The As I Am podcast
Episode 32: Colournary
Tune in this episode with Rushani Epa (@epa___), Editor-in-chief and Founder of Colournary Magazine (@colournarymag) and food editor at Hardie Grant Books (@hardiegrantbooks). We hear about the journey of Colournary blooming during the pandemic lockdown and giving a space for Asian cuisine to be written by POC’s. Ruhani enlightens the conversation around food in sharing: people’s connection with food, curating articles on authenticity and letting people write their own stories. Episode out now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
Episode 26: Food and Authenticity
This episode features a chat about the obsession with authenticity that many Asian people hold as it pertains to food, particularly Asian food. We discuss the relevance of authenticity, the reasons why we've tried to gatekeep "traditional" food in the past, as well as the importance of not allowing authenticity to be a barrier to innovation and creativity. This is an episode where we tried very hard to take the logical path, however the discussion highlights that we still have much to learn in terms of navigating this complex issue.
Episode 23: Scoopy
Tesia Tran and Angelo Labrador are 2 of 4 founders behind Scoopy Milk Bar. In this episode, we speak about the transition from their humble beginnings testing out bingsu recipes in their own kitchen, all the way to becoming a household name in the Melbourne food scene. Angelo and Tesia also speak about how the business launched in the midst of a perfect storm, the diversity of Asian influences they draw from, as well as their desire to build an Asian-Australian foodie community.
Episode 18: Naked Asian Grocer
Global warming, environmental degradation and sustainability are amongst the key challenges of the 21st century. Yet, the magnitude of these problems can make tackling them seem daunting and unapproachable. We sit down with Brian and Jian, the co-founders of Naked Asian Grocer - Australia’s first zero waste Asian grocer - to chat through their founder journey, as well as how people can implement sustainable practices in their lives through small progressive changes.
Episode 08: Behind the Line
Race and privilege in the kitchen, the values we give to Western and Eastern food, and Jeff challenging a fine dining chef to a crab-off are a few of the many things we chatted about with Attica Junior Sous Chef and our friend, Cameron Tay-Yap.
Episode 06: Food for Thought
Why do we obsess over the notion of authenticity? Why is Asian fusion so popular nowadays?