Heather Chin

“Crazy Rich Asians” has been celebrated as groundbreaking for everything from Asian-American representation in Hollywood to portraying strong, self-assured female and male leads in a genre that often plays immaturity for laughs. But the romantic comedy also challenges stereotypes about motherhood, womanhood, and mother-child relationships in American and Asian cultures.

Unlike the mothers in fellow book-to-film adaptation “The Joy Luck Club,” which hit theaters 25 years ago, the women of “Cra...

Sonoya Mizuno is ready for summer in the city. Casually rocking a tomboy-chic haircut and a flowing pale blush trench coat over a loose blouse, she looks the opposite of her high- fashion Crazy Rich Asians alter ego, Araminta Lee. But, like Lee, Mizuno is comfortable in her own skin. “Her style is so crazy. I’m kind of relaxed chic. Boyish. Feminine,” she explains. “It’s very simple. I like that kind of blending of the lines. I think that’s why I really am into my new hair,” she says, running...

Red Hook has a dual identity as both a working waterfront and a popular destination for fans of lobster rolls, key lime pies, cruises, Swedish furniture, and art. But for lifelong locals, the neighborhood’s go-to places evoke a sense of place and home. One of the youth leaders at the Red Hook Community Justice Center, Keith Pettaway gives us a glimpse into the Red Hook of the present and the future.
U.S. Fried Chicken & Pizza (129 Dwight Street) is iconic to the area I live in. We call it “th...

After a week of talking about tariffs and trade wars, President Donald Trump signed off on steep steel and aluminum taxes for all nations, with the exemption of Canada and Mexico for at least 30 days.
The tariff plan also led to the resignation of Gary Cohn, top economic advisor to the president and director of the National Economic Council.
Trump made more news by accepting an invitation to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May for nuclear talks. It would be the first meeting betw...

Thirteen months into his presidency, President Donald Trump announced this week that he hired Brad Parscale to serve as campaign manager for his 2020 re-election effort. Parscale served as digital media director of Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Meanwhile, Trump’s 2016 campaign manager, Paul Manafort, pleaded not guilty to multiple new charges as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in that election. He faces trial in September.

The next day, White House Commun...

Kickstarter quietly launched a competitor to Patreon last month, called Drip.
Drip is a crowdfunding platform that allows supporters to pledge a monthly donation to creators and in return get ongoing rewards in the form of regular content, sneak peeks, and more.
So far, Drip is invite-only, but will go live to the public some time in early 2018, February at the earliest, said Cassie Marketos, Kickstarter’s vice president of community strategy (and first-ever employee).

Williamsburg has seen a lot of immigrant culinary traditions come and go over the years, but a few have managed to take root despite trends—and real estate—changing around them. One of these traditions is that of old-school Italian restaurants and bakeries, which began arriving at around the turn of the 20th century.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Elaine Duke made the announcement Nov. 21, stating that their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) would not be renewed after the U.S. government decided that the hurricane-ravaged country could support their return.
However, many of the 60,000 Haitians living in the U.S. who would be affected — 5,400...

Where to Find Ebinger’s Beloved Blackout Cake Across Brooklyn and Manhattan
By Heather ChinDecember 14, 2017
The legendary dark chocolate layer cake has become a hit the world over, with variations available far and wide. Here’s where to try it.

The Teen Innovators after-school and internship program has been mingling history and technology for the past six years. And now, its unique model is receiving some national recognition.
Teen Innovators is one of 12 programs selected for the 2017 National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, the nation’s highest honor for youth programs. The announcement came as a pleasant surprise and validation for the program’s two co-sponsoring organizations, the Brooklyn Historical Society and Brookl...

Whatever your edible (or otherwise) gift needs, there’s a market in either Brooklyn or Manhattan for you.
Doing your holiday shopping in New York means every day is a chance to support small businesses, especially the growing number of food makers that make their home here. And there is no better place to find these edible crafts-folk than at the myriad holiday markets open all month.
The monthly Vegan Shop-Up adds a...

The incredible holiday displays start going up the weekend after Thanksgiving.
In Brooklyn, the phrase “holiday lights” is synonymous with the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights, a decades-long tradition that gets bigger and brighter every year. Located between 11th and 13th Avenues, from 83rd to 86th Streets, the extreme light displays are a fair trek on foot from the subway, so...

In browser land, Google’s Chrome reigns supreme. But a familiar player is now trying to claw back more users.
Mozilla released a new Firefox browser this week — its first since launching 13 years ago — and to celebrate the anniversary/birthday, it chartered a ferry boat, took to the river and invited New Yorkers along for the ride.
Designed as a metaphor for the speed and efficiency of the Firefox Quantum browser, the three-day promotion — which includes free donuts, coffee, meditation classe...

We talked to Italian, Jewish and Vietnamese restaurants to get a look at how fish binds the borough.
’Tis the season for family and feasting, but in a borough full of so many rich cultural and culinary traditions, it’s difficult to sample them all when you’re spending time with your own loved ones. But never fear: Fish and fresh seafood are everywhere. That’s why we spoke with three local chefs who are ...

Perhaps the most memorable and affecting moment during “Sit, Eat, Chew,” choreographer Mei-Yin Ng’s recent dance tour-meets-oral history project in Manhattan’s Chinatown, took place in a hair salon at 189 Centre Street.
There, a young woman draped in white moved from table to mirror to chair, telling the story of Bow Kum, a Chinese immigrant from the 1880s — from being bought from China as a bride in San Francisco, to being rescued by missionaries, to remarrying and relocating to New York City...