New Sampan Article: Peking Duck Delights & Some History

The most interesting feature of Chinese life to me was that on board their boats, or sampans, as they are called....Upon these boats live whole families of three and even four generations."

--The Fall River Daily Herald, November 20, 1888

As I've mentioned previously, I've a new writing gig, contributing to Sampan, the only bilingual Chinese-English newspaper in New England. I've previously written thirteen articles for Sampan, including:

In Search of the First Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown

Malden’s First Chinese Restaurant

Quincy's First Chinese Restaurants

Ruby Foo, Chinatown’s First Woman Restaurateur (Part 1)

Ruby Foo, Chinatown’s First Woman Restaurateur (Part 2).

Anita Chue: Another Influential Woman Restaurateur in Chinatown

Celebrate World Baijiu Day

Mary Yick, A Chinatown Pioneer Who Fought Discrimination

Bella Long, The Original Queen of Chinatown

A Restaurant Review of Viet Citron

The First Chinese Person To Live In Boston

Chinese Restaurant Finances in the 1920

Ar-Showe: A Wealthy Chinese Tea Seller

My newest article, Peking Duck Delights & Some History, is now available in the new issue of Sampan. Who doesn't love this famous Mandarin dish, with its delightful crispy skin and tender meat. Delve into the history of Peking Duck in the U.S., from its first references in 1900, to its first appearance in a Boston area restaurant in 1958. Joyce Chen was the first to bring Peking Duck to the Boston area. The article also discusses China King, owned by Doris Huang, who made one of the best Peking Duck dishes in Chinatown. Unfortunately, China King closed at the end of 2020, but I've heard that Doris intends to relocate her restaurant and bring her famous Peking Duck back to the area. 

I'm currently working on a new article for the Sampan. 

What is a "sampan?" The newspaper's site states, "A sampan is a popular river boat in traditional China. This small but useful vessel, by transporting cargo from large boats to the village ports, creates a channel of communication among villages." And like that type of boat, Sampan delivers news and information all across New England, and "acts a bridge between Asian American community organizations and individuals in the Greater Boston area."

Sampan, which was founded in 1972, is published by the nonprofit Asian American Civic Association, "The newspaper covers topics that are usually overlooked by the mainstream press, such as key immigration legislation, civil rights, housing, education, day-care services and union activities. These issues are crucial to the well-being of Asian immigrants, refugees, low-income families as well as individuals who are not proficient in the English language."

There is plenty of interest in Sampan which will appeal to all types of readers, from restaurant reviews to historical articles, from vital news stories to travel items. In these current days when racism and prejudice against Asians and their restaurants is high, it's more important than ever that accurate information about the Asian community is disseminated and promoted. We need to combat the irrational prejudices that some possess, and support our Asian communities just as we would support any other element of our overall community. We are all important aspects of a whole, and we need to stand together.

Support Sampan!