Most of us have at least one person in our family who has served in the military during wartime. These men and women live amongst us, some suffering more than others, some not suffering at all. As they age their sense of self worth comes into focus, and they struggle to explain themselves to younger family members. Talking about traumatic events experienced during war is stressful and exhausting. So the question is “Should we dredge up old painful memories? Are our grandfathers and fathers too old to heal?” Apparently Frazier Sheppard and Laverne Shimanek feel you are never too old to heal. Sheppard (US Army, Vietnam) and Shimanek (US Marine, Korea) are both veterans of war and now they r

Miss Saigon at the Music Circus The final offering in the Music Circus 2011 lineup is the international spectacular “Miss Saigon.” The stirring and visually stunning production is a solid reinterpretation of Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly,” relocated to Vietnam on the eve of the fall of Saigon in April 1975. This is a modern retelling of unexpected love found in an unlikely way, of the tragic separation of lovers and the dreams that sustain them through adversity, and the uncontrollable twists of fate that bring them back together under even more tragic circumstances. Orphaned bar girl Kim (played by Ma-Anne Dionisio) meets American G.I. Chris (Eric Kunze) at the Saigon bar

Nationally acclaimed chef Mai Pham expanded her Southeast Asian food emprie in Sacramento with the opening of her newest restaurant, Star Ginger Asian Grill & Noodle Bar, on Tuesday, January 25, 2011, and ever since I heard about it I wanted to see what it was all about. From her incredible food and cocktails that I've had at her landmark restaurant, and then the local and affordable convenience of her addition on Howe (Lemongrass Noodle Bar), I was hooked. This is exactly the kind of food that is approachable for novice foodies to the Asian dining scene, and Pham gives a wonderful introduction to what those flavors have to offer! Blending the bold simplicity of Asian street food with th

  Used to be, when I thought of Vietnam, I would think first of the war, and my stepfather Pieter, who spent two tours of duty in the Vietnam War in the Marine Corps special forces.  Actually, Vietnam conjured up visions  of a parade of Vietnam vets who came through my house and my life while I was growing up in Menlo Park.               My father specialized in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and it seemed that in the 80's and 90's,  Vietnam vets had cornered that market.  We had a guest room out back where many a traumatized vet stayed while under my fathers tutelage. I had a lot of questionable male role models stay in "the study" for varying amounts of time, every one of who

Sunday was the Lunar New Year for several Asian cultures, including the Vietnamese. The Vietnamese New Year celebration, Tết, began Saturday morning in a parking lot on the corner of Stockton Boulevard and Fowler Avenue. It started with the City of Sacramento's ribbon cutting ceremony for Little Saigon. This was followed by a New Year parade proceeding south down Stockton Boulevard to Florin Road, where participants viewed the County of Sacramento's ribbon cutting ceremony and participated in the Tết Festival. The following is a photo journal of the weekend's events and festivities. For more photographs and information, please read this article on the festival and celebration. Councilman

Tuesday night's City Council meeting featured dancing, cheering and even crying. The excitement anticipated the City Council's unanimous vote for the area on Stockton Boulevard between between Riza Avenue and Fruitridge Road to be named Little Saigon. Councilman Kevin McCarty, whose district includes the one-and-a-half-mile stretch of Little Saigon, proposed the vote to the City Council in January after months of public input from South Sacramento business owners and community members. It's now the city's inaugural cultural district. Starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, hundreds of Vietnamese and supporters of the campaign for Little Saigon began filling the city council chamber for a pre-council