komorébikomorébiNOVEMBER 2012

Surfing?

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lifestyle art fashion

TimeCapsule

CouchStreetSnap

Letter from the DirectorF

irst things first, thank you for reading this and thank you to all those who helped make it possible. We'd like to think of this magazine as a collaboration—the product of everyone who participated. Of course, there are magazines that have

influenced our concept, but we are also inspired by the people we meet each day and their diverse backgrounds. Underlying everything; food, art, clothing styles—without culture, there would be nothing. This area is rich with culture, and there are visitors coming and going all the time. We want to take advantage of this, and create a sort of dialogue among us.

We aim to create a publication that is unique to the area, but also true to ourselves as artists and writers—an extension of our ideas and interests. Were this to be printed, we wouldn't want it to be something that you would quickly throw away, but instead, that you would hoard stacks of proudly on your bookshelf (or even in your closet).

This first issue, mind you, is merely a prototype. It's short and sweet. But we're going to take these ideas and expand upon them.

Lastly, to address the name of this magazine, komorébi. "Komorébi" is a Japanese word that describes sunlight filering through the leaves of

trees. It's a complex word, but that's why we like it—it describes so much with so little. We strive to embody this vibe here.

木 ko (tree) 漏れ more (leakage) 日 bi (sunlight)

Rick Bowen

Creative Director

Cover ImageModel: SanaeT-shirt: Pasteurized TeesPhotographer: Rick Bowen

p a r tpo

rooms

TimeCapsule

Couch Surfing

27 Staff & Contact info.

Jasmine Review

november 2012

Caffe Aroma Review

Street Snap

Contents

18

12

interview

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24

10

16

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name: elisabethhometown: buffalo NY

fav Brand: alice&olivia

name: Jameshometown: buffalo NYfav Brands: brooks brothers

hometown: senegal Africapants, shirt: senegal africa

Street Snap

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name: jessicahometown: seattle wa

fav Brand: marc jacobs

name: phiromhometown: seattle wafav Brand: vintage

Elmwood Village

NAME: Joe ""the kendama Kid"""hometown: Rochester NY

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name: Benhometown: Syracuse NY

name: lisahometown: newark cafav Brand: vintage

name: neilhometown: rochester NY

fav Brand: vintage

Street Snap

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name: Mohometown: Rochester ny fav Brand: just completely random

Elmwood Village

name: alexhometown: buffalo ny

fav brand: nothing in particular

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name: gracehometown: lomita caFav Brand: vintage

Street Snap

name: Shemarhometown: niagara falls nyfav brand: anything that looks stylish

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Elmwood Village

name: Shemarhometown: niagara falls nyfav brand: anything that looks stylish

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1330 Niagara Falls Boulevard - Tonawanda, NY 14150716-838-3011 www.jasminethairestaurant.com

1330 Niagara Falls Boulevard - Tonawanda, NY 14150www.jasminethairestaurant.com

1330 Niagara Falls Boulevard - Tonawanda, NY 14150716-838-3011 www.jasminethairestaurant.com

by AZUSA ISAGAWAKomorébi Magazine

One of Buffalo’s many Thai restaurants, Jasmine, is located in Amherst, across from the Boulevard Mal l . Upon entering, you get a sense of the

atmosphere from the Buddha statue, the smells, and the music. Warm mood lighting illuminates the inside of the restaurant, but it is not dark. Simply put, it’s a very comfortable atmosphere. You can enjoy all kinds of popular Thai dishes here. The perfect appetizer is the set of fresh spring rolls. The rolls consist of shrimp, chicken, rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, and fresh coriander. There is a vegetarian option as well. Some may be unfamiliar with the taste and smell of fresh coriander, but the minty taste cleans your palate and keeps you wanting more. They are served with a sweet sauce that compliments the subtle yet refreshing fl avor of the rolls. If it is your fi rst time to try Thai food, you cannot go wrong with the almighty Pad Thai. Pad Thai is a rice noodle dish, sautéed with egg, bean sprouts,

ground peanuts and a slice of lime. The noodles are lustrous and the taste salty but sweet. The choices of meat include chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, seafood combination, and fried tofu. Bangkok pasta is another popular item from the noodle menu; fresh rice noodles, egg, and Chinese broccoli, sautéed in sweet bean sauce. People may not be familiar with Chinese broccoli; it resembles the soft stalk of normal broccoli. The noodles are quite different from that of Pad Thai. Bangkok pasta is thicker and chewier. You should eat it on an empty stomach as this dish is sure to fi ll you up. The choices of meat are the same as those offered with the Pad Thai. So far, I have not mentioned any spicy food. However, a Thai food enthusiast usually loves spicy. For those people, I suggest trying the Panang curry—cooked in coconut milk and ground peanuts, with a side of steamed vegetables; broccoli, carrots and red bell pepper.

