Asian Heritage Month
“According to the 2021 Census, a total of 7,013,835 people in Canada reported having Asian origins, representing 19.3% of the population,” Statistics Canada.
May is Asian Heritage Month, an opportunity to celebrate diverse Asian cultures in Canada and throughout the world. We’ve selected a booklist to inspire you to try some tasty Asian cuisine, dream of colourful travel destinations, immerse yourself in Asian culture and check out writing by Asian-Canadian authors.
A Culinary History of Taipei: Beyond Pork and Ponlai
How to Pronounce Knife
Pop Empires: Transnational and Diasporic Flows of India and Korea
At the start of the twenty-first century challenges to the global hegemony of U.S. culture are more apparent than ever. Two of the contenders vying for the hearts, minds, bandwidths, and pocketbooks of the world’s consumers of culture (principally, popular culture) are India and South Korea. “Bollywood” and “Hallyu” are increasingly competing with “Hollywood”—either replacing it or filling a void in places where it never held sway.
Filipino Time: Affective Worlds and Contracted Labor
From spectacular deaths in a drag musical to competing futures in a call center, Filipino Time examines how contracted service labor performed by Filipinos across the world generates vital affects, multiple networks, and other lifeworlds as much as it disrupts and dislocates human relations. Affective labor and time are re-articulated in a capacious archive of storytelling about the Filipino labor diaspora in fiction, musical performance, ethnography, and documentary film. Exploring these cultural practices, Filipino Time traces other ways of sensing, making sense of, and feeling time with others, by weaving narratives of place and belonging out of the hostile but habitable textures of labortime.
Singapore Cooking: Fabulous Recipes from Asia's Food Capital
Good food is an abiding passion for Singaporeans—mainly because there's so much of it on the tiny, multi-cultural island. Singapore Cooking is a compendium of local favorites by two of Singapore's best-known food personalities, Christopher Tan and his father Terry Tan. This book features amazing recipes for the most fabulous Hainanese Chicken Rice and Singapore Chilli Crab you have ever tasted—as well as lesser known but equally delightful dishes like Ayam Tempra (Chicken Braised in Spicy Sweet Soy) and Nasi Ulam (Fresh Herbal Rice Salad).
Toward the North: Stories by Chinese Canadian Writers
Toward the North is the first anthology of thirteen short fiction pieces written and translated by Chinese-Canadian writers during the last two decades, each of which depicts the contemporary lives of new Chinese immigrants to Canada, and illustrates newcomers’ perspectives of multicultural Canada. The theme of the anthology is Chinese transnational and cross-cultural life experience. A fundamental concern shared by most of the authors is to redefine their characters’ cultural identity in their acculturation across times and space.
Fodor's Essential Thailand
Whether you want to visit Buddhist temples, sample Bangkok’s street food, indulge in a Thai massage, or shop floating markets , the local Fodor’s travel experts in Thailand are here to help! Fodor’s Essential Thailand guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos.
Diasporic Hallyu: The Korean Wave in Korean Canadian Youth Culture
This book examines the lived experiences of diasporic Korean youth in light of the transnational flows of South Korean pop-culture, known as the Korean Wave, or Hallyu. Drawing on an ethnographic study of Korean Canadian youth and their engagement with the Korean Wave, the book proposes a critical understanding of the interactions between diasporic youth audiences and pop-culture. By examining the Korean Wave as diasporic cultural practices rather than the diffusion of national cultural products, the book reveals the diversified ways in which cultural flows are negotiated by audiences who take up relatively ambivalent reception positions between two or more national and cultural contexts.
Maydan: Recipes from Lebanon and Beyond
Ancient foodways don’t recognize geopolitical boundaries. For instance, the harissa found in Tunisia is incredibly similar to the adjika used in Georgia, and the lineage of baking bread in clay ovens stretches across the region with strikingly parallel methods. And in that vein, the word maydān has roots in a number of languages and has been crossing borders for generations, from Tangier to Tehran and from Beirut to Batumi. It means “gathering place” or “square,” often located in the middle of a city, and originates in Arabic, but translates to Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Ukrainian, and even Latin. To Previte, it symbolizes how food brings us together.
Hong Kong- Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs and Culture
Visitors marvel at Hong Kong's breathtaking location, its amazing architecture, its exciting shopping, and its fine dining. And yet it is a land of opposites—of order juxtaposed with chaos, of ancient etiquette and seemingly abrupt manners, a place where rich and poor live in close proximity. Culturally, Hong Kong is rooted in the traditions of China, but there is more than a patina of Westernization. Culture Smart! Hong Kong introduces the reader to this vibrant, multifaceted society. It provides helpful advice and cultural insights on business practice and social etiquette.
The Chutney Life: 100 Easy-to-Make Indian-Inspired Recipes
The recipes in this cookbook not only celebrate the Indian food Patel grew up eating but also the loving hands that made that food. Filled with anecdotes, love notes to Patel’s favorite kitchen tools, and many time-saving tips, Patel’s recipes find inspiration in resourcefulness. Busy moms and curious cooks alike will find new, exciting flavors here, inspired by souvenirs of Patel’s travels, makeovers of classics, and Indian remakes of favorites.
Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters
With Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters, you’ll learn character design for these popular entertainment genres from renowned concept artist and teacher TB Choi. Learn how to construct a character, simplify forms for poses and gestures, draw hair, clothes and accessories, convey dimension, emotion and character, create pets, chibis and sidekicks. Filled with step-by-step demonstrations and expert guidance and advice, Design Your Own Anime and Manga Characters teaches you everything you need to bring unique characters to life.
Vij: A Chef's One-Way Ticket to Canada with Indian Spices in his Suitcase
Vij reveals the story of Vikram Vij, one of Canada’s most celebrated chefs and entrepreneurs. Co-owner of the world-famous Vij’s Restaurant in Vancouver, his story is a true rags-to-riches tale of a college dropout from northern India who made it to Europe’s temples of high cuisine, then with a one-way ticket bound for Canada, found fame serving some of the world’s most transcendent Indian cuisine. A culinary journey that began in India as a boy enjoying the praise of visitors for his chai and biscuits, Vikram’s passion for Indian cooking and his lifelong mission to bring awareness to the culture he left behind have fueled his tireless drive in building a world-renowned food empire.
Samurai Castles: History, Architecture, Visitor's Guides
Samurai Castles features hundreds of stunning color photographs and little-known details about the most important and well-preserved Samurai castles in Japan, including their history, design and military features. The enormous stone walls, multi-level towers, and sophisticated defense systems are not merely impressive fortresses, but spectacular works of Japanese architecture, constructed without the use of steel or modern equipment. These monumental structures fulfilled a need for protection without sacrificing aesthetic values.
Chop Suey Nation
In 2016, Globe and Mail reporter Ann Hui drove across Canada, from Victoria to Fogo Island, to write about small-town Chinese restaurants and the families who run them. It was only after the story was published that she discovered her own family could have been included—her parents had run their own Chinese restaurant, The Legion Cafe, before she was born. This discovery, and the realization that there was so much of her own history she didn’t yet know, set her on a time-sensitive mission: to understand how, after generations living in a poverty-stricken area of Guangdong, China, her family had somehow wound up in Canada.
Updates
🖼 Catch the TREX exhibition Urban Soul before it moves on
Urban Soul, a collection from the Travelling Exhibition Program (TREX) run by the Alberta Foundation of the Arts, is still with us until May 12, 2024.
From the Exhibition Statement: The exhibition Urban Soul invites viewers to contemplate the living creativity that pumps vibrancy and culture into the veins of a city, a park, or anywhere that humans share space. Six artists contribute their voices and make their mark in this exhibition through various mediums - whether their art is on a skateboard, a garment, a road sign, or a large mural-like panel, they are using a visual language to express their individual identities and contribute to a continually evolving cultural conversation. The artists featured in this exhibition are Rhys Douglas Farrell, Levin Ifko, Harvey Nichol, Sydonne Warren, Adrianne Williams, and Tyler Wong.
📸 Cameras and Virtual Reality Headsets have moved!
The following equipment has now left the library to join the specialized equipment at the SAIT Connector Lab:
- Camera Kits (DSLR's and camcorders)
- Camera Accessories
- Microphone Kits
- Virtual Reality (VR) Headsets
These items will become available for loan from the Connector Lab later and will still be free to borrow. The SAIT Connector Lab is located in TU103, Thomas Riley Building. You can email sait.connector@sait.ca for more information about their equipment.
🎧 More headphones, calculators, and cables to borrow for longer
Due to increased demand, we've added 10 extra sets of headphones (including Bluetooth sets) to our library collection this month. We have also added extra scientific calculators, accounting calculators (BA11+), basic calculators, iPhone chargers, wall plugs and type-C chargers to borrow.
The loan period for these electronic items has been increased to 6 hours to give you extra time.
💻 New laptops coming soon
New ThinkPad laptops are coming very soon to replace our old laptops currently in circulation. Laptops and accessories will still be available as a same day loan from the library.
💻 New bookable workstation
We have a new specialized workstation at the library. This workstation has Agisoft Metashape software installed so it can be used for creating 3D models. It's located opposite the library's Information Desk with our Assistive Technology Workstations, and can be booked for up to three hours per week.
Celebrate SAIT!
SAIT’s had a lot to celebrate over the years!
As May 8 is Celebrate SAIT Day, we’ve looked through the archives to find historical photos of staff and students celebrating at SAIT:
We have a massive collection of photographs depicting life at SAIT throughout its history, most of which are digitized and can be browsed online.
The SAIT Archives preserves SAIT history by collecting analog and born-digital formats, including photographs, audio/video, oral histories, maps, illustrations, art, artifacts and ephemeral materials. We actively collect materials documenting all aspects of campus history from SAIT schools, departments, faculty, research groups, student and staff organizations, alumni, and other entities with a relationship to our campus. If you have any materials you would like to donate, please contact our Archivist at Karly.sawatzky@sait.ca
View Archive CollectionsReg Erhardt Library
Oki, Âba wathtech, Danit'ada, Tawnshi, Hello.
SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3.