Malaysia

Ghost Scam: Murky Origins Go Back at Least 25 Years

While studying for his Religious Studies doctorate in Taiwan in 2004, Jonathan H.X. Lee read through a worn, '80s era textbook. For one lesson Lee turned the page to a section about faith. The chapter included a sidebar which provided an anecdote illustrating the power of religious faith. It told t ... More >>

Ghost Stories: Scams Targeting S.F.'s Cantonese Community Reveal the Terrible Power of Belief

Food Truck Bite of the Week: Finding Home with Laksa at Azalina's Malaysian

Our weekly bite explores the city's food trucks, one at a time, highlighting our favorite mobile dishes and snacks. The Truck: Azalina's Malaysian The Cuisine: Mamak stall cuisine, a blend of Indian, Malay, and Chinese cuisine Specialty Items: Fritters, curries, buns Worth the Wait in Line? At peak ... More >>

Ghost Scam Trial: Closing Arguments Pit Charges of Greed Against Human Trafficking Defense

The verdict of the ghost scam trial will come down to the why -- the what is undisputed. On November 10, 2012, the four defendants scammed a woman out of $50,000 by tricking her into thinking that a spirit would kill her son, and that the only way to save him would be to perform a ceremony that in ... More >>

American Bao Bar: Pop-Up Combines Asian and Southern Cuisines

Ghost Scam Trial: Prosecutor Challenges Defendant's Victimization Story

For the defendants in the ghost scam trial to be acquitted, their lawyers must prove, by a preponderance of evidence, that they committed their crimes "out of necessity." "Preponderance of evidence," jurors are told, "means that you must be persuaded that the things the defendant seeks to prove are ... More >>

American Bao Bar Extends Pilot Series at Nombe and Southpaw Through June

Blair Warsham, a white boy originally from Atlanta who has French training and been cooking underground in San Francisco via his "guerilla dining" company graffEats, channels his passion for Asian cooking with American Bao Bar. He began the pilot series of this new project, which has aspirations to ... More >>

Two New Local Cookbooks Help You Cook Like Chinese Nomads, Improve Your Sex Life

Here's a duo of new Bay Area cookery titles worthy of space in that (compact, apartment) library of yours. Linda Lau Anusasananan is a food writer and former Sunset Magazine cookbook consultant who used her own ethnic heritage as a backdrop to research The Hakka Cookbook (University of California P ... More >>

Valentine's Day Sexiness: La Cocina's Sweets Class and Dinner

What: Valentine's Sweet Making and Dinner Eating Where: La Cocina When: Weds., February 8, 6:30-9 p.m. Cost: $65, including dinner and drinks The rundown: If you're looking to bake up some sweet love with your amour this very sexy holiday season, look no further than La Cocina's Valentine's Day ... More >>

Trent Arsenault, Bay Area Man Flooded with Sperm Requests, in New York for Media Blitz

Is network TV ready for this?​The national news just can't get enough of the Bay Area's one man sperm-donor, Trent Arsenault. The 36-year-old, who claims to have fathered 14 offspring with his super-potent sperm he ejaculates during porn movies (yes, they are available online), told SF Weekly that ... More >>

Filthy Fast Food Playgrounds, Michelle Obama Eats a Burger (Gasp!)

​Today's notes on national stories, local trends, random tastes, and other bycatch dredged up from the food media. 1. Dirty fast food slides. The Chicago Tribune/LA Times profile an Arizona woman who is evaluating the playgrounds at fast food restaurants by taking video of the filth and sending s ... More >>

The Top 6 Most Ridiculous Examples Of Lyrical Censorship

Fact: it is impossible to fight crazy. So what the hell are the radio stations of Malaysia thinking, going up against Lady Gaga? Apparently they've taken her new LGBT-empowerment anthem, "Born This Way" and removed all the, uh, LGBT content. Way to miss the whole point of the song, Malaysia! Gaga ... More >>

BASE Jumper Won't Stop Illegal Leaps Despite Yosemite Tasing

Fresh Eats: Our weekly roundup of SFoodie news

Fresh Eats: Our weekly roundup of SFoodie news

Beef Curry, Japanese Style: Muracci's vs. Volcano

Jonathan KauffmanVolcano's beef curry, $6.95.​Modern-day diners may spot a box of Golden Curry at Nijiya Market and assume Japanese importers brought curry back from the port of Kolkota, or perhaps it arrived through trade with Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. But the story of Japanese curry is even twis ... More >>