fresh spring rolls

Restaurant ReviewJasmine

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Thai food

There are three levels of spiciness: mild, medium, or hot. But even if you hate spicy, mild is enjoyable for everyone. Lastly when you’re in the mood for rice, get Jasmine fried rice—sautéed with eggs, green onions, tomatoes, fresh cucumbers and a slice of lime.

After the curry, your mouth may need something to cool off. There are two flavors of ice cream; mango and coconut. They told me that mango ice cream is popular among Asians while Americans prefer coconut. For indecisive people [like myself] you can order one scoop of each. Two scoops of ice cream topped with honey and peanut crumbs will make the perfect ending to your dinner.

Because of the large portion sizes, eating an entire dish of noodles by yourself may become mundane. It is best to go with someone else and have each person order something different—a curry, noodle or rice dish—so that you can share. This way you can get the best of both worlds, and keep your taste buds guessing.

The restaurant is perfect for families, couples, or friends. The prices for main menu items range from $10 to $15—very reasonable for the size of the dishes. It’s the perfect restaurant for Thai fanatics and newbies alike. They even have a substantial menu for vegetarians. Jasmine is versatile in that it has something for everyone to enjoy.

Hours:

LunchMon - Fri: 11:00am - 3:00pm

DinnerMon - Fri: 3:00pm - 9:30pmSat & Sun: 12:00pm - 9:30pm

Bangkok pasta

Panang curry

coconut and mango ice cream

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Pop Art onBidwell & Elmwood

Commissioned by the Elmwood Village Association and the owner of the Jim's Steakout, there is a new mural on the block. I stumbled upon Bruce and

Augustina one day as I was walking around Elmwood Village. Ever since they took down the previous wall mural on the side of Jim's Steakout (Bidwell & Elmwood) I had been wondering when they were going to put up something new. Luckily, they were only a few days into the project so I was able to capture some early pictures. I decided to document their progress by taking a picture every other day until they finished. Towards the end of the project they gave me

some insight into the mural, including the interesting story of how it came to be. When Bruce Adams was first asked to tackle such a large project, he didn't know what to say. Being a native of Buffalo and a longtime artist, he was well versed in painting, but had never done something as large scale as a wall mural. However, luck struck him one day when he ran into Augustina Droze at a party. She was just the type of person Bruce needed to meet. Augustina happened to be a mural artist who had done several commissions across the country and in India. Bruce made a proposal, he asked, "Would you like to make this project into a collaboration?" She immediately replied, "Sure!" With her knowledge of murals and his ties with Buffalo, it was the perfect duo. The owner of Jim's Steakout requested that they include one of their signature sandwiches. It suits the theme and the banana peppers look especially delicious in person. From Buffalo wings to the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market, each element depicts a different flavor of Elmwood. Something you may not notice at first, is that the chicken wing forms a light bulb over the girls head. Or how about the paper button air duct—who else ate those candies as a kid, paper included?

Bruce painting Buffalo's famous chicken wing

One of the references used to paint the mural

by RICK BOWENKomorébi Magazine

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"Feast" - Bruce Adams, Augustina Droze

What is:Couch Surfing?

Q&awith CouchSurfing ambassador: Dave ReevesDave is a local from Buffalo and happens to be one of the

lead organizers of the Buffalo/Niagara Falls CouchSurfing

community. We sit down to discuss what CouchSurfing is—for those who are not yet privy to this rather niche community—and what it means for travelers on a budget.

Komorébi: What is CouchSurfing?Dave: It’s for people who travel and it’s for people who like meeting new people. It enables people who are traveling to different cities and different regions to stay at a local’s place of residence. They might crash on their couch or in an extra bedroom. And it’s for free. Sometimes you offer a token of gratification, but essentially it’s free.

On the flipside, from the perspective of the person who is hosting, it’s for people who are comfortable meeting strangers. It’s for people who are interested in meeting travelers who are going around the world or around the area and taking them into their home and learning about them, learning about where they’re from, and that’s especially cool in this area because Niagara Falls is really close by and that’s kind of a touristy destination. So because of that it ’s actually pretty rare that I get an American. I typically get international surfers because Niagara Falls is a natural wonder.

