Coffee or Tea in China? Java is it.

Coffee in China. Instead of tea crops, coffee is where the money is at. Like all things, when it’s not working you have to change it. Yunnan was once a tea capital, to the point of building shapes, proper names, all worked to make it a tea like atmosphere. Perhaps it was just for good luck or the tiny bits of marketing, but now, it’s becoming a coffee area and growing. The Economist mentions, “A family with a hectare of coffee can earn more than $10,000 a year, triple the amount for tea, and five times more than for maize or rice” It’s growing. We can’t wait to see Yunnan written on a bag of coffee sitting next to Ethiopia and Honduras. It’s a changing world. (Economist – Coffee in China)

gr/eats Changing Hands on Feb 14

Take 20% off of the following items! Yes, we’re in our farewell mode for gr/eats. It’s been a great ride and it’s time to move forward on exciting new projects.

Hello Kitty is British

Did you know Hello Kitty is British? Could be according to many fans. In a recent book, Hello Kitty’s Guide to Japan in English and Japanese, it’s surmised from clues that Hello Kitty is from the land of Austin Powers, James Bond, and Benny Hill. The story explain Kitty as if she’s living abroad in Japan and she’s introducing Japanese culture to her boyfriend Daniel. For many, this is blasphemous. How can this be? Hello Kitty is definitely Japanese, right? In the end, there is no final answer regardless of what the book says. The controversy is in the hands of corporate and the fans for choose not to believe everything they read. (Atlanticwire – Hello Kitty)

10 Year Old Sake Sommelier

World’s youngest sake sommelier is 10 years old. Akane Niikura tastes sake and is certified to do so. Before you get angry, it’s not really a tasting or drinking issue. It’s more of a marketing issue. According majiroxmews, “There are six levels of rankings under the system devised by the Sake Study Institute (SSI). The test is entirely written. At 8 years of age, Akane passed the fifth level and became a celebrity. Television crews moved in, magazines and newspapers featured articles about her throughout Japan.”

Yes, it sounds wrong either way, and perhaps the testing should begin at 20 – the legal drinking age in Japan.

Japan Kyushu Shinkansen (Bullet Train) Cute Commercial

Year of the Dragon Art

Secret Fresh x Bjorn Calleja – sorry it’s bright pink and hard to capture correctly. Take a look here.

Kit Kat in Japan – 200 Flavors?

200 kinds? This is news to us. There’s surely been 30 or so, but 200? We’d like to see a list of the flavors! Anyone have one? A quick search yielded no list.

From CNN: ”Running with that tonal advantage and tapping into Japan’s love of novelty, Nestlé has produced over 200 special edition flavors of the chocolate bar since 2000, often sold as gifts rather than snacks bought on the go. From wasabi and green tea to flavors specific to regions of Japan (Hokkaido roasted corn flavor, anyone?), Nestle has kept up the innovation to make it a mainstay on the shelves of stores across Japan, even making souvenir editions around holidays and events.”

GR2 Feb 18 – March 7, 2012 Art Exhibiton – Hello Spring!

GR2 Jan 28th – Feb 15th, 2012 Year of the Dragon

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Art Exhibition at GR2

Hello Spring!

Feb 18th – March 7th, 2012
Opening reception Saturday Feb 18th 2012, 6:30-10pm

GR2

2062 Sawtelle Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90025
gr2.net

(310) 445-9276
The Giant Robot 2 (GR2) presents: Hello Spring!

The exhibition includes work by:
APAK
Ulises Farinas
Renee French
Pamela Henderson
Albert Reyes
Erika Yamashiro

Giant Robot was born as a Los Angeles-based magazine about Asian, Asian-American, and new hybrid culture in 1994, but has evolved into a full-service pop culture provider with shops and galleries in Los Angeles as well as an online equivalent.

