A Korean American filmmaker recently released a documentary highlighting the impact and evolution of Asian cuisine in the United States.
Grace Lee, who grew up in Columbia, Missouri, released “Off the Menu” as a part of the American Film Showcase in December 2015.
After realizing that Asian food, such as kimchi, a traditional Korean condiment made from fermented cabbage and radishes, had found its way into America’s food culture over the years by becoming a condiment for popular dishes such as hamburgers, Lee decided to investigate the progression of Asian food in the United States, according to VOA News.
The documentary, which sees Lee visit different American cities to see how Asian cuisine has impacted them, interweaves how family, faith, tradition and location can shape a community’s relationship with food.
Part of the documentary saw Lee traveling to Texas where she spoke with Gary Chiu, a Texan who is the son of Taiwanese immigrants. Chiu, who runs a tofu factory in Texas, said he not only makes traditional tofu eggrolls, but also fusion dishes that combine tofu and tamales, bringing together Asian, Texan and Mexican cuisines.
Lee then went on to Wisconsin, where six members of a Sikh Temple were shot and killed in 2012 as they were getting ready for a religious meal called langar, to find out if food can speed up the healing process of a grieving community.
Lee talked with people from the temple, and they told her that the tradition of langar continued even after the shooting, and that it helped heal the community, VOA News reported.
“You can’t pray, you can’t be in tune with God, unless your belly is full,” one temple member in the documentary said to Lee.
Lee’s last stop in the documentary was in Hawaii, where she explored the hard work put into putting together a luau, a traditional Hawaiian meal that has dazzled tourists for decades. Lee found a family that caught their own seafood, just like their ancestors did, instead of relying on imported food, which is how most food by Hawaiians are consumed.
“When you eat it, you’re eating the essence of all the skills passed down from generation to generation,” said Hi’ilei Kawelo to Lee in the documentary.
