Documentary photography through a unique lens

In 2001, Hamburger Eyes, a small photography zine, only had one purpose: to explore the dynamic, confusing and often emotional relationship between men and women. Founders Stefan Simikich and Ray and David Potes coined the nonsensical phrase “hamburger eyes” to describe that come-hither look you flash at the cutie across the bar when you’re trying to get in his pants. In the past four years, the San Francisco-based magazine has evolved into an internationally distributed photo journal that seeks to document “the continuing story of life on Earth.” Using traditional black and white photographic techniques, a medium that seems to be fading away in the digital age, Hamburger Eyes serves as an outlet for a new generation of documentary photographers who carry on the traditions of National Geographic and Life magazines. hamburgereyes.com —Ryan Furtado

NOT JUST FOR KIDS

Multicultural stories

Don’t fuel a child’s nascent identity crisis; teach them early about the joys of media representation. Founded in 1991 by Philip Lee and Thomas Low, Lee & Low Books—an independent publisher specializing in “multicultural children’s books for everyone”—is one of the few Asian American-owned publishing houses in the U.S. A family business employing two of Low’s sons, Lee & Low publishes work by new authors and illustrators of color. “When we started the company,” says Lee, “Most of the titles were folktales about exotic people from distant lands. We felt strongly that it was important to have books with a contemporary setting that reflect how we live today.” With more than 100 books in print, including Ken Mochizuki’s Children’s Book Council selection Baseball Saved Us, Lee & Low is truly the future of multicultural literature. leeandlow.com. —Lisa Ko

SUSHI GOES TO THE DOGS

Poochie Sushi from Trixie and Peanut

Since the fish is air-dried and each handcrafted snack is wrapped in a layer of real seaweed, Kitty Kabuki and Poochie Sushi are for only the most spoiled of pets. But if they sound so good that you just have to try one, you wouldn’t be the first. Owner Susan Bing and the staff at New York’s luxury pet boutique, Trixie and Peanut, have been known to munch away on these and other delectable morsels. Sure, it invites incredulous stares from pet-obsessed shoppers, but it just means that Trixie and Peanut’s treats are all-natural, mostly organic and completely edible. Rumor has it that the sushi-styled snacks are particularly favored contraband among bemused Japanese tourists… but we’re assuming
that there’s enough sushi in Japan for those treats to go to the dogs. For the ultimate experience, visit Trixie’s chic New York
City digs at 23 East 20th Street or telecommute to trixieandpeanut.com. —Sita Bhaumik

FASTER FOOD

Annie Chun’s World Pantry

Annie Chun wanted to prove that it doesn’t always take eight hours, trips to three supermarkets and sweat-inducing cooking
to prepare a Korean meal. The result, Annie Chun’s World
Pantry line of all-natural, low-fat, preservative-free products is making just-got-off-of-work Asian cooking a reality. As a child
in her family’s acclaimed Korean restaurant in San Francisco, Chun was inculcated with Korean cooking techniques.
Years—and a few professions—later she began selling a
signature shiitake sauce at the Marin County Farmer’s market. Today, Chun offers a full line of sauces, meal kits, noodle
bowls and recipes for simple solutions to your mean munchies. Her products are available at supermarkets nationally or,
for the truly ravenous, by the case at anniechun.com.
—Sita Bhaumik

KEEP 'EM AS LONG AS YOU WANT

Netflix-style porn

Netflix for porn is one those ideas that makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” The result of Anh Tran and Danny Ting’s eureka moment, WantedList.com applies the Netflix business model to the wonderful world of adult entertainment. Tran and Ting met while working at Andersen Consulting and used down time between consulting gigs to build and fine-tune the site. Five years later, WantedList and its two founders are winning accolades in the porn industry and among a dedicated and growing base of customers. They seem to have the best of both worlds: hanging out with porn stars and throwing after-hours parties while following the American dream. Says Ting, “The entrepreneurial spirit is the main reason [we] did this… being [our] own boss, making our own decisions.” Tran concurs, but adds that “big boobs” make it a little easier to get in to work in the morning. —Nish Nadaraja