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 Naysay...
Aug 01, 2018•30 min
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 Se...
Jul 25, 2018•31 min
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...
Jul 19, 2018•31 min
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 ...
Jul 04, 2018•32 min
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 s...
Jun 21, 2018•32 min
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 Det...
Jun 06, 2018•31 min
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...
May 23, 2018•29 min
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 Ta...
May 16, 2018•25 min
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 fo...
May 09, 2018•32 min
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,...
May 02, 2018•29 min
In part one, Soleil, Zahir, and Juan meet for the first time at La Cocina Conference in San Francisco and Soleil shares some exciting news. In part two, we commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day by interviewing journalist Liana Aghajanian about what it was like to come to the US as a refugee from Iran, how the Armenian genocide impacted Armenian food, and what exactly a dowel is. Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by Blue Dot Sessions and AF the Naysayer.
Apr 25, 2018•30 min
It's our first reported episode of the season! Emily Hunsberger, who hosts the Spanish-language podcast Tertulia, brings us this great story about Kitchen Spanish, the unique pidgin spoken among Spanish-speaking and English-speaking staff in restaurant kitchens. While interviewing food workers in Grand Rapids, Mich., Emily discovered that the ability and willingness to communicate across language barriers have become especially critical today in the United States where the immigration debate und...
Apr 11, 2018•30 min
In this episode, Zahir interviews the award-winning writer Alexander Chee about his new essay collection "How to Write an Autobiographical Novel." Alexander speaks about his visit to Korea, what it was like to wait tables before writing his novel, and why he felt like an impostor while living in a plush New York apartment. Also on this episode, Soleil talks about her trip to Hawaii and Zahir gushes about his experience at Kundiman. Produced by Juan Ramirez and Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Nays...
Mar 28, 2018•30 min
In this episode, new producer Stephanie Kuo joins Zahir to discuss an op-ed she wrote for the Dallas Observer about her complicated relationship with white-owned Asian-fusion restaurants, shame and respect for cultures outside our own. In part two, Soleil interviews the spectacular Samin Nosrat , who is a New York Times Magazine contributor, author of the bestseller Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat , and all-around badass cook and teacher. They talk about Samin's new TV series, imposter syndrome and her fi...
Mar 14, 2018•30 min
We are excited to kick off season two of our podcast! In part one, Soleil and Zahir talk about missing Taco Bell and gush about our roller coaster ride of a Kickstarter campaign. In part two, guest interviewer Emilly Prado interviews Carmen Maria Machado , the National Book Award-nominated author of the short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties . Carmen and Emilly discuss body image, policing food, villainesses, and pickles. Tune in to hear more! Produced by Juan Ramirez and Stephanie K...
Feb 28, 2018•29 min
Zahir interviews poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib about his new collection of essays called "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us." Hanif speaks about growing up in Ohio, how the city's Black population has been displaced, and why Black-owned restaurants are critical at a time in which, to quote one of his poems, "the Black boy already begins to disappear from head-to-toe."...
Jan 05, 2018•30 min
After a long and popping first season, we're taking a short break to recharge, relax, and raise funds for season two! Thank you for listening to Racist Sandwich, and huge thanks to the collaborators, guests, and friends who all helped us along the way. It has been an incredible run for these first-time podcasters. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Dec 16, 2017•30 min
Today's guest is the one, the only Jen Agg —the Toronto, Canada-based restaurateur who, in a lot of ways, has been imposed with a sort of Cassandra role in the food media. She's been sounding the alarm on the toxic and often violent masculinity that infests the food industry for years. She even went so far as to organizing a one-night conference on patriarchy in the restaurant world in 2015. She describes herself as "vigilantly pro-conflict"—her memoir, which came out earlier this year, is liter...
Dec 06, 2017•29 min
Soleil catches up with Oakland chef and restaurateur Preeti Mistry , and they chat about culinary school, how the food industry falls short of its meritocratic ideals, the culture of abuse in restaurants, and what it means to live your politics. Zahir gets really into the punniness of Mistry's book, The Juhu Beach Club Cookbook . Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by Blue Dot Sessions and AF the Naysayer. LINKS DU JOUR Dear White Chefs: Stop Talking, Start Listening White Man Gets on Soapbox How a ...
Nov 29, 2017•30 min
In this episode, we address the politics of the word "curry." In part one, Barnard College student Mitali Desai shares her poem "Chicken Tikka Masala" about being bullied at her predominantly white school. In part two, we interview the Toronto based writer Naben Ruthnum about his new book "Curry" which unpacks the history, and the limitations, of the word "curry."
