THE PEOPLE’S PANTRY
The People's Pantry is a project that explores immigration through food. You could say that food is one of the foundations of culture – everyone's gotta eat, and often the most approachable way to share culture is through cuisine. But food is something that so many of us take for granted. The availability of "American staples" like ketchup, Wonderbread, potato chips, and the like are almost a given at any American supermarket. For many immigrants, refugees, and their families, however, finding the products we grew up with is a taller order. We do not see these products lining the shelves of our local Safeway or Cub, but instead in the family-owned specialty markets tucked away in cities across the country. Depending on where you live, these sauces or snacks or seasonings can sometimes feel like rarities – elusive products that you have to make a special trip for, but the comforts they bring are immeasurable.
The People's Pantry began as a way to illustrate the foods that I grew up with in my Filipino-American household. But everyone who is part of a diaspora has their own version of this illustration. With this series, I hope to capture some of those stories by partnering with individuals who have their own unique relationships with the foods of their cultural heritage.
FiliPINX EDITION
The Filipinx edition of The People's Pantry comes from my own experience growing up in a multi-racial home in Northern California.
My mother immigrated to the United States when she married my father, bringing a lifetime's worth of family recipes that I have slowly been trying to learn myself. Represented in this piece are the products that were staples in our own pantry: Spam, which was the one food that my Minnesota-bred father and Filipino-born mother could agree on wholeheartedly; White Rabbit candy, which was a delightful treat at the end of our family's monthly shopping trips to Seafood City in Vallejo; and the one-two punch of Silver Swan soy sauce and Datu Puti vinegar that my mom swears by for chicken adobo.
$20 from every print sold will be donated to the Coalition of Asian American Leaders (CAAL), a Minnesota-based non-profit that serves as a social justice network of leaders with a mission to harness their collective power to improve the lives of community by connecting, learning, and acting together.
VIETNAMESE EDITION
The Vietnamese edition of The People's Pantry is a collaboration between myself and Catherine Thy Phạm, a Chicago-based chef, advocate, and writer, among other things.
Cat is Vietnamese-American – her parents came to Chicago as refugees in the early 80s, a harrowed journey that is all too common for families from countries where US war and violence has done so much damage. Growing up in Chicago as a first-generation Vietnamese-American, Cat's journey has been complex, and she speaks about it often in hopes that telling her truths will bring awareness to the ignorant and solace to those who share in her experiences.
Today, Cat is an outspoken advocate, sharing her stories using both food and words as her medium. An avid party thrower with an abundance of food, like many Asian moms and aunties, she took her meals on the road at the start of the pandemic, as “Drops,” telling stories through traditional Vietnamese dishes and celebrating her heritage while also bringing awareness to the multitude of issues that immigrants, refugees, and their children in the United States face.
$20 from every print sold will be donated to the Vietnamese Association of Illinois, a non-profit whose mission is to support, promote & develop various cultural, social, and educational programs to serve Vietnamese-Americans in Illinois.
CHINESE EDITION
The Chinese edition of The People's Pantry is a collaboration between myself and Winsal Yang, a Los Angeles-based home chef.
Winsal is a first-generation Chinese-American. She grew up in a multi-generational immigrant household in New York City, where food was the preferred mode of communication – the phrase “eat more” almost always translates to “be well.” The kitchen and the dining table were the centers of family activity growing up, a place for the 13 members of her family to sit together and celebrate being together through food and activity.
Food keeps her connected to her family and her cultural heritage. Most of her recipes come from her own memories growing up cooking traditional Cantonese dishes with her family in New York. But days, however, she can't help but crave a cheese slice or pizza – but that doesn't mean she isn't going to give it her all when preparing her traditional Lunar New Year feast.
$20 from every print sold will be donated to the Chinese - American Planning Council in New York City whose mission is to promote the social and economic empowerment of Chinese American, immigrant, and low-income communities.
JAPANESE EDITION
The Japanese edition of The People's Pantry is a collaboration between myself and Arisa "Ris" Isayama Slutsky, founder of MTN Cooking Studio in Los Angeles, California.
Ris is Japanese, immigrating to the US for school at the age of 19. Growing up, food was a big part of her upbringing – her mom was a wonderful cook and her father owned a chain of izakaya restaurants, despite not being a chef himself. When Ris had her own son two and a half years ago, cooking Japanese food became a way to give her son a sense of identity, being half Japanese in America. Along the way, her passion for sharing the knowledge and stories around Japanese food has grown, and now she uses MTN Cooking Studio as a way to celebrate and share her Japanese heritage through virtual cooking classes.
$20 from every print sold will be donated to Asian Americans Advancing Justice – LA, the nation’s largest legal and civil rights organization for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) serving more than 15,000 individuals and organizations every year.