My Own Boston: Mira Dhakal (COM’22)
My Own Boston: Mira Dhakal (COM’22)
My Own Boston: Mira Dhakal (COM’22)
Born in Matsue, Japan, Mira Dhakal (COM’22) moved to the United States when she was a baby. The film and television major says she draws on her Japanese and Nepali heritage for inspiration in her work as a filmmaker. “I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting—about my background and where I’m from. And how I want that to come across in my creative work,” she says.
When it was time to come up with a concept for her senior thesis project, Dhakal decided to create a pitch deck for an animated television series that honors her heritage. “I wanted to highlight the Japanese prefecture where I’m from, and thought that an animated series would be the best way to do that,” says Dhakal (COM’22), who is currently at work writing the series.
She likes to visit local Asian-influenced cafés and bakeries when she’s taking a break from her studies so she can savor the delicacies she enjoys when she’s in Japan. She also loves to head to East Boston’s Piers Park whenever she’s in need of calm and peace. She fell in love with the green space as a sophomore when she took a group of freshmen there during their First Year Student Outreach Project (FYSOP), where incoming freshmen and transfer students come to campus early to volunteer for community service projects at nonprofits and community organizations around the Boston area.
Paris Baguette
581 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
At the front of a small food court attached to an H-Mart Korean supermarket in Central Square, this is one of 3,000 Paris Baguette bakery cafés around the globe (the first opened in Seoul, South Korea, in 1988). The French/Asian chain is renowned for its elegant signature cakes, breads, pastries, fruit tarts, sandwiches, and beverages. Dhakal says she especially loves the mochi donuts—a cross between cake donuts and chewy mochi, the Japanese rice cakes made from polished sticky rice. Her favorite? The mango and passionfruit.
Piers Park
Marginal Street, East Boston
At the outer edge of Jeffries Point in East Boston is Piers Park, a beautifully landscaped urban green space featuring a 600-foot pedestrian promenade that leads to two pavilions offering sweeping views of the Boston skyline, as well as an amphitheater, an outdoor workout area, and a large playground. The 6.5 acre park is adjacent to Piers Park Sailing Center, which hosts community sailing programs for people of all ages.
Caffé Bene
333 Massachusetts Ave., Boston
This charming café, at the intersection of Mass Ave and Huntington Avenue, offers a tranquil refuge for those looking for a quiet place to unwind. This international coffeehouse chain, based in Seoul, South Korea, echoes the tradition of French-Asian bakeries that were popularized in the late 1980s. In addition to its wide selection of coffees, bubble tea, smoothies, and frappes, the Boston outpost of Caffé Bene, near Symphony Hall, serves up sandwiches, pastries, cakes, honey breads, and waffles. Dhakal’s favorite go-to items are the Whipped Cream & Strawberry Waffle and the Matcha Latte.
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