Names are funny things, especially for someone that’s half-something, or in my case, half-Chinese. Because I still get the occasional email asking why I wanted to write about Asian American experiences—the inference is that I’m a white dude because of the name “Ford”. It’s no big deal. I’m used to answering that question. But it reminds me of a marketing study done on ice cream (bear with me on this). Researchers found that taste-testers reported that the same ice cream tasted better in a round container over the cheap ol’ folding box. It seems that perception does indeed impact the overall experience.

For example, would critics of Barack Obama still think he was born outside of the U.S. if his name were Barack Dunham? (His mother’s maiden name). Makes you wonder.

Before HOTEL was sold, I talked to a handful of editors and one asked if I’d consider writing under a pen name, a family name, like Chung (my grandfather) or Chew (on my grandmother’s side). Jamie Chung? Sounds okay, but honestly, I didn’t think about it, I just went with Ford.

This week I spoke at the University of Connecticut. I was asked to give a talk for their annual Day of Remembrance, Co-sponsored by SLAAM (Asian American Cultural Center), the Asian American Studies Institute. I thoroughly enjoyed being there and had a fantastic time talking story with students and faculty. We even talked about names, and identity—especially celebrities that are hapa, or half, or part-Asian. Names you wouldn’t normally think of, like Phoebe Cates, Rob Schneider, Michelle Branch, Johnny Damon, and Dean Cain, probably because of their names.

Would these celebs be perceived differently if they had Asian surnames? Would they be cast in different roles? Dean Cain’s real name is Dean Tanaka. Would he still have landed the role of Superman?

I dunno...