How did you start?I stood up at a wedding in Michigan. I figured if I’m going to go all the way to Michigan to stand up at a wedding, I’m going to make it fun. So I made it into a road trip.

I asked my friend, “Hey do you wanna come with me? We could go to Detroit, we could go to all these different cities, we'll go to the Upper Peninsula. And we’ll just make it into a cool trip.” And he was like, “Okay” he was totally into the idea! He’s like, “But only one thing, we gotta CouchSurf”. And like most people, I said, “What the fuck is CouchSurfing?” It ’s hard to grasp the concept at first, you have to do it to really understand it.

We CouchSurfed in Ann Arbor, we CouchSurfed at a place called Traverse City. We CouchSurfed at this place in the Upper Peninsula called Marquette. But the coolest part of the story is, there’s these things that CouchSurfers throw sometimes called “CouchCrashes.” That was my first introduction to that as well. The first thing I did in CouchSurfing was go to the Detroit CouchCrash, which is kind of backwards. Before I even really started Couchsurfing I was thrown into this giant CouchSufing weekend basically. And I was really enthused about it, like I was so into it. I had just started and all these Detroit CouchSurfers were like, "That’s cool you should go back to Buffalo and meet the ambassedor and other local CouchSurfers." So that’s what I did.

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How did you become Buffalo's "ambassador"?I CouchSurfed my ass off like the whole summer. I just went insane, I had like 30 people here in one summer. I was very involved with John (the previous ambassador) and we put together "Surf The Falls." I didn’t really mention to him until that following October, you know I said, “Do you think I should step up, like do you think I should be the Ambassador?” He’s like, “Without a doubt.”

How would you define a couchcrash?I say "CouchCrash" whenever I’m talking about a big weekend planned event. The organizers in that city will plan out everything. They'll do art gallery tours, they’ll plan out bar crawls, park tours, hikes, bike tours, they’ll plan out quirky things called “urban games” where you’re running around the city doing scavenger hunts or something

We start talking about the recent "Surf the Falls" CouchCrash Well you may not have known this, but after you left we decided to go get more food from Wegmans. So then when we came back with the pizza and I said, “what if we just walk in… naked?” I was pretty much joking but I just put it out there. And again, CouchSurfers, they’re like, “okay!” they were totally into it! What we ended up doing was just going in our underwear and we are like, “hey pizza delivery!” And then the rest of the day we

pretty much didn’t wear clothes. See, you should have stayed!

How Many people have you hosted?Within the year and a few months that I’ve been doing this I’m going to say around 40 people total. But maybe more, because with “Surf the Falls” I just packed my apartment. I hosted like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 people… maybe someone was sleeping in my bedroom (or in my bed), I don’t even remember.

Favorite places you’ve traveled?I liked Detroit a lot because CouchSurfing has this tendency to bring out the beauty in cities. Detroit is an amazing example because it has a bad rap. I mean... Detroit is Detroit. But I left Detroit a believer because of the CouchSurfers there. And Buffalo is kind of in the same boat, everybody who CouchSurfs Buffalo ends up loving Buffalo.

I think secretly, Buffalo and Toronto have a love affair. I got a bunch of CouchSurfing friends from Toronto and they just love coming to Buffalo. And a bunch of my other CouchSurfing friends and I love going up to Toronto.

If you talk to a concierge, sometimes they have to limit what they tell you. But if I’m in Detroit and I ask my CouchSurfing host, “Hey where’s the best Mexican restaurant?” or “Hey where’s the coolest architectural buildings?” or in the case of Detroit, “Where can I urban explore to check out an abandoned car plant?” They give you a legit answer, and if they can’t, they’ll find someone who can. That’s what enabled me to see Detroit in a really cool way.

But when I do travel, I don’t even think about it anymore. The first thing that comes into my head isn’t a Hotel anymore, and not even a hostel... CouchSurfing is it, it’s just my world. I’m very comfortable meeting somebody that I’ve never met before—and that’s not for everyone—but for me, since I’m so comfortable with it, it’s my first choice… automatically.

Best experiences you’ve had?My apartment is because of a CouchSurfer, I’ve dated people who were CouchSurfers, some of my closest friends are CouchSurfers, just a lot of connections, a lot of networking. There are so many stories... a lot of my most memorable moments just come from those CouchCrashes.

