We are looking at all the ways Asian Americans are being defiant with food. Chefs, vendors, and consumers—they are being the change they want in the way we eat, source, and pay for food. They are even using food as a way to change our perception of other cultures.
First we hear from Ang Hadwin of FaFa Dumplings, a former food justice advocate who now makes gluten-free dumplings. She is scheming on ways to involve Oakland Chinatown youth in her business. Ang will be in conversation with queer food photographer and founder of Diaspora Co., Sana Javeri Kadri. Diaspora Co. is a spice collective dedicated to sustainable agriculture, equity, and decolonization within spice trade. Both will let us know their thoughts on the rise of craft foods and how food crafters can invest in the cultures and communities they borrow from.
Later, you’ll hear stories about Japanese American incarceration from an event hosted by Oakland political educators People’s Kitchen Collective. Some memories are clearly defiant acts of cooking and eating together, and others show trauma, pain, and resilience felt long after incarceration.