table of contents
RELATIONSHIPS What My Asian Family Taught Me About Going Green: Lessons on recycling from our writer’s dad. How to Survive Any Breakup: We lived through them so you don’t have to. Summer Lovin’: How to make the best of a summer fling. The Strange Species of Pet Owners: Our writer investigates the weird connection between (wo)man and animal.
HEALTH The Best Foods For Any Mood: The hidden benefits of delicious snacks. Save the Farmer, Save the World: Our argument for organic food. This Summer’s BBQ Alternative: A solar cooker for your cookout needs.
BEAUTYGreen Guru: Environmentalist Danny Seo on why it’s so important (and great) to be green. Mineral Makeup: We examine the hype behind the mineral trend — is it worth it? Fashionably Natural: Some great picks from L’Occitane en Provence.
FEATURES The So-Called Death of Print: Our staff weighs in on the future of magazines. Tim Be Told Tells It Like It Is: Kollaboration NY finalist and pop-rock musician Tim Ouyang chats with Mochi. In Her Bubble: Fashion blogger Susie Bubble on the digital world of fashion. Rock On: Afterschoolspecial is truly something special. Jobs That Can Save the World: Captain Planet was taken, but here are 10 other career paths you can take.
FASHION Nothing to Wear: Here are our ideas for reinvigorating your closet. Summer DIY: Make your own scarf top, skirt and rose headband.
COLLEGE America’s Top 10 Green Colleges: The best places to study if you want to go green. Pocket Change: We found some great scholarships for eco-friendly research.

With magazines losing ad sales and folding, talk of print publications going extinct has been looming in the air. When considering the shift from print to the online medium, Mochi’s Gen-Y staff has mixed feelings about the future of magazines and newspapers. New technology sways some of us to go digital, but others are still diehard devotees of the “traditional” print form.

Q. What is your reaction to the decline of the print medium?

“While I understand that the web is the new wave of the future, I have my personal bias that printed work is a lot more elite. I still think that the print medium is a lot more sacred in that personal opinions do not enter the issues as much as with blogs. However, blogs do add a personal touch to all newsworthy entries.” Bonnie He, copy editor

“I think it’s a combination of a rising eco-conscious culture and a get-information-NOW youth mentality. But I think print media has a classic nostalgia among its fervently loyal readers, and I know that when my favorite magazines closed, I felt cheated when they told me they would simply send me a sister publication – each is different and has its own personality, voice, subculture and lifestyle, so it really feels kind of sad.” Crystal Yan, marketing representative

“The printed medium is really sort of a lost art. In a sense, it is very old school to be reading newspapers when we could easily press a few buttons and read it on our handhelds.” Clara Lee, marketing representative

Q. As a staff member of Mochi magazine, an online magazine and blog, would you say you prefer reading online or printed publications?

“I love everything about print magazines, from the look to the feel of them: its texture, smell, visual display – it’s more of an all-encompassing sort of thing and I’m better able to appreciate a magazine in its entirety when it’s in the flesh. For online magazines (although it also requires a lot of planning and design), it just never seems as ‘put together’ as print.” Angela Dong, relationships editor

“I prefer online publications because they’re usually free, more convenient for current-as-of-two-minutes-ago news, and generally more casual and easy to read and relate to. The print media I read is often more intellectual and feels like something I have to set aside time for to do, but reading online articles feels more spur-of-the-moment, learning-for-no-reason-just-for-learning’s-sake. Online writers tend to let their personalities shine through more. They’re witty, chirpy and less about being succinct and sensationalist.” Crystal Yan, marketing representative

What is your vision for magazines of the future?