When we were at the whirlpool doing the gorge hike on Saturday morning—I’ve done that hike a number of times and I brought a number of friends

Surf the Falls BBQ on Goat Island

continued on page 20

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"I did the couch crash in Detroit—which was just mind-blowing—I’m like, 'This is it! This is it!' I was so into it!"

The pink baton was from student teaching in Akron. It was a going away gift from three of his students. "It was kind of an expensive gift. Usually students give a small gift, but they spent 40 bucks and painted it pink. It was kind of a gag gift, but it's really special to me."

"You can't just use any baton, they are sized specifically for the length of your arm."

I use this area to meditate and to do yoga. Each of the trinkets and items has meaning to me. The salt candle is said to clean the air. I found the turtle and I liked it. And my dad gave me the chime—the pitch is said to center you. The Tibetan prayer flag was sent from the Dalai Llama.

"Though it looks fancy, the alter is actually just a crate with a bed sheet!"

Dave

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His card collection is comprised of almost 200 decks. Many of them are souvenirs from places that him or his friends have traveled. If you are planning a stay with Dave and stuck on ideas for a gift, a deck of cards from your city may be the perfect souvenir!

You know how sometimes you buy a gift for a friend, not give it to them, and then end up keeping it for yourself? Well that's how he wound up with this. "I love my Buddha frog!"

rooms

A mobile of people made entirely from banana leaves.

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down there before. And I’m always the one to get all the way down by the water and just go in. Of course there’s rapids but there’s this one area I’m familiar with that’s kind of dammed off. I brought my friends there and they all think I’m nuts. They’re all like, “How could you go in the water? You're fucking insane!"

And this is no surprise to me—it ended up being CouchSurfers who were the ones that joined me! They’re the ones who are a little more open-minded and adventurous. I went in the water and took off my shirt and everyone was like, “YES!!!” They all came in and we were all playing around in the water. That’s one of my favorite memories.

Any bad experiences?It’s something that people worry about. In the nature of something like CouchSurfing there are a lot of fears that people have. They think, “What’s going to happen if I’m meeting someone I don't know?" or "What if they steal something?” You know, these extreme fears —and that’s what they are —they’re just fears. We are taught to believe that strangers are not our friends.

I am sure there has been some bad experiences. What also comes with CouchSurfing is a reference and vouche system. You get to see someone’s credibility and reputation. To use my profile, for example, I have a number of vouches. So you’ll see my vouches or read my references and think, “Oh he’s clearly involved.” Typically, if you see one negative reference, that is a red flag, because it’s rare enough to see even one negative reference. But I will read it and most of the time it ’s a misunderstanding, like someone was drunk or the host didn't connect with them—that tends to be what a lot of the negative references are.

My worst experience was just a matter of being couth. I had a few Austrians stay that were around my age. I’m not a huge drinker, but these three guys were, and they left beer cans everywhere.

There’s a general rule of thumb to leave the place cleaner than you found it, and they didn’t.

Advice for people who want to start?A lot of people get discouraged when they are first building references. There may be hosts who only want people who are super credible. So to somebody new, I would suggest to meet people in your local CouchSurfing community—at a potluck, for example—so they can get their first references.

Wo u l d y o u s ay C o u c h S u r f i n g i s something of a fad?My short answer is no.

My long answer is that it’s rapidly growing. I think the philosophy underlying CouchSurfing fits with the changing 21st century values. I think that we are more open to these kinds of things than my parents were. There’s a little bit more openness now and part of it too is because of the poor economy—people are seeking more affordable ways to travel.

On the other hand, it’s always been this way. People have always been willing to take people into their homes, but now there is this official website called "CouchSurfing" and it kind of gives people the idea that it’s all right.

Where do you want to go most?Well I’ve never left North America. That’s another thing that’s crazy; so many CouchSurfers have been everywhere… and I have only been to American and Canadian cities. I think the first place I would want to go is somewhere really kickass like South America, Brazil, Japan, China, Australia... I would love to go to Sydney.

Let's pretend you had a plane ticket to go to one place...Maybe I’d go to India.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?I 'm try ing to get us more involved in the community. I want to get CouchSurfing Buffalo/Niagara Falls to have more of a name for itself. I want other local groups in Buffalo to say, “Oh hey, CouchSurfing Buffalo/Niagara Falls has done a lot of good things.” One example is we did this event last summer called “Brush Up Buffalo.” A number of groups go to the East Side to a high poverty, low income area and paint houses. We painted an entire two or three houses. It was a great way to get the local community involved.

