two chefs cooking together in backyard
Yia Vang and Christina Nguyen
At a backyard cocktail party years ago, a Korean American friend had brought a platter of bulgogi lettuce wraps for the potluck and I was happily shoving as many of the spicy little beef bombs into my mouth as possible. Another party guest, a random dude I didn't know, walked up and put some on his plate next to the glob of potato salad, looked up at me and said, "you enjoying the dog rolls? I could have sworn there was a puppy around here earlier."
Shocked with a mouth full of food, I just stared at him as he laughed at his own joke and walked away. I thought: What a first rate A-Hole. And then I sat there running what I could have said, what I should have said over and over in my mind. I thought, he would never have said that if the maker of the bulgogi had been standing there, as if somehow that made it easier to take. But maybe he would have, he clearly felt his joke was a good one. The party went on. And in the end, I had said nothing. I had done nothing. I wonder how many of you recognize yourself in this scenario.
As the hate directed toward Asian Americans has risen over the last year, I have come to understand from the stories of my friends, that people say that kind of garbage to them all time. Many of them, like Ann Kim, have said that they were taught at an early age to ignore it, just assimilate, and let it go.
I think it's pretty clear that the time for head-down silence is over. For them. For me. For all of us.
Minnesota Rice is a coalition of Asian Americans in our Twin Cities food and drink industry that have come together to speak through food. Christina Nguyen of Hai Hai and Hola Arepa, and Yia Vang of Union Hmong Kitchen and the coming Vinai are heading up this project with a goal of cooking, talking, and teaching. They are filming a collection of food and drink classes that you can buy tickets to access, and 100% of funds will be directed to CAAL, Coalition of Asian American Leaders, a social justice network supporting the community.
"We were all really sad after the six Asian women were murdered in Atlanta," Nguyen told me while they were working on filming a class at her house this weekend. "We thought we would just get together and heal a little bit by spending some time cooking together. But then I thought we could tape everyone making their dish, like an instructional thing, and use it to raise money for CAAL who are the real boots on the ground, influencing policy and creating change. "
"When that all happened in Atlanta, and the attacks on the elderly that followed, I don't know, it just felt like a lot of people didn't care or it didn't really strike them as something that that was an issue. I think that was kind of eye-opening and a little hurtful to us. It just seemed like maybe people thought racism against Asians isn't really real, and it is. So we wanted to talk about it, draw attention to it, and just also start having that conversation."
Nguyen knows that, as a public figure, she has a platform and feels compelled to use it for more than just pretty food shots. "We have to carry this message beyond our little insular circles really. If we just had a cookout and hung out together, it would be so much fun, but it's still just going to be internalizing all of this and keeping it amongst our communities, which is what we've always done. Let's make this a larger conversation and let's make people think twice about it because I think a lot of people are like, oh, I'm not racist because I like ramen. And sure, but do you really care about the Minnesotans behind that ramen?"
beef rolls and lettuce wraps
Vang and Nguyen were filming on her patio with a video crew being supported by Craftmade Aprons, who wanted to partner on this project in some way. Nguyen made a lettuce wrap dish with beef grilled in betel leaves, while Vang was her sidekick. Next they would film Vang grilling a red snapper while Nguyen did her turn at co-hosting. Over the next few days, Ann Kim will make mung bean kimchi pancakes, John Ng and Lina Goh of Zenbox will make Chinese clay pot rice with chicken and sausage, Jonathan Janssen of Brother Justus will make a soy ginger Old Fashioned, while Ann Ahmed of Lat14 will cook tapioca pearls and Dustin Nguyen of Tres Leches will craft a basil seed collins drink.
All of these videos, the recipes, and more importantly the conversations had while filming exist as a way to bridge us from merely consuming a culture's tasty bits, to understanding and supporting the people behind the sauce. "I think if there's one thing that I hope people could take from this, it would be seeing people are more than the food they make," Vang told me. "Because if you sit down to eat and really listen, and maybe learn something, I think empathy starts there. When people ask us what they can do to help, it's this: sit and listen. Start from there and you hear these stories and see these little details of these dishes that we love, that means so much to us, and then maybe we have a base we can start from. I think that's how two sides can start to have a conversation."
I'm sure like many of you foodists, I've always run with the assumption that people who love Asian food also appreciate the people and cultures that make it possible. That ramen-heads, bibimbap eaters, and dumpling fans who can deftly wield chopsticks and dive deep into the beauty of chili crisp understand that none of the deliciousness comes without the immigrants who cook it. And I still believe for the majority that is true, but it's not enough. It's not enough to make a list and patronize the restaurants and eat more food.
We have to act beyond consumption and appreciation and become better advocates for our fellow Minnesotans. We have to stand up to the backyard party A-Holes in real time, in real life. We have to start and not be afraid of that conversation. For my part, I'm done being shocked and I'm done being quiet.
