The Racist Sandwich Podcast
The Racist Sandwich podcast serves up a perspective you don't often hear: food – how we consume, create and interpret it – can be political. Journalists and radio producers Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez interview chefs and purveyors of color, tackling food's relationship to race, gender and class in their bi-weekly podcast that pushes the boundaries of food media.
Episodes
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BONUS: That's a Wrap!
When we relaunched in October 2019, we had no idea what kind of a season it would be. Looking back at our episodes, we're proud of the work we've done – just the two of us (and Jess!). And we're so bummed that we're leaving you right now, when all this *gestures wildly* is still unfolding, and...
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E79: We Will Rise (w/ Zahir Janmohamed, Serena Maria Daniels, Martina Guzmán & Devita Davison)
It's often said that the Coronavirus does not discriminate. This is true, but how the virus affects communities varies depending on the resources a community has access to and what that community has historically faced. This is especially true in Detroit, where, according to CNBC, "African...
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E78: People Need Community (w/ Candice Fortman)
This week has been rough y'all. But we're finding small comfort in this conversation with Candice Fortman, a Detroit-based journalist (Outlier Media, MuckRock) and founder of Ladies Who Pizza – a social group for women to have fun, be vulnerable, be free and, as the name suggests, eat pizza. The...
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E77: What Do You Write? (w/ Javier Cabral)
This week, we sat down with The Glutster a.k.a. Javier Cabral — Editor-in-Chief of the LA Taco, co-author of Oaxaca: Home Cooking from the Heart of Mexico, and associate producer of Netflix's Taco Chronicles — to talk about code-switching, food writing, and the diversity of Mexican food in Los...
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RERUN: Erasing Black Barbecue (w/ Johnny Walker, Adrian Miller, Daniel Vaughn and Brent & Juan Reaves)
Whoa, it's been a full year since Racist Sandwich switched off the lights and took what was, then, an indefinite hiatus. We're so glad we made the decision to come back. We may be down two essential members, but we're stronger and hungrier than ever! To celebrate how far we've come, we wanted to...
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E76: Black Vinegar is Art (w/ Stephanie H. Shih)
This week, it's the Stephanie show! Stephanie Kuo talks to artist Stephanie H. Shih about her collection of Asian pantry items. She hand-makes everything from ceramic Chinkiang black vinegar bottles and Yakult containers to Morinaga caramel boxes and packets of instant Indomie. Through her work,...
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E75: I Know a Bodega When I See One (w/ Quizayra Gonzalez)
This week, we're talking bodegas. What's a bodega? Well, for a lot of us (New Yorkers, especially), it's a corner store that sells food and other household goods. But for our guest, Quizayra Gonzalez, who grew up in a bodega, they're a lot more than that. She and Stephanie talk about how bodegas...
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E74: Bad Kimchi (w/ Noah Cho)
This week, we're talking about Korean food with Noah Cho, who writes "Bad Kimchi," a column on the online magazine Catapult. The name of the column says a lot: the most egregious crime against Korean food, he believes, is getting kimchi wrong. But the title also signals some of Noah's struggles...
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E73: There's Never Been Anyone Else Like Me (w/ Soleil Ho)
Happy New Year! We kick off 2020 with someone you may already know: our fearless founder and friend, Soleil Ho. She's about to celebrate her first anniversary at the San Francisco Chronicle, and she sits down with Stephanie and Juan to reflect on the year as the paper's new and revolutionary food...
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E72: A Tortilla is Not a Blank Slate (w/ José Ralat)
This week, we're talking to José Ralat, the taco editor at Texas Monthly and author of the forthcoming book, American Tacos: A History and Guide. It sounds like arguably the best job in the country (and yes, it is), but it's not just about eating great tacos. José has committed the position to...
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E71: Nourishing the Soul (w/ Karla T. Vasquez)
Juan catches up with Karla T. Vasquez, a food justice advocate by day and a food historian by night, on a journey to preserve Salvadoran culture one recipe at a time with SalviSoul. When a Google search turns up just two existing cookbooks and just as few narratives, Vasquez says "documentation…
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E70: Avec Rien, On Peut Faire Quelque Chose (w/ Dany Hellz Kitchen)
This week, Racist Sandwich is going international. Juan interviews Dany, who's cooking up spectacular meals from inside his prison cell in France. He makes everything from Moroccan tagine to tiramisu with nothing more than a small induction burner and a few items from the prison commissary (and...
