Imagine: Scallion pancake french fires and mochi Twinkies. Mouth watering yet?
We know that food and identity are intricately linked. And when we shame a person’s food choices—especially when the dish is representative of their culture—we are also shaming the individual’s heritage.
Asian-Americans in particular have been on the receiving end of this type of discrimination. It’s such a universal childhood experience that the term “lunchbox moment” was coined to describe having their school lunches being ridiculed.
Fortunately, society is evolving. Diversity, inclusion and blending culture is becoming more the norm. And food, like every art form, follows suit. Hence, delectable fusions that not only delight the taste buds, but cook up a more curious and compassionate world.
Which brings us to Taiwanese-American designer turned food writer and photographer Frankie Gaw.
On his website, Gaw claims he’s “not a chef by any means,” but just one scroll through his blog, titled “Little Fat Boy,” will have you thinking differently.Gaw’s recipes are heavily inspired by the meals prepared to him in childhood by his grandmother, who makes several guest appearances during his videos.
“My hope…is to capture the melting pot of food experiences that I love through recipes, videos, pop-up events, and more. I just want it to feel like you’re eating in my grandma’s kitchen and getting the best kind of fat with 10-year-old plump me with a bunch of steamed buns stuffed in your face, coupled with a little slice of Midwestern suburban goodness,” he says.
That intention certainly comes across with his “American Classics turned Taiwanese” series, where everything from Twinkies to Mcdonald’s Happy Meals to good ol’ mac n’ cheese gets an Asian spin.
Did we mention that he even creates his own version of the food packaging? Yeah, he’s extra in the best way.
With each recipe video, Gaw shares moments of his life, like how he would screen his lunch for non-American snacks and throw them away, or pontificate how life might be different if iconic brands capitalized on different flavors from around the world. Like if Campbell's soups introduced congee to “made congee into a pantry staple,” or if Cheerios introduced Asian flavors like sesame and miso.
After seeing his creations, it’s hard not to wonder that too. See more below:
I could eat 7 strawberry match "Twunkies" in one go, easily.
Congee is just like soup, but with more flavor and fillings? Sign me up.
Gaw is right. More cereal flavors, please.
Taiwanese fried chicken + Cheetos = tastebud heaven
Not only is this version of Lunchables way more pleasing to the eye, it would probably be more satisfying for the tummy.
Caramalized onions make everything better. So why not mac-n-cheese.
Hoping to explore some of Gaw’s recipes yourself? Gaw recently came out with a cookbook, titled “First Generation: Recipes from My Taiwanese-American Home,” which is filled not only with unique, scrumptious meal ideas, but deeply personal stories from his childhood, giving viewers a real opportunity to be transported to new places. And all through food! What’s not to like?
A Generation Jones teenager poses in her room.Image via Wikmedia Commons
An office kitchen.via 
An angry man eating spaghetti.via 
An Irish woman went to the doctor for a routine eye exam. She left with bright neon green eyes.
It's not easy seeing green.
Did she get superpowers?
Going to the eye doctor can be a hassle and a pain. It's not just the routine issues and inconveniences that come along when making a doctor appointment, but sometimes the various devices being used to check your eyes' health feel invasive and uncomfortable. But at least at the end of the appointment, most of us don't look like we're turning into The Incredible Hulk. That wasn't the case for one Irish woman.
Photographer Margerita B. Wargola was just going in for a routine eye exam at the hospital but ended up leaving with her eyes a shocking, bright neon green.
At the doctor's office, the nurse practitioner was prepping Wargola for a test with a machine that Wargola had experienced before. Before the test started, Wargola presumed the nurse had dropped some saline into her eyes, as they were feeling dry. After she blinked, everything went yellow.
Wargola and the nurse initially panicked. Neither knew what was going on as Wargola suddenly had yellow vision and radioactive-looking green eyes. After the initial shock, both realized the issue: the nurse forgot to ask Wargola to remove her contact lenses before putting contrast drops in her eyes for the exam. Wargola and the nurse quickly removed the lenses from her eyes and washed them thoroughly with saline. Fortunately, Wargola's eyes were unharmed. Unfortunately, her contacts were permanently stained and she didn't bring a spare pair.
- YouTube youtube.com
Since she has poor vision, Wargola was forced to drive herself home after the eye exam wearing the neon-green contact lenses that make her look like a member of the Green Lantern Corps. She couldn't help but laugh at her predicament and recorded a video explaining it all on social media. Since then, her video has sparked a couple Reddit threads and collected a bunch of comments on Instagram:
“But the REAL question is: do you now have X-Ray vision?”
“You can just say you're a superhero.”
“I would make a few stops on the way home just to freak some people out!”
“I would have lived it up! Grab a coffee, do grocery shopping, walk around a shopping center.”
“This one would pair well with that girl who ate something with turmeric with her invisalign on and walked around Paris smiling at people with seemingly BRIGHT YELLOW TEETH.”
“I would save those for fancy special occasions! WOW!”
“Every time I'd stop I'd turn slowly and stare at the person in the car next to me.”
“Keep them. Tell people what to do. They’ll do your bidding.”
In a follow-up Instagram video, Wargola showed her followers that she was safe at home with normal eyes, showing that the damaged contact lenses were so stained that they turned the saline solution in her contacts case into a bright Gatorade yellow. She wasn't mad at the nurse and, in fact, plans on keeping the lenses to wear on St. Patrick's Day or some other special occasion.
While no harm was done and a good laugh was had, it's still best for doctors, nurses, and patients alike to double-check and ask or tell if contact lenses are being worn before each eye test. If not, there might be more than ultra-green eyes to worry about.