we prepare unforgettable Asian inspired tastes and drinks in a setting meant to inspire a most memorable experience.”( http://www.fusion-cuisine.com/d ) I’d absolutely love to visit a restaurant like this, they attack all your senses and let you experience the ‘asian’ culture and I believe that it would be fun to go somewhere like this, but I also feel that its not a true experience as its all combined together when all the cultures have different traditions. I’m sure the food has also been somewhat ‘americanized’ but thats sort of the idea of food fusion cuisine, right? “Fusion cuisine, defines it as “a harmonious combination of foods of various origins.” “The burgeoning popularity of fusion cuisine in  urban metropolises can be understood as part of the trend toward high income gentrification within certain sectors of the urban landscape in global cities such as New York, London and Tokyo.” Basically my thoughts on this chapter and the idea of Fusion makes me want to learn more and experience it, but it also confuses me as I don’t understand if they want people to get the ‘asian experience’ as its referred to on the restaurant description but I sort of hate the idea of it being called that as all cultures had traditional ways they go about things, cook things etc and truly experiencing those would be completely different, but than again thats the idea of this, not sure why I can’t wrap my head around the thought truly.

I’ve started looking up some texts that have to do with gender and race in video games and I’m gonna start reading them and writing my preconceptions of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Z.O.T.) in light of the texts. If people know of anything please pass it along!

First up this week is an article coming from Cracked.com, 5 Prejudices That Video Games Can’t Seem to Get Over by J.F.  Sargent.  The five categories talked about are: “Racism as a Gameplay Mechanic; Relationship Mini-Games Create Exclusively Unhealthy Relationships; Strong Female Characters (Are More Satisfying to Demean); There Are No Gay Men, Just Lesbians (And Those Chicks Can Be Converted); The Fundamentals of Game Design Make Racism Easier”. Except for the, “There Are No Gay Men, Just Lesbians (And Those Chicks Can Be Converted)” and somewhat the “Relationship Mini-Games Create Exclusively Unhealthy Relationships” part of this list, I feel that the prejudices are very relevant to Z.O.T.

“Racism as a Gameplay Mechanic”:

In this section Sargent talks about how depending on characters race/humanoid species they have certain characteristics that are solely because they come from that race. Sargent also points out that most of the races are based off of real races and use real stereotypes for portrayals. Sargent just so happened to mention the Gerudo race in Zelda as one of the examples. Sargent states that they are based off of Gypsies, and I would say have some Indian undertones as well and are referred to as a the “thieving Gerudo race.” It’s also pointed out that Ganondorf (for those of you unfamiliar to the game he is the protagonist), who is the only male of that race (I’ll get into the male part later), is a non-white character and is very power hungry. Looking further though the other races in the game from Gorons, and Zoras to Kokiri and Sheikan all of them have certain characteristics that end up affecting Link (who is the Hero).

“Relationship Mini-Games Create Exclusively Unhealthy Relationships”:

Sergent uses this space to talk about how female characters are used in romantic ways in video games for the hero’s gain, and how in some games these relationships are based off of what character you chose to play. However in Zelda it’s pretty simple, while there is only one obvious “romantic” relationship, all of Link’s interactions with females in up with him gaining something from them. Starting with his friend Saria, she gives him an ocarina, and ends up being one of the seven sages who’s power helps him bet Ganondorf. Till the last female character Link encounters, Nabooru, who sorta ends up forfeiting the Silver Gauntlets and also ends up being one of the seven Sages.

“Strong Female Characters (Are More Satisfying to Demean)”:

Gerudo Guard

Basically the more independent and stronger a female character is, the less clothes she is wearing or the more sexed up she is. While there are a lot of female characters in Z.O.T. the most independent one is Impa who is Princess Zelda’s bodyguard and then there is the clothing for the women of the Gerudo race. While Impa’s outfit is nothing compared to the Gerudo’s, compared to other females that war dresses, she is in a skin tight short body suit that accent her boobs.

Impa

As a race the Gerudo only have a male born every hundred years and besides that they are all women which makes them pretty independent from men and because they are thieves they need to guard their treasures. They wear low cut pants and basically bras.

“The Fundamentals of Game Design Make Racism Easier”:

This basically talks about how the bad people in video games are usually people of color and that you need to kill them in the game. It’s pretty obvious from the other implications with the Ganondorf, but in case you’ve missed it he’s non-white and evil and you need to kill him in the game to win.