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.
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 literally called, I Hear She’s a Real Bitch. And yet… what has changed for women in the food industry since she started ringing that bell? Tune in as we hash out all this and more!
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
How a Culture of Aggression Blinds the Restaurant Industry to Abuse
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.”
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.
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
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 by Soleil Ho with lots of help from Juan Ramirez and Chris Farstad. Additional music by Johnny Cash and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
LINKS DU JOUR
Borrowed Interest podcast, on being black women in the advertising business
Twin Cities Businesses Ask Why Professionals of Color Leave (via the Star Tribune)
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 producer by Eric Klein
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 by SFMOMA. Sita Kuratomi Bhaumik is a conceptual artist working with craft and food to tell the stories of migration that is based in Oakland, California.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions. additional production is by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Geraldine Ah-Sue with music from Podington Bear (source: free music archive)
LINKS DU JOUR
- Dichos de un bicho
- People's Kitchen Collective
- In the light of the Mexican earthquake consider donating here
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
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 DU JOUR
Love Circuits, Taneka’s webcomic
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 is half the battle. We hope you enjoy the show.
LINKS DU JOUR
- Racist Sandwich is a finalist in the 2017 Saveur Magazine blog awards. Vote for us!
- Amanda Yee’s upcoming restaurant, The Blues Woman
- Who Owns Southern Food? in the Oxford American
- An Open Letter to Paula Deen by Michael Twitty
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 papers!", says Armando.
We also dive into the violence street vendors become victims of. A recent incident sparked controversy after a man flipped over Benjamin Ramirez's cart.
Links Du Jour
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. Virgie also lays out the history of diet culture, which includes a really interesting detour into the sordid origin of Graham Crackers.
LINKS DU JOUR
"In part one, we interview John Birdsall, the acclaimed food writer who is working on a book about James Beard and specifically Beard's queer identity. Birdsall also opens up about why he made the decision to talk about food in relation to his own gay identity. In part two, we interview people of color at Portland's Pride march; in part three, Soleil talks about how anime helped her understand her own queer identity."
Produced by Juan Ramirez and guest producer Jack Saturn. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions
LINKS DU JOUR
- Follow John on Twitter.
- Information about the LGBTQ community in Portland.
- Catch up on Sailor Moon.
RS interviews Pulitzer Prize winning author and USC professor Viet Thanh Nguyen about his new short story collection, what it was like working at his parents’ Vietnamese grocery store, and why he doesn’t write for white readers.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions. Additional music by Mobb Deep
Links du jour
- You can more information on Viet HERE
- Follow Viet on Twitter @viet_t_nguyen
Racist Sandwich covers the recent white supremacist rally in Portland; in part one, we interview people of color at the counter-protest, as well as a Trump supporter and anti-fascist activists; in part two, we cover the fundraiser and tribute for the three heroes who stood up to white supremacy
Produced by Zahir Janmohamed and Juan Ramirez.
Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.
Zahir starts off with some thoughts on the recent deadly white supremacist violence in Portland, and talks a bit about his thoughts on Portland in general.
The core of this episode is our funny and thoughtful interview with Anh Luu, the chef/owner of Portland’s Tapalaya restaurant. Anh talks with us about growing up Viet in New Orleans, working her way up through its kitchens, and the windy road that brought her to Tapalaya.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions. Additional music by Tikopia Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
- Tapalaya
- Zahir's Article, Portland isn't as liberal as you think
- The Slow Melt
Katherine Quince interviews Daniela Perez—a mentor gardener based in Portland, Oregon—and chat about the successes and failures of gardening. Also, Soleil sits down and talks to us about what is like to open a restaurant in Puerto Vallarta over an awesome audio diary. Be sure to check out her recently published essay, where Juan gets reminded of an old childhood snack—cacahuates!
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions. Additional music by Nujabes, Tupac, and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
LINKS DU JOUR
Zahir's mom dishes on Indian food in Tanzania, how she defines fusion food, and why she mischievously leaves out ingredients when people ask her for recipes.
We celebrate our first anniversary by having guest producer Cristina Kim takes us to Oakland, Ca to talk with Wanda Stewart on the joys and challenges of teaching gardening and community farming at Hoover Elementary. Wanda welcomes us into her classroom and opens up about her goal to dismantle the negative connotations many of her students and their parents-- especially from the African American community--have with getting dirty and growing food. In a time where it's hard to know how to best be active and engaged, she reminds us that the way forward may be as simple as working like ants.
Produced by Juan Ramirez and Cristina Kim. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.
LINKS DU JOUR
Nick Cho will teach you how to make coffee—we won’t say in the “best way,” but certainly with way more knowledge and control than you’re used to having. While both Zahir and Soleil are probably top-tier coffee ignoramuses, we had a great conversation with Nick about the meaning of specialty coffee and its misconceptions, the work of managing a coffee shop, and how the American coffee industry can improve its internal dialogues about race and identity.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.
LINKS DU JOUR
- Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters
- Follow then on Twitter @wrecking_ball
- Check out Culture Trip
The theme of this episode is food and all the ways people use it to mess with us. Well, it’s about a bit more than that, but that’s the gist of it. First, Soleil and Zahir chat about the Great Kimchi Incident of 2017 and the high psychological price of getting good chai in Portland. (“How do they drink chai in the Far East, Zahir?”) Then Soleil gets on the phone with food writer and British baking genius Ruby Tandoh to discuss her upcoming mental health zine, the toxicity of wellness culture, and the healing power of food writing.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer, Blue Dot Sessions, Alimony Hustle and The Rebirth Brass Band.
Yasmin Khan’s Twitter bio reads: “Challenging stereotypes of the Middle East, one pomegranate at a time.” With her new cookbook, “The Saffron Tales,” Khan has not only delivered a beautifully written book about Persian food but has also challenged us to think about Persian food in entirely new ways.
Khan set out in 2013 to write her book because she was fed up with people in making assumptions that Iran equals bombs, nukes, and fanatics. She wanted to show the texture and the beauty she experienced during her own visits to the Iranian countryside. What she could not predict is that the antagonism between the “West” and Iran would only grow greater, especially with the US election of Donald Trump.
In this episode, Khan speaks about meeting artisanal chocolatiers in Iran, why London doesn’t have great regional Persian restaurants, and why she was denied a visa to the US during the Obama administration.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.
One in five people in Portland are food insecure, according to the Oregon Food Bank. It’s a statistic Darrell Yuen knows well. He spent years fighting hunger, including a stint at the Oregon Food Bank. But in 2016, he called it quits and decided he would fight hunger by starting a restaurant instead.
The result is Musubi, a small restaurant in Southeast Portland that serves Hawaii snack food. Darrell contributes a portion of every purchase to combat hunger and he sees his role not as a restaurateur but as a social entrepreneur. In this episode, we talk about how restaurants owners can give back to communities and how Darrell sees his restaurant as a way for him to embrace his Hawaiian identity.
Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.