Lamb Belly Is the Meat of the Moment

Allecia Vermillion/All-ConsumingLamb belly in golden raisin sauce at SPQR.​I spotted it at Hog and Rocks. The next week, I ate it at Mission Chinese Food. And when I dined at Gather in Berkeley a few weeks afterward (off-duty, FYI ― there's no review coming), the waiter recited a special of lam ... More >>

The Under-$10 Hookup: Lime Tree Southeast Asian Kitchen

Luis ChongThumbs up: Lime Tree's beef rendang.​Last Thursday's KQED Forum radio show with Michael Krasny featured a chat with Bay Area food writers and restaurant critics including SF Weekly's Jonathan Kauffman. During listener call-ins, several requested recommendations for inexpensive dining ... More >>

Oakland Faders' DJ Platurn on Why Song Requests Suck and the Rise of Bottle Service Hip-Hop

www.sfstation.com​Have you ever wondered just how much it pisses off a DJ when you request your favorite guilty pleasures all night? What actually happened to the hyphy movement? What sets Drake out from all the rest? DJ Platurn of the Oakland Faders gave us his candid thoughts on these topics and ... More >>

Vegan Fast-Food Loving Hut Opens in San Francisco Centre Food Court

​The Loving Hut, an international vegan fast-food chain with one San Francisco branch in Chinatown, just opened up a stall in the ground-floor food court of the San Francisco Centre on Saturday. Serving less than a dozen East-West dishes in the $5-$9 range ― nuggets of indeterminate provenance, ... More >>

Hakka Restaurant: Inexpensive Chinese done right

S.F. State Mushroom King Names Glowing Fungi After Mozart Requiem. He Also Named Species Resembling Tiny Penis After His Good Pal.

Cassius V. Stevani / Chemistry Institute, University of Sao PauloThe luminous Mycena luxaeterna (eternal light) owes its name to lyrics from Mozart's requiem​Professor Dennis Desjardin is a well-named man. The San Francisco State mushroom specialist's handle, translated from French, literally mean ... More >>

Local Team Going Wok-to-Wok with Asian Chefs in Cook-Off

Asian Chefs AssociationThe bronze-winning 2007 San Francisco team in Taipei.​The Taipei World Culinary Contest has again asked the San Francisco Asian Chefs Association to represent the U.S.A. in a grueling three-day culinary competition. From August 20 to August 23, the home team will go up a ... More >>

The Slav Trade

Repertory Film Listings

Repertory Film Listings

Nonya Business

The blending of hits and misses at S.F.'s oldest Malaysian restaurant

Running Ahmohk

S.F.'s only Cambodian spot is still going strong in its 20th year

Repertory Film Listings

Radio Free Nepal

An S.F. organization is providing radios and radio programming that just may save lives a world away

Free at Last

A harrowing journey leads to America, and then to someplace better

Framing Picture

Cold outside, hot inside

Reps Etc.

Reps Etc.

More Than One Tsunami

Reps Etc.

San Francisco on $36.82 a Day

Feeding four hungry Spring Break-ers on Pittsburgh-style sandwiches and Singaporean street food

The Karmic Kitchen

Annalakshmi brings karmic dining to San Francisco; a convenience store groupie attends the "University of 7-Eleven."

Love on the Run

How a combination footrace and frat party became one of the best places in the city to hook up

Opening to You

Skillful, sharp vignettes awash in beautiful music, but lacking forward motion

Looking for Laughs

Comedian Neil Hamburger's career is one big joke

Best Restaurant to Which to Take Indecisive Out-of-Towners

Straits Cafe

And to All a Good Night

Neecha Thai Cuisine

Ginger Spices Up South Beach

The Face of Lying

UCSF's Paul Ekman, a national expert on the science of lying, helps police (and journalists) determine whether perps (or presidents) are practiced prevaricators

Singapore Slingshot

Thai Me Up!

REAL ASTROLOGY For an Unreal World

Country Rogue

Mendocino publisher Bruce Anderson is smart, sophisticated, and savage

REAL ASTROLOGY For an Unreal World