Succour for the Spirit – Issue 2
Sunday Reading with writer
Osmond Chiu
Talking about cooking, alternative music, his vital work around reporting of COVID-19 related anti-Asian racism & more. #SuccourfortheSpirit #SilentDialogueEvents
“Lately I find I am struggling to think concretely beyond the next 48 hours. There is this loss of a sense of time as physical boundaries between work and home are blurred, new announcements are made every day and the routines of days become less distinctive yet more repetitive.”
In Conversation
with Osmond Chiu (OC) & correspondences’ Emma Thomson (ET)
Nature, food or art?
OC—Food
All-time favourite meal
OC—The most memorable meal I’ve had was at Bar Pinotxo in Barcelona in La Boqueria. It is this little tapas bar where they ask you two questions: meat or fish and whether you wanted more or if you had enough. The rest was left up to them. It was simple but you knew you could put your trust in whatever they would bring as it would not disappoint, the way it ideally should be.
Meal you're dreaming of having
OC—I’m not sure there is a specific meal I’m dreaming of having. Right now what I’m really missing is the atmosphere and energy of having a meal with a large group of friends where you can just eat, drink, talk nonsense and laugh. It’s not the same doing it over video, it can feel a bit disjointed.
Favourite cookbook
OC—Without a doubt, my favourite cookbook is Fuchsia Dunlop’s Every Grain of Rice which I constantly use.
"Gong Bao Chicken With Peanuts'" From Every Grain of Rice. For the recipe, check out this article. Meanwhile, press the link below to listen to Fuchsia talking about her cookbook.
Warning: It may induce hunger. Cooking segment Osmond?
What are you reading?
OC—I am currently reading British historian Adam Tooze’s book ‘Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World’ which is about the Global Financial Crisis and how it reshaped the world which seems apt given the current state of the world.
ET—For a recent review of the book by The Guardian, refer here.
All-time favourite musician(s)?
OC—A tough one. Some of my favourites include Neko Case, Sonic Youth,Galaxie 500 and Tim Rogers. What I feel compelled to listen to is influenced by my mood and also my surroundings. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Grimes, FKA Twigs and Charli XCX.
ET—Follow Rogers on Bandcamp. Check out The Luxury of Hysteria.
Tell us about one of your creations
Image: US Democratic lawmakers Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez & Sen. Ed Markey unveil their Green New Deal Resolution. Photography courtesy & © Alex Wong/Getty Images
OC—I am choosing an article I wrote in early 2019 for Eureka Street entitled “Australia needs its own Green New Deal”. A number of people have started mentioning planning for after the pandemic with parallels being made to post-war reconstruction, which I wrote about in my piece.
What was the starting point?
OC—I wrote it because there was a lot of discussion at the time about Alexandria Ocasio Cortez advocating for a Green New Deal but I had not seen anyone discuss it in an Australian context.
What were you striving to explore?
OC—The aim was to kickstart a discussion, prompt us to think about what it means in an Australian context given our own history and the three interlinked crises of democracy, climate change and inequality we face.
What are you working on now/next?
OC—At the moment, I am collaborating on an online racism tracker with the Asian Australian Alliance and Being Asian Australia. We have seen a massive increase in anti-Chinese and anti-Asian racism around the world in the wake of COVID-19. A lot of it is going unreported and we hope that by recording incidents, the community can get a sense of how widespread it is.
ET—If you have experienced COVID-19 related anti-Asian racism, please let us know by reporting it via the link below.
What can supporters do to support?
Pre purchase our book with Osmond's words → here.
Follow us and share our newsletters and posts via email and social media via the icon links below.Follow Osmond at t: @redrabbleroz
Watch and share this little video by Viet-My Bui Illustration & Design. Racism. It stops with me.
Biography
Contributing essayist Osmond Chiu is a Research Fellow at the Per Capita thinktank. He has worked in policy roles for over a decade in the Australian Public Service and the trade union movement. He has spoken and written about a range of topics including the public service, the future of work, digital rights, social democracy and multiculturalism. His writing has appeared in publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, Guardian Australia, Canberra Times, Crikey, Overland, Jacobin, Peril magazine and Meanjin. He tweets at @redrabbleroz
Image credit (banner): Bar Pinotxo, 1991. Photograph by Peter CS65
