"Doctor Ko!" shouts a voice in the crowd, one weekend while I was out with my family. This is the burden of notoriety that comes from being a minor celebrity. As a blogger, vlogger, and author, I am flooded with weekly comments from my aunt as well as random posts from people attempting to advertise their own blog or product. I always laugh when I see someone else trying to use my feeble web traffic to promote themselves. Nonetheless, I remain wholly committed to the twenty-six followers of my blog and to my ever enlarging YouTube community. My channel now has a following that is measured in three--count them--three digits! As Donald Trump would say, that's not braggadocio, that's just the facts.
Occasionally, my celebrity opens up exclusive doors of opportunity that aren't accessible to the general public. For instance, when I proposed a talk at Gum Spring library, the librarian said, "Well, we recently had Dr. Neal Barnard and that was a great talk. I suppose we could have you come talk as well." You see, it pays to be part of an exclusive club of medical celebrities.
Recently, my children's daycare, the Falls Church Mclean Children's Center, contacted me to perform at their annual fundraiser. I am indebted to the excellent care that this center's teachers give to my kids. In fact, I was all set to sign my family up for their 1K walk, but then I realized that I would be the only one walking. I pictured myself listening to Colin whine the whole way while I carried an additional thirty pounds of dead weight. Instead, I opted to volunteer my services to sing and promote wellness.
I was actually kind of excited to perform for the kids. I figured I could feature some of my most popular dishes from my blog. I cheerfully asked, "How many people do you expect?"
"We expect about three hundred people," came the reply. Oh. Well, I usually cook for less people than that. No matter. I figured I would cook up my greatest hits like the best broccoli of your life, cauliflower mac n' cheese, Thai grilled chicken, coconut quinoa, and nutritional yeast popcorn. Everyone would get exactly one spear of broccoli, one spear of cauliflower, a bite of chicken, a spoonful of quinoa, and a kernel of popcorn.
In the end, thanks to help from Cassie and several volunteers, I was able to sample all of these dishes. It was a fun time and for a minute there, I felt like a celebrity chef catering for a big foodie event. I want to thank Falls Church Mclean Children's Center for putting on a great fundraiser and giving me an opportunity to give back to the community.
If I had to give myself a grade for parenting, it would be, "Needs Improvement." This may surprise you since I am an absolute delight with my kids on my YouTube videos. That's the power of editing. I was listening to an NPR interview of Sonia Manzano, who played "Maria" on Sesame Street for forty-four years. When asked how similar Sonia is to the iconic character she played, she said that Maria is the more patient, caring, and better version of herself.
One of the reasons I enjoy doing videos is that "Doctor Chris Ko" represents the better version of the kind of parent I strive to be. In actuality, I struggle mightily to be a good parent. I fight to control my temper on a daily basis. I have to constantly remind myself to work on my communication style. And, I have regular exercises in patience building. If only I could edit out all the mistakes I've made as a parent.
I recently read a couple of books by Martin Seligman, a noted psychologist who discovered learned helplessness and founded the positive psychology movement. From Dr. Seligman, I learned that I had a bad habit of calling Colin a "Bad boy" when he misbehaved. Such labeling can have a negative effect on the way he thinks about himself. Instead, now I try to be specific about calling the behavior bad, not the boy.
I also recently started playing "Dreamland" with Colin, a bedtime ritual espoused by Dr. Seligman. During this nightly game, I ask Colin what was bad and good about his day. Last night, Colin said that one bad thing was when he didn't share a toy with his sister, Cailya. He went on to describe how he felt in that situation, how he walked away to calm himself down, and how he was later able to return to the situation. I was surprised and impressed with the insight he expressed. Afterward, he said that he would dream about how good it feels to listen to me and his mom. Stay tuned. I'll let you know how this story turns out.
In an effort to become the dad I want to be, I decided to channel one of my role models growing up...Mr. Fred Rogers. Always patient and always kind, Mr. Rogers believed in the unique potential of each and every child. In this video, I invite you to join me in Dr. Ko's neighborhood, a positive food environment where kids can thrive eating 3-ingredient energy bars with no added sugar.
I wake up feeling unusually well rested. Through the window, I see the beautiful glow of the morning sun. Oh no. I'm late! I've just been snookered by the AM/PM button. I frantically rush into Cailya's room and immediately start barking out orders. She responds with a yawn and a drawn out arm stretch. I run into the boy's room in a hot panic. He gives me a blank stare, then scratches his butt.
After significant effort, I am finally able to wrangle them out of bed. I brush their hair and teeth and get them dressed. I plead with them to go potty. Little miss does some heavy negotiating. She doesn't listen to me, but she eventually listens to Yoda when he promises her a special treat. Colin refuses to go altogether, only to later scream, "Pee pee! I need to go pee pee!" when he gets downstairs.
I rush to get their breakfast started. Given the time constraints, I decide to whip up my famous one minute twenty-four second steamed egg in the microwave. One egg, one-quarter cup water, one teaspoon of soy sauce, and one minute twenty-four seconds later, a perfectly steamed egg is ready for breakfast. Cailya demands to eat her egg on the floor like a dog, but at least she eats it. Thankfully, Colin quickly gulps down his egg. I take a big sigh of relief. We survived the morning!
I recently took my dad to see the Citi Open tennis tournament, held on August 8th. In mandarin, August 8th is pronounced, "Ba ba", which also sounds like the word for "Father." Thus, the tennis tournament served as a convenient father's day gift for the old man. We ended up seeing a very entertaining match between John Isner and Steve Johnson that went the distance, with Isner taking the third set in a tie-breacker. And while the tie-breaker was enjoyable, I particularly enjoyed giving my dad a break.
My dad is the most hardworking man I know. He works tirelessly for his patients as a busy cardiologist, volunteers his little free time for various Taiwanese associations, and even helps out around the house. And while his dedication to his work and community is inspiring, it is this last service that impresses me the most.
It is almost unheard of for a Taiwanese male from my dad's generation to help out around the house. I didn't realize this while growing up, because my only perspective of male societal norms was my dad. My dad regularly helps wash dishes, tidies around the house, and takes care of the yard. No one asks him to do these things and no one thanks him. He just does them. And in doing these simple household chores, he has taught me the value of hard work, egalitarianism, and marital bliss.
However, one thing my dad has never been particularly drawn to is cooking. To give him credit, he does try when left to his own devices. Once, I saw him cook ramen in a pot. He knows how to fry up breakfast sausages. And of course, he can use the microwave. One dish that impressed my dad with the simple touch of a button was this steamed Chilean sea bass. I dedicate it to all the hardworking dads out there.
