This week, I'd like to introduce you to Eric Kim, author of the instant NYT Bestselling cookbook Korean American, columnist at the NYT Times Cooking Desk, ASMR YouTube pioneer, and former up-and-coming pop star.I was introduced to Eric through one of his essays--in fact, his very first piece for the Times: "Think of Kimchi as a Verb" (https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/02/dining/quick-kimchi-recipes.html). As I've discussed in a prior podcast episode, kimchi is more than just pickled cabbage to most Koreans and Korean Americans. I mean this literally, of course, since, as Eric's piece does such a good job of demonstrating, "kimchi" can signify several different kinds of vegetables (not just napa cabbage) and flavors (not just spicy red pepper). But it's more than just that there are hundreds of different kinds of "kimchi" out there. It reminded me of how my mother would look at the the large, round radishes nestled together in wooden crates at our local farmer's market and immediately wonder out loud: "I wonder if we could make kimchi out of those...?" I was thus so heartened to see another Korean American writer who viewed "kimchi" as not just within the confines of a specific food, but as dynamic and adaptable as the hands that have salted, pasted, and packed kimchi for hundreds of years.Notwithstanding Eric's thoughtful essay on a topic, as you'll hear in this week's interview, the feedback was not just instant, but negative. Another Korean American food writer wrote to Eric's editor (i.e., boss), claiming that the article was riddled with errors. Eric would soon learn that this was, unfortunately, a part of the job--navigating the often unsettled waters of "representation." What "representation" means, looks like, and effectuates are not as black and white as the words printed on a newspaper, however much some might wish it were. Indeed, as the recent scuffle with the Netflix show Beef demonstrates, the concept of adequate representation may not always be aligned with fair representation. Sometimes, I worry that we've been suffocating under the cloak of invisibility for so long, we'll do anything, say anything, be anything for even the possibility of being "seen."Food is, of course, a vehicle for not just political discourse. I'll bet you can recall one-too-many uncomfortable conversations at Thanksgiving or Aunt Helen's birthday where Uncle Rich got a little bit loud about something he saw on Fox News or read in the local paper. And, as Senator Corey Booker delves into during his conversation with Rich Roll, food is, itself, a subject of policy, legislation, and ginormous lobbying dollars. But what about the politics of identity? Who we are as individuals that form a nation? How we relate to each other today versus how we aspire to see each other tomorrow?Connect with Eric KimWebsite: https://erickim.net/Korean American Cookbook: https://erickim.net/cookbookNYT Desk: https://bit.ly/42o4BQ2Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericjoonho/?hl=enThe Korean Vegan Kollective: https://meals.thekoreanvegan.com---Joanne Lee Molinaro is a Korean American trial lawyer, New York Times best-selling author, James Beard Award-winner, and host of the Are You Ready podcast. With nearly 5 million fans spread across her social media platforms, Joanne has appeared on The Food Network, CBS Saturday Morning, ABC's Live with Kelly and Ryan, The Today Show, PBS, and The Rich Roll Podcast. She's been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, NPR, and CNN; and her debut cookbook was selected as one of The Best Cookbooks of 2021 by The New York Times and The New Yorker among others. Helpful Resources: Website: https://bit.ly/TKVWebsiteThe Korean Vegan Cookbook: https://bit.ly/TKVCookbookThe Korean Vegan Meal Planner: https://bit.ly/TKVMealPlannerThe Korean Vegan Podcast: https://bit.ly/TKVPodcastLinktree: https://bit.ly/TKVLinktreeFind me on Social:Instagram: https://bit.ly/TKVInstagramTikTok: https://bit.ly/TKVTikTokTwitter: https://bit.ly/TKVTwitterFacebook: https://bit.ly/TKVFacebook