Eric Nakamura
Giant Robot Owner/Publisher
eric@giantrobot.com
(310) 479-7311

Giant Robot Time 2.3.12

YEAR OF THE DRAGONJANUARY 28 – FEBRUARY 15NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE The Giant Robot 2 (GR2) presents: YEAR OF THE DRAGON – an art exhibition featuring Dragons! This is the official GR2 Grand Re-Opening as well as our beloved Michelle Borok’s Farewell… Michelle Borok who is coincidentally Year of the Dragon, began as a clerk at Giant Robot LA and quickly found herself managing all locations, curating exhibitions, building the brand, and needless to say, much much more. She will be moving to Mongolia. “While the Year of the Rabbit was characterized by calm and tranquility, the Year of the Dragon will be marked by excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration and intensity. The Rabbit imbues people with a sense of cautious optimism, but people respond to the spirit of the Dragon with energy, vitality and unbridled enthusiasm, often throwing all caution to the wind – which can be an unwise move: The Dragon is all about drama but if you take unnecessary risks, you may find yourself starring in your own personal tragedy.” The exhibition includes work by: Andrice Arp, Robert Bellm, Aaron Brown, Elliot  Brown, Stasia Burrington, Bjorn Calleja, Ako Castuera, Sean Chao, Louise Chen, Shawn Cheng, James Chong, Luke Chueh, Chris Cilla, Jesse Fillingham, Cam Floyd, Harrison Freeman, Renee French, Gabe  Gonzales, Kio Griffith, Joe Hahn, Nao Harada, Hiro Hayashi, David Horvath, Kerry Horvath, Martin Hsu, Mark Ingram, Mari Inukai, Elizabeth Ito, Marc Johns, Jeremiah LaTorre, Little Friends of Printmaking, Tessar Lo, Bradford Lynn, Miso, Gary Musgrave, Mark Nagata, Ming Ong, Martin Ontiveros, Sana Park, Sidney Pink, Jarrett Quon, Jesse Reklaw, Sara Saedi, Ryan Jacob Smith, Dave Stolte, Ken Taya, Edwin Ushiro, Christine Vincent, Steven Weissman, Heidi  Woan, Yoskay Yamamoto, Jeni Yang, Yejin Oh, Sashiko Yuen ELLIOT BROWN PABST DRAGON HIRO HAYASHI GROWING STRONG MARI INUKAI TATSU-DOSHI ROBERT BELLEM WATER VS. FIRE VIEW THE ENTIRE EXHIBIT                                                              GAME NIGHT 8 MONACO: WHAT’S YOURS IS MINE SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 7-10PM In conjunction with the Attract Mode, Meat Bun apparel, Angry Bananas, and LA Game Space, Giant Robot is proud to host Game Night 8, an event that takes place at GR2 about every two months. For this eighth installment, we are featuring Monaco. Monaco is a 1 to 4-player cooperative crime caper inspired by classic French heist movies and set in modern day Monte Carlo. It can be summed up as ‘Pac-Man Meets Hitman.’ In 2010 Monaco won the Independent Game Festival Awards Grand Prize for Best Independent Game, as well as the award for Excellence in Design. It is still in development, and this is a rare opportunity to play the in-progress title and interact with creator Andy Schatz and producer Andy Nguyen. HELLO SPRING!A GROUP ART EXHIBITIONFEBRUARY 18 – MARCH 7 RECEPTION: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 6:30-10PM Featuring: APAK, Ulises Farinas, Renee French, Pamela Henderson, Albert Reyes, and Erika Yamashiro. DVD GIVEAWAYJOHNNIE TO’S PUNISHED Get a free copy of Johnnie To’s newly released Punished with any order over $30. Mention “Punished” in the comments section at checkout to be eligible. Good while supplies last. Offer also applicable in-store. SHOP NOW | VIEW THE TRAILER APPAREL HOUSEWARES PLUSH TOYS BAGS BOOKS ACCESSORIES + MORE  NEW AND FEATURED FOR FEBRUARY  DAVID CHOE HARDCOVER BOOK DAVID CHOE DARK CIRCLES PRINT Ten years in the making, a career-spanning collection of paintings, sketches, murals, graffiti, snapshots, and more. Featured in Printed Matter 10. Giclee on paper. Edition of 150. DAVID CHOECHOEBOT “MAD PARK” PRINT DIRTY HANDS: THE ART AND CRIMESOF DAVID CHOE DVD Limited edition of five prints signed and numbered. Meet David Choe, degenerate gambler, insatiable sex addict, and compulsive thief who sprays paint on walls at night. DAVID CHOEFREE FALL GIRLS T-SHIRT DAVID CHOESWEATER / FAIRY SKATE DECK New t-shirts by Upper Playground that feature the controversial and inspiring artwork of David Choe. In commemoration of Giant Robot’s 15th anniversary, artist David Choe collaborated once again for two new skate decks. YEAR OF THE DRAGON OPENING RECEPTION PHOTOSBy GIANT ROBOT NEWSThank you to everyone who ushered in the Year of the Dragon with us last weekend. PHOTOS OF THE WEEKBy ERIC NAKAMURAAko Castuera holding her two pieces for Year of the Dragon. Watch for her solo show at GR2 in the coming months. INTERVIEW: JESSE MICHAELS FROM CLASSICS OF LOVEBy MARTIN WONG“Classics of Love is a bit sweet, you know? But we play music with anger in it, and now I am happy that the music is framed by a soft name.” WITTR AT THE ECHOPLEX, KIT AND KEYCHAIN AT THE SMELLBy MARTIN WONGIt’s about time I checked out some bands that I haven’t seen a million times before: Wolves in the Throne Room, KIT, and Keychain.

