Take a Bao

This 2-part story is about refugee food—two words that carry so much weight, so much prejudice, so many layers to them. Despite our preconceptions, the vast majority of us haven’t had many interactions with refugees at all, much less shared a meal with them, or eaten their food. In part 2, we cook with Nesreen Al-Khatib, a Syrian refugee in Malaysia, get some tips from her about making hummus, and continue our conversation with Kim from PichaEats about the future of refugee food. (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

This 2-part story is about refugee food—two words that carry so much weight, so much prejudice, so many layers to them. Despite our preconceptions, the vast majority of us haven’t had many interactions with refugees at all, much less shared a meal with them, or eaten their food. In part 1, we melt away the misconceptions around refugee food, and explore the true meaning of food cooked by refugees. We follow the story of PichaEats, a Malaysian social enterprise working with refugees to share their food with the world and hear the story and struggles of a Syrian home cook.  (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

Tea is often viewed as a source of calm, of zen, of mindfulness. And in this episode, we'll lean into all of that, and more, through a tea tasting session. We touch on the history of Chinese tea, have plenty of laughs in learning to describe different varieties of tea, and seek some life advice from a tea connoisseur. And hopefully, through this episode, you'll feel a little more collected and connected. After all, in these turbulent times we’re in, we could all do with a little more grounding and zen in our lives. (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, on Instagram @jun.and.tonic. And since this is the last episode for Season 1, to keep up with more food things in the lull between seasons, you can find Jun on his blog junandtonic.com.)

What are kueh/kuih? A quick search on the web will tell you that “kueh are bite-sized snacks or desserts commonly found in Southeast Asia”. But kueh is so much more than that. They go beyond just sweets and snacks. Kueh came together by the clash of cultures in Southeast Asian centuries ago, and its techniques and ingredients is a culmination of cultures and communities across the world. In short, kueh is the very fabric of life. So this week, we learn how kueh connects the world, and get all warm and fuzzy hearing some heartwarming kueh stories. (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

Rice is Asia’s staple starch. It is present in Japanese hand rolls, Indonesian nasi goreng, Iranian tahdigs, and serves as a side to soak up saucy Chinese stir-fries and Indian curries. But the flavour and texture of rice is rarely talked about. So this episode, we’re flipping that on its head, as we explore the world of heirloom rice in the island of Borneo! (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)