Nov 15, 2017•31 min
Zahir interviews Jared Goodman, the founder and director of Morgan Street Theater, which organizes ice cream theater events in Portland, Oregon. Jared talks about him about his Jewish identity, his anxieties about raising Jewish children in an age of Trump, and why he loves making challah bread. Guest produced by Eric Klein.
Nov 01, 2017•1 hr
BONUS EPISODE: FUCK THE PATRIARCHY. Soleil and Zahir discuss the sexual harassment allegations against the famous restauranteur John Besh, as well as their own experiences encountering sexual harassment in their respective work environments. They also discuss the complicity around sexual harassment and why more is not been done to combat this problem. LINKS: From Glassdoor: Besh Restaurant Reviews...
Oct 25, 2017•32 min
How much do you know about Minnesota? In this episode, Soleil digs into the state, going both on and off the beaten path. She talks with Amalia Nicholson, lifelong Minnesotan, and host of the Borrowed Interest podcast, about punk rock brunch and Garrison Keillor; dives into the Minnesota State Fair in search of pickle-flavored beer; and interviews Aubry and Kale Walch, the sibling owners of The Herbivorous Butcher, the world's first vegan butcher shop—which happens to be in Minneapolis. Produced...
Oct 19, 2017•32 min
Zahir interviews Omar El Akkad, author of the critically acclaimed novel "American War," at an Egyptian shawarma stand in Portland, Oregon where they talk about sci-fi literature, what Ramadan means in a time of Islamophobia, and why McDonald's was such a huge hit in Doha. They also touch on what it is like to be a person of color in Portland and why writers of color should work against the impulse (and pressure) to write only for white readers. This episode was made possible by our guest produc...
Oct 04, 2017•1 hr 12 min
Soleil and Zahir meet in the Midwest—sort of. They catch up on their adventures as Soleil prepares to depart to Mexico once again. In this episode, we speak with Victor Interiano , creator of Dichos de un bicho , a blog centered on issues that concern Central Americans and Latinidad. Interiano is also the creator of a left-of-center charismatic cartoon cat named Puchica Puchin. We also run a story on Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik that was previously published on Raw Material an arts and culture podcast ...
Sep 20, 2017•31 min
The day after President Trump announced his plans to rescind the DACA program, the three of us--producer Juan, co-hosts Soleil and Zahir--recorded a podcast together about what we were feeling. Juan is a former DACA recipient himself and we reflected on what this means for this country's 800,000 undocumented individuals, as well as how the food industry can protect Dreamers. Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions. LINKS DU JOUR United We Dream Dream Action Coali...
Sep 10, 2017•17 min
When was the last time you saw yourself reflected in the art that you love? For Portland's Taneka Stotts, comic writer and editor, the answer was never. So she co-founded Beyond Press, a small-scale publisher that releases comic books featuring queer-identified and minority artists. In today's episode, Soleil talks with Taneka about representation, Sonic the Hedgehog, and milkshakes. In our intro, Juan and Soleil discuss the Portland Taco Festival fiasco and answer some listener questions. LINKS...
Aug 31, 2017•32 min
Who owns Southern food? In this episode, we tackle the concept of cultural stakes, ownership, and the character of Southern regional cuisine. Zahir talks to author and Southern food scholar John T. Edge about his new book, The Potlikker Papers. In the second segment, you'll hear from Amanda Yee, a Chinese, Norwegian, and African-American chef who, in her words, pulled a James Baldwin and set out to bring Southern cuisine to Scandinavia. According to Amanda, battling locals' preconceived notions ...
Aug 11, 2017•31 min
Juan speaks with Armando Ibañez , an undocumented queer filmmaker who produces Undocumented Tales, a web series that is loosely based on Armando's experience as a waiter in LA. Armando talks about what is like to be undocumented in the US while working as a server in the food industry and how his love for film helped him feel comfortable about his sexuality. "Sometimes I ask my self, How have I last 16 years in the restaurant industry? and then I answer myself--because I don't have fucking paper...
Jul 27, 2017•28 min
This episode, which features author, activist, and fat discrimination expert Virgie Tovar, continues our conversations about body image, fatness, and thin privilege in the food world. We discuss the complexities of being a fat foodie and think about the ways in which patriarchy and capitalism inform diet culture and fatphobia. But first, we begin with a story by Dr. Lisa Knisely about navigating restaurants as a fat person. Then, Virgie and Soleil compete to see who has the wackiest laugh. Virgi...
Jul 12, 2017•32 min
