Congrats to Juliette Kaplan, the winner of the Bumbershoot “Food for Thought” writing contest. Her poem below deals with food and identity and fitting in.
Tupperware
I was the kid
who brought her lunch
in sticky
leaky
Tupperware.
Tupperware was not cool.
When people asked me,
“Where are your parents from”
Like a well-rehearsed robot, I would recite,
[...]
Archive for the ‘Food and race’ Category
Food for Thought writing contest winner
Posted in Filipino food, Food and race, tagged adobo, Bumbershoot, Filipino food, Food for Thought Writing Contest, Juliette Kaplan, Poem, School lunch, Tupperware, Winner on September 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Saar’s is not contagious
Posted in Food and race, tagged Burien, Cheap Seattle grocery store, low-cost grocery store, Saar's Market Place on July 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I do most of the food shopping in my household so I pay attention to the weekly grocery circulars.
I know use of the word “circular” immediately dates me, but no one has created an iPhone ap yet that enables you to easily compare prices on specific items at different supermarkets. Old school newsprint still [...]
Of pizza and pancit
Posted in Filipino food, Food and race, Savory on January 27, 2009 | 2 Comments »
The birthdays of my youth were celebrated with huge parties. My parents would invite entire families, not just kids. The house would be packed with people, and our dining room table would groan from the weight of the many dishes my mom and dad prepared and other food that guests would bring. The Filipino classics [...]
What I did on my summer vacation: Fear and loathing in rural America
Posted in Essays, Food and race, Travel, tagged Idaho, Oregon, road trip, Salt Lake City, Summer vacation, Utah, Washington on August 26, 2008 | 2 Comments »
This time last year, my husband and I were relaxing on the Hawaiian island of Maui, savoring fresh seafood, tropical fruit and the magical menu at Da Kitchen.
For our 2008 summer vacation, we decided to drive from Seattle to visit our friends Sarah and Damon in Salt Lake City. You may be wondering what [...]
Is Filipino food embarrassing?
Posted in Essays, Filipino food, Food and race, Reviews, Savory, Sweet, tagged Chowhound, Filipino food, Filipino restaurants, fish escabeche, halo halo, Kawali Grill, pork inihaw, Seattle, silog, ube ice cream on August 26, 2008 | 3 Comments »
This is the question “side dish” raised on Chowhound’s Pacific Northwest board in 2002.
The post itself wasn’t very illuminating. The writer claimed that there’s a dearth of Filipino restaurants in Seattle because “Filipinos are the ultimate US wannabees” who are “more likely to open a Jewish deli or burger stand than a Filipino restaurant.” [...]
Eat all you can
Posted in Essays, Food and race, Savory, Sweet on May 12, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I know nil about Polish food. So I was both excited and a little nervous to join my friend Lynn (whose ethnic background is Polish) at an all you can eat pierogi fest at Seattle’s Polish Home.
Pierogi are half-moon dumplings that are boiled and then sauteed in a pan with butter and onion. They [...]
The official snack of hip hop
Posted in Food and race, Savory, tagged chips, Rap Snacks on March 23, 2008 | 5 Comments »
I was rummaging around in the garage and stumbled upon a box labeled “Rap Snacks.” Buried treasure!
A few years ago, I started collecting Rap Snacks purely because they make me laugh. How could I resist something named “Bar-b-quin’ With My Honey Flavored Chips?” Each Rap Snacks bag has an illustration of a rapper along [...]
“What the f@#k is juice?!”
Posted in Food and race, Sweet, tagged artifical flavoring, Dave Chappelle, food, Juice, race on March 9, 2008 | 1 Comment »
When my husband visits an Asian grocery store, he often will buy me a food item featuring Hello Kitty. Recently he bought me two Calpico beverages. While I enjoyed the adorable Hello Kitty images, I most certainly did not like the completely artifical “strawberry” and “mango” drinks. I did appreciate that unlike some other fruit [...]
The cold truth
Posted in Essays, Food and race, Uncategorized, tagged boss, communication, first jobs, High school, sense of self on March 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
I went to bed late last night, and I had one of those moments of clarity that only come when I’m semiconscious at 1am. I realized that my lack of enthusiasm for the frozen yogurt trend might be connected to a significant event in my past.
I’ve only been fired once in my life, and it [...]
Food Network missing key ingredient?
Posted in Essays, Food and race, tagged Black History Month, diversity, Food Network, Morimoto, Pat and Gina Neely on March 3, 2008 | 3 Comments »
During February, Food Network ran a curious promo spot. It featured two of its newest personalities (pictured above) who said, “Hi, we’re Pat and Gina Neely, hosts of Down Home With the Neelys. Join us and Food Network as we celebrate Black History Month.”
Every time I saw the spot, it bothered me, but I [...]
