The week of February 10, 2024 was weeping over the serenity on Tracy Chapman’s face and meditating with Lil Jon. More of both this lunar new year! What’s your new year’s resolution?

The Mash-Up Americans:

Happy Year of the Dragon, from our Mash-Up family to yours! Let’s make some lion’s head soup, pound some Korean rice cakes, and get those red envelopes. In the words of Sandra Oh, “It’s an honor just to be Asian.”.

Mash-Ups In The News:

Bused From Texas To Manhattan, An Immigrant Struggles To Find Shelter
PRO PUBLICA

Bus, church, train, another church, waiting, more waiting, and maybe a bed. Then do it again the next day, and the next. Something’s gotta give.

Against Trendbait
VOX

TikTok is a verifiable slang factory and we kind of hate it. To take a cue from 20-year old TikTok user Brenna Connelly, let’s just go back to using real sentences, yeah?

Call Me Palestinian
EATER

The war in Gaza has led some New York Palestinian restaurant owners to lead with their identity in an effort to bring attention to the struggle back home.

The World’s Forests Are Doing Much Better Than We Think
BLOOMBERG

Finally, some not-terrible news. “It’s a sign that not every indicator is pointing toward doom — though there is no room for complacency.”

Inside The Graffiti-Covered L.A. Skyscrapers That Drew Global Attention
THE WASHINGTON POST

What else would you do with an abandoned 55-story “luxury complex” in the middle of the city besides tag the hell out of it? We think it’s glorious. Others, not so much.

Biggest Ever Survey Of Trans Americans Finds 94% Happier After Transition
THE GUARDIAN

Out of the 92,000 people surveyed who identify transgender adults, 94% were either “a lot” or “a little more satisfied” with their lives. We’re happy they’re happy, truly.

Heirloom Rice Thrives In Western North Carolina With Help From Hmong Farmers
WEST VIRGINIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING

A certain variety of heirloom sweet sticky rice has a legendary beginning in North Carolina, started with a handful of seeds passed down through a network of Hmong families. We cried.

Austin Gave Poor Families A Basic Income. It Changed Their Lives.
VICE

“For one year, low-income families in Austin, Texas, received $1,000 a month to do whatever they wanted; they spent it on rent and substantially improved their situations.”

If It Isn’t Perfect, Is It Still K-Pop?
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Depends on whose definition we use. We love the auto-tuned, choreographed stuff VERY MUCH, but Korean alt/indie bands also making “pop” music wonder where they fit in.

A Smorgasbord Of German And Swedish Delights Awaits In Small-Town Montrose
EATER LA

+1 from the Angelenos of MUA. Two old-school small businesses have carved out a time capsule of sorts in this little corner of LA.

The Real Life Of Mr. Teo Yoo, The Star Of Past Lives
MR. PORTER

OK wait, how did we not know he’s a German national? The dreamboat talks about his start in acting, and how his life has changed since playing Hae Sung.

How One Displaced Gazan Is Surviving The War by Baking
WBUR

With bakeries closed for the past few months in Gaza due to the scarcity of electricity and flour, a 26-year-old dentist has been baking bread for her family and other displaced Gazans in a tent.