Rhythm Heaven Fever Launch Event Friday Feb 10 6-10pm

WHO:
California video game fans and music and art lovers of all ages

WHEN:
Friday, Feb. 10 6-10 p.m.

WHERE:
iam8bit Gallery
2147 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA  90026

Motherfuckerland, Installment 3

(Art by spoon+fork.)

“I’m not your boss or anything,” Howard said when I came back to the stand.  “You know, though, that your lunch hour was too long today.”

“Go take your lunch now,” I told him.  “I’ll give you an extra half hour today.”

“Well, I’d rather wait a little bit,” he said.  “You know I like to eat late in the afternoon.”

“Just go now,” I said annoyed.  “You can take as long as you want.”

“Can’t argue with that!” he said and promptly disappeared.

I turned my back on the order window and sat on the counter.  I decided to make myself a grilled-cheese sandwich because it wasn’t a burger.  I tried to save money by eating as much as I could at the stand, and then taking a burger or two home for reheating and I was already sick of them.

(more…)

Anna Miller’s Waitress Outfits That Started a Craze

Imagine, the maid cafes that sprouted all over Japan had a beginning that was one part coffee shop and one part waitress uniform. The outfits were breast enhancing in the most obvious way, they outlined the bulbous area. The shops are nearly extinct, although one exists in Hawaii and Japan. The food looks standard, but the impact of the outfits in a food place became indelible. Maid cafes in Akihabara are synonymous with the sneaky peeping. (Kotaku – Anna Miller’s)

Maotai Liquor Rising in Value

Maotai is the drink Nixon and Mao once toasted to. It’s a liquor from China that’s now rising in value with age. A vintage bottle is no longer junk, it’s trading like wine with a future that’s looking bright. At thousands of dollars per bottle from only the 80s, it’s actually becoming a special drink, yet the kicker is that the drink from the 80s is the same as it is now. There’s no evident flavor difference! It’s another case of folks having too much money. (WSJ – Maotai)

David Choe and Facebook Riches

I heard of this a few times ages ago. Facebook stock. Well, as many of you know, it went public yesterday and the stock that David Choe was once given might be worth 200 million according to this article. It’s become public. In the land of tall tales, this is something crazy. You tend not to believe some of the statements that people make or you imagine something is wrong with it, but lo and behold, years later it comes to fruition. Since I personally know David, I heard of his Facebook stock, but the value of 1 million which he thought it was worth just a few years ago is now 200 million. Congrats on choosing the stock over a few thousand dollars in a time when you probably could have used the cash in hand. (NY Times – Facebook Stock)

Nintendo Explained

Nintendo is posting a loss of $850 million. It’s serious. Here’s why. Angry Birds? Why buy a console when you play on your phone! What is Nintendo Wii U? They haven’t produced a loss in 30 years, but recent mistakes like a $250 3DS that had to be priced lower is part of the problem. The consoles are supposed to be profitable, but the 3DS isn’t. The signature games are helping, but the gimmicks are failing. Is the 3D really important? Not at all. (Japantimes – 3DS)