This "Art in Storefronts" project is brought to you by the San Francisco Arts Commission. I have converted an empty storefront into a simulated Chinese restaurant offering only three entrees: 1. Cheap and good. (slow) 2. Cheap and fast. (crappy) 3. Good and fast (expensive). The special of the day, though, is Good and slow. Passersby are invited to place orders through an intercom on site or grab a free menu on the door. All dishes are also available for adoption. I try to be there every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 12noon to 6pm. For other days of the week, reservations only :-) Here is my interview on TV (CBS5, Eye on the Bay program).

In the last decade, the global economy has been driven more by fast delivery and slashing prices than high quality goods. Too often, consumers have come to regard quality as negotiable when cheap, instantly gratifying alternatives are available.

As a Chinese artist, I would like to offer a perspective that encourages business owners and consumers alike to reconsider the importance of quality in our society, our culture, and our individual lives. I use as examples Chinese cuisine and craftsmanship, both of which were developed over thousands of years and brought to this country by generations of Chinese immigrants. We should not let valuable skills and craftsmanship be buried alive by fast food and disposable goods.

Speed, quality and price are competing constraints, although occasionally we do encounter products or services that are good, affordable and delivered fast. Usually, one of the three constraints must be sacrificed - when quality is the constraint that is sacrificed, what are we really sacrificing?

Shouldn’t we also be concerned about the quality of the workers’ lives? And what about the quality of our living environment? In this economy where everybody is on a tighter budget, should we produce and buy more cheap disposable goods, or fewer?

Slow dishes start at $20, and are grown and prepared on site. All orders come with a special hand-made fortune cookie.

Support the artist and her ideas by adopting a dish! Starting at $5 a day / $30 a week for a small dish to $10 a day / $50 a week for a big dish, you will get:

1. A sign with your name in or next to the adopted dish displayed in the storefront window.

2. A photo of the sign and your dish sent to you via email or snail mail.

3. Weekly photo growth report of your dish via email or snail mail if you adopt the dish for a week or more.

4. Appreciation from your adopted dish and the artist.

Adoption rate (daily) Fried bokchoi $5.00 Claypot bokchoi $5.00 Lettuce salad $5.00 Fried youcai $5.00 Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce $5.00 Cucumber salad $8.00 Tomato salad $8.00 Pickled Chinese longbean $8.00 Pumpkin pancake $8.00 Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce $8.00 Adopter's name on sign: Adopter's email (optional)

Adoption rate (daily) Steamed fish $10.00 Kong Pao Chicken $10.00 Hunan style chili pepper $10.00 Shanghai fried eggs in tomato sauce $10.00 Fried Chinese longbean with garlic $10.00 Adopter's name on sign: Adopter's email (optional)

Adoption rate (weekly) Fried bokchoi $30.00 Claypot bokchoi $30.00 Lettuce salad $30.00 Fried youcai $30.00 Chinese eggplant in garlic sauce $30.00 Cucumber salad $40.00 Tomato salad $40.00 Pickled Chinese longbean $40.00 Pumpkin pancake $40.00 Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce $40.00 Adopter's name on sign: Adopter's email (optional)

Adoption rate (weekly) Steamed fish $50.00 Kong Pao Chicken $50.00 Hunan style chili pepper $50.00 Shanghai fried eggs in tomato sauce $50.00 Fried Chinese longbean with garlic $50.00 Adopter's name on sign: Adopter's email (optional)

a tomato ripened in my storefront

Superman -- attacked by my fortune cookies!!!