The Racist Sandwich Podcast

Latest Episodes:

E54: What the Duck (w/ Lillian Li) Aug 01, 2018

Show notes

In today's episode, Zahir interviews Lillian Li, the author of the critically acclaimed novel "Number One Chinese Restaurant." Lillian discusses her relationship to the food she grew up eating, what she learned working at a Chinese restaurant and how she's trying to challenge the way we think about and tell immigrant stories in America. Plus: she reveals how her mother – who worked at a Chinese restaurant for many years – reacted to her novel.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E53: Eating Intuitively (w/ Heather Armstrong & Kimberley Wilson) Jul 25, 2018

Show notes

In this second episode of a two-part series on mental health, Soleil speaks with Heather Armstrong and Kimberley Wilson on the links between diet and mental health. Armstrong, a blogger and writer also known as "Dooce," tell us how her last attempt at veganism resulted in the worst depression of her life. Then, psychologist Wilson talks to us about her work busting myths about clean eating and dieting in the UK.

Produced by Juan Ramirez and Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

LINKS DU JOUR

Read more about the state of prison food in this piece via Governing.
The science of serotonin—the chemical produced in the intestines—is fascinating!
Yes, the use of the word "superfood" in food marketing was banned in the EU.

Rerun: History on a Plate: The State of Filipino Cuisine (w/ Sarahlynn Pablo & Natalia Roxas) Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

To commemorate our producer emeritus' upcoming podcast for and about Filipino Americans, we're re-releasing this great interview with Filipino Kitchen on the history of the cuisine. We want to send a big warm congratulations to Alan Montecillo for launching Balikbayan! The first episode drops July 24!

For years, we've been hearing from the food media that Filipino cuisine is the "next big thing;" that it would only be a matter of time before it "arrived." To hash that all out, we talked to a bunch of Pinoys! First, our producer, Alan Montecillo; then we patched in Sarahlynn Pablo & Natalia Roxas of the website, Filipino Kitchen. They all walked us through the history of Filipino cuisine and the meaning it holds for Filipino Americans today. And of course, we went back and forth on the question of whether or not validation from Western society matters all that much, in the end.

E52: Tasting Something Other Than Shame (w/ Ijeoma Oluo) Jul 04, 2018

Show notes

Today's episode is an important one for us at Racist Sandwich. We talk a lot about the intersection of food, race and culture, but we're also a podcast about class – because we know a lot of people aren't afforded the luxury of food as leisure. For a lot of people, food is survival. But prolific writer and self-proclaimed "internet yeller," Ijeoma Oluo says the poor deserve more than that. In this episode, Ijeoma joins producer Stephanie Kuo for a frank and emotional conversation about food and poverty and how society uses food to deny the poor their dignity and humanity. They're made to feel shame about their hunger, their choices and their desire to enjoy life and eat something decadent every once and a while.

Thanks to the pair of awesome people who donated to RAICES as part of our quick Twitter fundraiser last week. RAICES needs all the support it can get to help immigrant families who are being detained at the border. It's not too late to give! Donate here.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E51: Keeping It Together In The Kitchen (w/ Hannah Howard & Casey Rebecca Nunes) Jun 21, 2018

Show notes

This is the first of a two-part series on mental health. Soleil sits down with author Hannah Howard and chef Casey Rebecca Nunes, who both open up about their own mental health struggles in the food industry. In the first part of the episode, Howard describes a scene from her new memoir "Feast: True Love in and Out of the Kitchen," and talks about grappling with an eating disorder while working at a fine dining restaurant. Nunes then explains how she balances the pressures of being a chef with self-care routines.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

E50: Detroiters are Fighters (w/ Devita Davison, Malik Yakini & Serena Maria Daniels) Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

We're in Detroit for our 50th episode! And we're talking about the city's enduring food legacy. While a lot of food media often likens Detroit's food scene to a "Renaissance" of sorts, led predominantly by white chefs from the suburbs, the truth is it never went anywhere. People of color have been on the ground from day one, continuing to build upon generations of black and brown entrepreneurship, farming and food activism. And those Detroiters have been the ones who've refused to give up on Detroit – even when it seemed the rest of the world had. In this narrated piece, Zahir sits down with three Detroit food icons: Devita Davison, executive director of FoodLab Detroit; Malik Yakini, founder of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network; and Serena Maria Daniels, esteemed food writer who launched Tostada Magazine.

We've only just scratched the surface, but now that Zahir lives in Michigan, you can count on many more episodes out of Detroit. We can't wait!

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer, Blue Dot Sessions and Loyalty Freak Music.

E49: Fighting Occupation with Food (w/ Reem Assil) May 23, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, we hear the morning keynote address at the La Cocina food conference delivered by Reem Assil, the founder of Reem's Bakery and the newly opened restaurant Dyafa. Reem speaks about the targeting of civilians in Gaza and how she uses food as a way to push back against the Israeli occupation and its attempted erasure of Palestinian lives. We also hear from one of Reem's employees about how the design and decor of Reem's bakery reflects their mission and philosophy.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

Bonus Episode: Racially Conscious Wallah Bro (w/ Khaled Beydoun) May 16, 2018

Show notes

We have another special bonus episode to mark the start of Ramadan! Zahir travels to Dearborn, Mich., to sit down with Khaled Beydoun, a law professor and author of the newly released book, "American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear." Khaled shares his insights about growing up in Dearborn, how being a Muslim in America has changed for him, and why the Lebanese restaurant Al Ameer in Dearborn is so seminal.

Produced by Zahir Janmohamed and Stephanie Kuo. Music by Ehab Tawfik, Youssou N'Dour and Blue Dot Sessions.

E48: Food Stories That Don't Pay the Bills (w/Francis Lam) May 09, 2018

Show notes

We're thrilled to have one of Soleil's food icons on the podcast this week! Francis Lam, host of The Splendid Table and food writer extraordinaire, joins Soleil for a conversation about telling the food stories that aren't "glamorous." They also talk about media gatekeepers, food as an entree into more difficult issues and how to be better allies. But before all that grand philosophizing, Zahir and Soleil celebrate the podcast's second birthday AND important James Beard Award wins for the POC food community.

A couple of announcements:

Applications are now open for the 2019 Vilcek Creative Promise Prizes in Culinary Arts until June 11. Learn more about the prizes and eligibility requirements here.

There's just a little under a week left to raise money for the "Family Style Zine: An AAPI Food Anthology" on Indiegogo. The creators hope to connect their audience to the diverse histories of AAPI food through writing and beautiful artwork. Check it out and consider donating!

Produced by Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

Bonus Episode: The Cure for Yellow Fever (w/ Dakota Kim) May 02, 2018

Show notes

Surprise! We have a special bonus episode for you after several requests to unpack the "Yellow Fever" debacle on Twitter. Writer and restaurateur Dakota Kim joins Soleil for this discussion about the Asian fusion restaurant in Long Beach, Calif. whose name has sparked a lot of controversy. It's gotten us all wondering, "What the f*** were they thinking?" Soleil and Dakota try to answer that question and talk about respect for cultural identity, the sexualization and fetishization of Asian women, and whether the restaurant owner being a Korean-American woman changes anything.

Produced by Stephanie Kuo. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

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