6.18.2020

So They Found the Racist Torrance Park Lady. Now What?

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Detectives Interview Woman from Racist Rant Video
The "manhunt" is over. Police have located Lena Hernandez, the woman identified in connection with multiple racist incidents that were caught on camera and went viral. Hernandez was reportedly found by Torrance Police Department detectives and members of the Specialized Crisis Intervention Team in a park in San Pedro on Wednesday. Investigators interviewed Hernandez regarding the rants at the park, as well as a third incident last year at a local mall, in which Hernandez was accused of pushing and striking a woman. So they interviewed her... and that's it. Nothing else happened. "Based on the fact all three incidents are misdemeanor crimes and did not occur in the presence of an officer, Hernandez was not arrested at the time of the interview," according to the police's press release. Prosecutors apparently haven't made a decision to bring misdemeanor charges against her, because... well, I don't actually know. How about charging her because people need to know that shit isn't right?

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Megan Amram Apologizes for Resurfaced Offensive Tweets
Megan Amram, a co-producer and writer for NBC's The Good Place and star and creator of the web series An Emmy for Megan, has issued an apology for past tweets of hers that recently resurfaced from the early 2010s making offensive jokes about Asian Americans, Jewish people, as well as people with disabilities. After blocking critics left and right for months regarding these tweets, I guess she finally decided she couldn't pretend this shit never happened. The apology is long and isn't very good. Hell, even if it was awesome, none of it matters if she doesn't back it up with this "action and change" she promises. I won't hold my breath.

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‘Top Chef: All-Stars' champ’s secret ingredient: San Gabriel Valley flavors
Top Chef All-Stars: Los Angeles came to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday night as the remaining three chefs -- Bryan Voltaggio, Stephanie Cmar and Melissa King -- were tasked with serving a group of international culinary legends in Tuscany, Italy. On the menu? "The best progressive four-course meal of your life," said host, judge and executive producer Padma Lakshmi. The winner: Melissa King, who paired her Italian techniques and local ingredients with the Chinese flavors of her San Gabriel Valley childhood: char siu glazed octopus with fennel, squash agnolotti with Szechuan chili oil, grilled squab with persimmon, porcini and fermented black bean, and Hong Kong milk tea tiramisu.

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Nahnatchka Khan, Netflix Team for Romantic Comedy 'Dial A for Aunties'
Netflix and Fresh Off the Boat creator Nahnatchka Khan have teamed up to adapt Dial A for Aunties, a highly sought-after upcoming book by Indonesia-based author Jesse Q. Sutanto. Described as Crazy Rich Asians meets Weekend at Bernie's, the story centers on a young wedding photographer who, along with her mother and aunts, tries to hide the body of her blind date while working the wedding day of a wealthy client. The book is tentatively set for release in April 2021.

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Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi
In Hulu's Taste the Nation, Padma Lakshmi takes audiences on a journey across America, exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history -- ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.


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