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The Place for All Things Multicultural in San Diego
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San Diego's Finest Online Resource for Multicultural and International
Events, Places and People
The City of San Diego is home to one of the most vital culturally diverse populations to be found anywhere in America. The Participant Observer is a web magazine dedicated to discovering and showcasing the wide variety of culturally interesting events, people, places and organizations our city has to offer. Our frequently updated Events Calendar provides comprehensive information about current and forthcoming events in San Diego. In addition to covering local events, The Participant Observer publishes features and articles about cultural events and phenomena happening around the world. We urge you to explore the many other resources our site provides. We encourage article and event submissions from our readers.
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All Things Cultural From Around the World
Challenge yourself! Take this month's QULTURE QUIZ!
(Read: 1151 times)
It's called "Comic Con International." Just how international is our city's largest annual convention that The Union Tribune has called "A United Nations of Nerds"?
By Tom Johnston-O'Neill
Convention Photos by Shari Johnston-O'Neill
(Read: 6006 times)
Step under the archway entrance to the "village" and you will be greeted by a meandering plaza paved with pastel painted flagstones surrounded by stuccoed cottages with red tile roofs. In the center of the plaza sits a gazebo and a varied collection of charming trees and plants add to the air of quaint serenity. . . One of the more spectacular studios hosts the paintings of an artist named Lucy Wang, who for the past twenty years has been creating stunningly beautiful paintings that combine tradition-rich techniques of Chinese brush painting with her own path-breaking and innovative techniques.
by Jackie Hwang
Spanish Village Photos by: Nuelma Patio
Additional Images: Lucy Wang
(Read: 5620 times)
This article describes wedding customs and rituals celebrated by Tamil Brahmin families in southern India. My name is Lakshmi Appachar and my family follows the Brahmin tradition. The pictures shown in this article are actually from my own wedding which took place recently. Writing this article enabled me to relive a very important and pleasurable event of my life and it also gave me an opportunity to gain a fuller understanding of the significance of many of the rituals.
by Lakshmi Appachar
(Read: 19059 times)
Many travelers may be looking for personal relaxation on their trip. They may want to stay in pampering hotels, sight-see via day trips with local guides, and eat at nice restaurants to get a taste of the country they are in. WWOOF is not for them. But there are others who travel to get a better sense of the world, to learn new perspectives, and to experience what it is to live in another country. If you are this type of traveler, WWOOF may provide exactly what you are looking for.
By Jordan Tresham
(Read: 2849 times)
What is the sound of the collision between traditional northern Mexican musical idioms and contemporary electronic rhythms? One sure answer would be Nortec, a unique musical fusion and performance of a new border musical identity.
By Michael Hanson
(Read: 3379 times)
Ready to expand your culinary and cultural horizons? You might try 99 Ranch Market, located on Claremont Mesa Boulevard, just east of the 805. Larger than your average Vons or Ralphs, 99 Ranch Market is the largest Asian grocery store in San Diego. While most of the clientele are Asian, the store is also a culinary mecca for gourmet cooks and anyone else who is either interested in Asian cuisine or simply finding the best deals and the widest selection of fruits, vegetables, meats and seafood. The center aisles of the 99 Ranch Market overflow with imported canned and packaged foods, everything from hundreds of different sauces, a large selection of frozen foods (like ice cream mochi!), a whole aisle of rices as well as a generous assortment of Japanese, Indonesian and Thai specialty items. The store also has a large bakery and an always bustling deli/fast food counter where you can get the cheapest good lunch in town.
By Jackie Hwang
Photos by Nuelma Patio
(Read: 12860 times)
Located on Black Mountain Road, a block north of Miramar Road, Little India consists of a group of restaurants and stores that act as a haven for South Asians and anyone else who enjoys Indian food and culture.
By Lakshmi Appachar
Photos by Jayanth Mandayam
(Read: 22953 times)
Lisa See, the author of the international best-seller, “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan”(2005) and New York Times best-seller “Peony in Love” (2007), had time to sit down and answer a few questions while in San Diego, the last stop on her tour for her latest novel, Shanghai Girls (2009), now in bookstores. In this interview we discuss the variety of elements found in her novels, including the women whose voices narrate her works, and the exploration and revelation of forgotten parts of history. Her works explore pockets of history and time within Chinese culture before they disappear, as See puts it, “off the map of memory”. “Shanghai Girls” is the story of two sisters, Pearl and May, and their odyssey of immigration as they leave war-torn Shanghai for Los Angeles as new brides in arranged marriages. See chronicles the joy, the heartbreak, and the bond of sisterhood that connects Pearl and May over the next twenty years as they experience the making of a new life, and the formulation of a new identity. To learn more about Lisa See and her works, please visit: www.lisasee.com
By Christine V. Nguyen
(Read: 2921 times)
One of San Diego's unique treasures that has escaped the notice of many of the city's residents are the International Cottages of the House of Pacific Relations (HPR) in Balboa Park. Balboa Park has the distinction of being the nation's largest urban cultural park, the home of fifteen museums, the Organ Pavilion and the San Diego Zoo, and is visited by hundreds of thousands of San Diegans and tourists each year. Yet many long-time residents are unaware of the many programs and opportunities provided by the HPR cottages, located off Presidents Way at the South end of Balboa Park.
By Shanti Hofshi
Photos by Emily Johnston-O'Neill
(Read: 15439 times)
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| Our Staff |
Shweta Damkondwar - Site Programing
Vijaya Vedu - Calendar
Angela Basurtto - Photography
Neha Vasudeo - Marketing
Monica Alnes - Intern
Shari Johnston-O'Neill - Photography
Tom Johnston-O'Neill - Sr. Editor |
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