What food blogging taught me about my Asian heritage and identity

Plus, meet some of NPR's AAPI employees. [View this email online]( [NPR Up First Newsletter]( by Suzanne Nuyen May 20, 2023 Good morning. This is a special Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month edition of the Up First newsletter. Meet some of NPR's AAPI employees and read about how we've covered the community so far this month. I'm really into: food blogging I love to eat, but feeding others is my love language. When I graduated from college and moved to Washington, D.C., in 2017, I left all of my friends behind. Plying new acquaintances with lavish, home-cooked meals was my best attempt at making new friends and curing my loneliness. I don't want to brag, but my food is pretty good. Soon enough, everyone was asking me for the recipes, which is how [Bun Bo Bae]( my Vietnamese cooking blog, came to be in 2019. [A pair of chopsticks lifts up thick noodles from a blue and white bowl of noodle soup.]( Suzanne Nuyen/Bun Bo Bae At first, I wanted to preserve my family's recipes. My parents passed down their knowledge orally, and I didn't want all of the secret knowledge behind dishes like my mom's bún bò huế (a spicy beef and pork noodle soup that inspired the blog's name) or my dad's thịt băm sốt cà chua (a versatile, pork-based tomato sauce) to disappear to history. I wanted to write down every piece of advice I was given in detail, to make sure people could keep creating these dishes as authentically as possible. These days, I do experiment more. I'm not as strict with myself about preserving and recreating Vietnamese dishes exactly as I remember eating them. I use seasonal ingredients and substitute items when I can't find them. Some recipes, like my bò lúc lắc, or shaking beef, feel entirely my own. As my food blog and follower count grew, so did my confidence in the kitchen. Writing for Bun Bo Bae has taught me that celebrating my Vietnamese American culture doesn't have to be about perfectly re-creating my parents' traditions. It's about mixing what I've been taught with my own experiences, and cooking up something entirely new. — [Suzanne Nuyen]( NPR editor This essay was written for NPR's special series, [I'm Really Into](. You can [read the entire piece here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- AAPI Faces of NPR [( NPR This year, NPR is celebrating AAPI Heritage Month with the theme "[Telling Our Stories]( Asian Americans are the fastest-growing demographic in the nation, but they remain underrepresented in media, politics, workforce management and school curriculums. Meet a few of NPR's AAPI employees and read about how they're telling their stories: — [Gary Duong]( senior marketing manager I handle audience marketing for NPR's shows and podcasts. I love that we're a mission-driven organization and that people are proud to be here. Writing isn't in my job description, but I'm proud that I have [two published articles]( on NPR. — [Janet Woojeong Lee]( education desk producer I manage NPR's Student Podcast Challenge, which is an initiative to get more [young, diverse voices on air](. I feel most grateful for the friends and mentors I've met here, and through them, I'm constantly learning how to be a better advocate for my community. At NPR, I'm hoping to push for more accurate data and an understanding of our AAPI audience that considers our range and intersectionality. — [Linah Mohammad]( All Things Considered producer Making radio that millions of people depend on to get their daily news is a lot of responsibility, but I also find it exhilarating. In my eyes, my mom is my target audience. I ask myself at work, "If Mama listened to this, would she be able to understand?" I'm proud of the stories I work on, but the think I'm most proud of achieving at NPR is creating the Southwest Asians and North Africans Employee Resource Group. Read more about the AAPI Faces at NPR [here](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Picture Show Akash Pamarthy Telugu Americans are a huge part of the Indian population living abroad. Between 2010 and 2017, the number of native Telugu speakers in the U.S. rose 86%, making it the largest uptick in a foreign-language group. Through the lenses of family, [keepsakes, festivals and food]( photographer Akash Pamarthy explores how the Telugu community preserves their culture through the next generation. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stories you may have missed [Beatrice and Harvey Dong say farewell to their beloved Eastwind Books shop.]( Kori Suzuki for NPR For decades, Eastwind Books was an anchor for the Bay Area's Asian American community. The husband and wife duo behind it have [decided to close the shop]( but they say it's like another beginning. 🎧 Listen to community members reflect on the bookstore's history and how it [embraced the power of ethnic solidarity](. Sesame Street debuted its first Filipino Muppet this month. [TJ joins Ji-Young]( the show's first Asian American character, who was introduced in 2021. The Pew Research Center released data from a first-of-its-kind poll of 7,000 Asian American adults that sheds light on how Asians — both immigrants and those born in the U.S. — [see themselves and others](. Ranee Ramaswamy believes her oldest daughter was born to dance. She founded the Ragamala Dance company 30 years ago. Since then, it has become famous among American fans of [India's oldest classical dance form]( bharatanatyam. Is this the next big discourse book? R.F. Kuang's [Yellowface]( is all critics can talk about this month. It's about a white author who passes off her Asian friend's work as her own after the friend dies. 🎧 Pick up the book and listen to Kuang [talk about cultural appropriation]( on All Things Considered --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Find a Station]( --------------------------------------------------------------- This newsletter was edited by Carol Ritchie. Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]