Representation, the value of labor, and activism in the AAPI community

In response to the escalating violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Karen Tongson guest hosts this week’s Good Food, asking several women to share their stories. Tongson chairs the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies at USC, where she teaches a Food Culture and Food Politics class.

Tongson leads a roundtable discussion with Chef Minh Phan and food writer Esther Tseng on AAPI representation, authenticity, and stereotypes within the hospitality industry. Restaurateur Lien Ta reflects on her childhood in her mother’s nail salons and the value of labor following the Atlanta shootings. Saehee Cho shares the story behind her grocery delivery initiative, Soon Mini, which blends her pursuits of food, the arts, and activism. Finally, Professor Dorinne Kay Kondo spotlights the ignorance of representing the AAPI community in cooking competition shows, something she refers to as “discomfort TV.”