“My vision, or my ideal situation, is that all magazines can have an online site, while still providing a paper copy in some places, like the library. If possible, I hope there will be an increase in online popularity, and like with Mochi magazine, the readers will be able to voice feelings toward articles.” Angela Tarng, web editor

“I’m predicting that magazines will never go away. Most will probably choose an online option, but larger magazines/newspapers should still be able to stay in business, existing both as a printed and online version.” Clara Lee, marketing representative

Given our concern towards our preserving environment, such as by recycling and consuming less paper, how does this affect your view of the more cost-effective and eco-friendly movement of going digital with magazines and newspapers?

“I’m glad we’re trying to save more trees, though in a perfect world, all the newspapers and magazines I don’t read would go online while the rest would remain in print.” Angela Lee, copy chief

“To be honest, I don’t really think about saving paper when it comes to enjoying my magazines or newspapers. I mean, can’t those all be recycled anyway? Although I do prefer online newspapers for their convenience, I don’t think of it as saving the environment first and foremost – it’s simple: get your paper, enjoy it and then recycle it.” Angela Dong, relationships editor

“I would love to be eco-friendly…can we find a happy medium? But I guess if going digital means saving the environment, of course I would choose to go digital! There’s only one Earth.” Erika Lam, director of marketing

“I would be happy to know that we were consuming fewer trees, but I also have a hard time completely letting go of paper versions. Though I hope for an increase of popularity with online versions, I also hope for a continuing paper version on a smaller scale.” Angela Tarng, web editor

Dear Readers,

Welcome to our very first issue of Mochi, a new online magazine specifically for Asian American teen girls! You are probably wondering, “Who (whatwhenwherewhyhow) is Mochi?” Until a few months ago, we were, like you, looking for relevant hair and makeup tips, advice regarding cultural confusion and racial identity. Many of us were looking without even realizing it at the time. But we figured out eventually that we were seeking something that simply did not exist.

Society has come a long way in its representation of Asians, but we still have a ways to go. Even today, Asian representation in film mostly consists of martial arts flicks with the same actors, and the Asian American identity is completely overlooked. However, coming to terms with “Asian American” – the convergence despite all odds of two or more vastly different cultures – can be more difficult than learning our parents’ mother tongues or Tae Kwon Do. “Asian American,” in fact, is an identity apart from the terms “Asian” and “American” – it is the space between the two words that we struggle with.

When we first began Mochi, we had an idea for a publication that would address all the things that would have made “Asian American” a little easier to understand. We envisioned Mochi as the older sister you never had, who could answer all of those simple but essential fashion and beauty questions. We imagined a supportive resource in the exploration of Asian American identities. At the very least, we hoped that Mochi would serve as a good conversation starter.

In just a few months, Mochi has grown from three girls into a vibrant community. Today, we are a collection of perspectives, backgrounds, and personalities hailing from colleges, high schools, and careers nationwide and even abroad. What was once a mere idea is now a full-fledged publication with over forty talented and passionate staff members. In witnessing the growth of Mochi, we have learned a lot about you – ambitious, smart, multi-talented and curious girls – and, consequently, ourselves. And as Mochi continues to grow and reach out to more girls like you, we hope to keep learning.

We encourage you to help out by being active readers of Mochi. Let us inspire you to pursue a new career path, try out a new look, or listen to a different music genre. And if you have ideas, share them with us! After all, where would we be without readers?

That said, please enjoy reading this issue of Mochi! It has truly been a labor of love, so we hope that it is to you everything that we have described – and more.

-Maggie, Sandra, and Steph

E-mail us at founders@mochimag.com

Why the name Mochi?

Mochi is a chewy dessert made of pounded glutinous rice that has its origins in Far East Asia. While bean paste and mugwort fillings have traditionally supplemented the subtle sweetness of the rice, recent practices have included the use of ice cream as a filling. In addition to being a tasty food item, mochi has had the remarkable fortune of bridging the culinary gap between east and west, as it has gained a following in America.

Mission:

Mochi Magazine is an online publication that provides a community for Asian American teen girls to access sisterly advice and to explore their shared cultural identities. We encourage participation from girls of all ages to allow for both a creative outlet to express their voices and a way to inspire peers.