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Restaurant Review

Caffe Aroma957 Elmwood Ave - Buffalo, New York 14222

716-884-4522 www.thearomagroup.com

Caffe AromaCaffe Aroma957 Elmwood Ave - Buffalo, New York 14222

Caffe Aroma957 Elmwood Ave - Buffalo, New York 14222

www.thearomagroup.com

hummas wrap

by AZUSA ISAGAWAKomorébi Magazine

On the corner of Elmwood and Bidwell is the European Style coffee shop, Caffe Aroma. Aroma is connected to the

Talking Leaves bookstore where it has been a local scene in Buffalo since 1995. You can get a wide variety of drinks at the bar including coffee, espresso, beer, liquor, and signature cocktails. This time of the year, they have seasonal flavors including pumpkin spice, apple cider, caramel apple, toasted marshmallow, chai-der, maple spice, mulled cider, and pumpkin chai. The smell of pumpkin and apple remind us that winter is approaching. After ordering, you can choose to dine in the fashionable interior or outside on the patio (if the weather is suitable).

For a meal, you could order Italian meats, several kinds of wraps, pizza and panini. I recommend trying the hummus wrap, which also containskale spinach and tomatoes. The taste is light, so it’s

perfect even if you have never tried hummus before. I recommend having your wrap toasted, for a savory effect. If you are still hungry, treat yourself to one of their desserts. Caffe Aroma has an assortment of desserts including the usual cake, cupcakes, and tarts, but the seasonal desserts are the most interesting. For example, the pumpkin spice cheesecake with whipped cream—the faint sweetness and spice will spread throughout your mouth. This perfect combination makes it diffi cult to stop eating.

Hours:

Mon - Wed: 6:30am - 12:00amThu - Sat: 6:30am - 1:00amSun: 8:00am - 12:00am

pumkin spice cheesecake

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*{* {"snow"

Rick BowenUSA

"manchu"

Dev ReddyIndia

"salji"

Teck KingMalaysia

"barf"

Rajiu MishraIndia

*Because we know* *it's comin'...

we went to niagara falls to ask people from around the world how to say "snow" in their native language.

*"xue"

Xiozhong China

"sheleg"

Kibbutz, Israel

"noon"

Kim Dong HeeSouth Korea

"neige"

Antoine + AntoineFrance

"noon"

JunSeoul, South Korea

"yuki"

AzusaKobe, Japan 23

1964

My sister Emily and I shared a 24" Schwinn bike. I remember going with my dad to

buy it at Tommy's Toy Store on Niagara Street. A lot of kids in that neighborhood

shared bikes with their brothers and sisters. Not a lot of kids had their own bikes

back then. If you had siblings, you shared everything. I remember standing on the corner of

Seventh and Hudson and my sister and I took pictures of each other with our bike.

It was a great neighborhood to grow up in. We lived near the corner, just a few doors down

Buffalo, NY Seventh & HudsonTimecapsule

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from a five & dime variety store—they sold fabric, clothes, notions. Luigi's Bakery was right

across the street. Everything was in walking distance; the park, the grocery store, downtown,

the library, meat market—there was even a milk machine on the corner where you could buy

a quart of milk with a quarter, and still get change back.

I went to Holy Cross Church/School down the street. The school is now used for the Head

Start program but the church is still beautiful—exactly how I remember it—and it seems to

be a thriving parish.

-rosemary

2012

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Music is Art Festival - Pinky Doodle Poodle kills it

Buffalo History Museum "Culture Day" - shodō demonstration

Couchsurfing "Surf the Falls" - German friends reunite in Buffalo

Couchsurfing "Surf the Falls" Goat Island BBQ

Couchsurfing "Surf the Falls" - hangout at Buffalo's waterfront

Universty at Buffalo, North Campus

rick bowencreative director, photographerHOMETOWN: town of Tonawanda, NY interests: Photography, design, language

Azusa isagawaeditorHOMETOWN: kobe, Japan interests: culture, ethnic food

contactkomorebimagazine@gmail.com

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Staff

special thanks: laura bowen (proofreader), everyone else who helped or supported us

Buffalo History Museum "Culture Day" - shodō demonstration 27

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