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E69: We're Back!!! Bringing Kale and Quinoa to Portland's Strip Clubs (w/ Nikeisah Newton)
Hello listeners! We're back after a long break, with more conversations about the intersection of food, race, gender and class,. in the first part of the episode, Stephanie and Juan (your new co-hosts) catch up, reflect on the podcast's successful past and discuss how they plan to move the…
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EP68: This Is Not A Goodbye (w/ Soleil Ho & Zahir Janmohamed)
We have big news. Our beloved hosts are starting amazing new chapters in their lives: Soleil is settling in as food critic for The San Francisco Chronicle, and Zahir is now in his first year of fiction writing at the University of Michigan. What does that mean for Racist Sandwich? For now, we'll…
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E67: Talking Toronto Food Justice (w/ Vanessa Ling Yu, Paul Taylor & Hywel Tuscano)
In the final installment of our Toronto series, producer TK Matunda sits down with three community organizers to unpack Toronto's food justice scene. This episode, we hear from Vanessa Ling Yu, Director of caterToronto; Paul Taylor, Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto; and Hywel Tuscano,...
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E66: I'm Not Leaving (W/ Ruben Ramos, Karla Quiñones, Abner Roldán, and Tony Ayala)
In this episode, Juan travels to Puerto Rico and interviews people affected by Hurricane Maria. He reminisces on his own encounters with hurricanes and how Hurricane Maria's destruction reminds him of these experiences. First, Juan visits the town of Utuado to meet with Ruben Ramos, owner of a...
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E65: Los Angeles is Brown (w/ Daniel Hernandez)
Happy new year, everybody! You know what they say…new year, new episode. New hosts? Producers Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez take over the mic this week to bring you this episode on the diversity of food media in Los Angeles. But first, in part one, Juan and Stephanie talk about big life changes…
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E64: Toronto Truths (w/ Foodies of Colour)
Producer TK Matunda sits down with four Foodies of Colour to unpack what's going on in Toronto's food scene. The Panel: Eden Hagos – Founder of Black Foodie Ryan Hinkson – Curator behind Eat Famous Andrew Do – Curator behind 6ixspots Aisha Silim – Curator behind Salt & Saffron Foodies of Colour…
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E63: Eating our way through Toronto (w/ Suresh Doss)
Producer TK Matunda tours the Toronto suburb of Scarborough with food and drink writer Suresh Doss. They talk about Toronto's food scene, being seen by food media and the difference between the downtown core and the suburbs. And this is all while eating delicious food. Produced by TK Matunda.…
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E62: Sugar, Spice and Bananas with Rice (w/ Hamdi Ahmed)
This episode is all about Somali food: sambusas, bananas with rice and...pineapple upside-down cake? In part one, Soleil sits down with Hamdi Ahmed to talk about a cookbook she co-wrote in high school. Soo Fariista (Come Sit Down) is a collection of family recipes and a portal to her childhood…
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E61: The Memory of Za'atar and a Free Palestine
In this episode, we dive headlong into how the relationship between Israel and Palestine intersects with food politics. In our first segment, Food Book Fair co-director and organizer Kimberly Chou Tsun An speaks to chef and artist Amanny Ahmad about her advocacy work and about what she misses…
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E60: Sheet Pan Chicken With a Side of Social Justice (w/ Julia Turshen)
For our 60th episode, Soleil speaks with the inspiring Julia Turshen, author of "Now & Again," about how cookbooks can be an effective vehicle for social and political conversations. They also talk about Turshen's work forging supportive communities as the founder of Equity at the Table (EATT).…
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E58: Erasing Black Barbecue (w/ Johnny Walker, Adrian Miller, Daniel Vaughn and Brent & Juan Reaves)
Hey y'all! We're back in Texas with producer Stephanie Kuo, as she takes us on another tasty, tasty trip across her home state. This week, we're talking barbecue. It's delicious, it's trendy, it's decidedly American. But its story today has pretty huge holes. Over the past several years, joints...
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The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 4
This is our final installment of the Kundiman Series, featuring poetry and prose recorded at the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University over the summer. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. Today, we...
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E57: Chicago? Wine Not! (w/ Joseph Hernandez)
In this episode, Zahir sits down with Chicago Tribune's Deputy Food Editor Joseph Hernandez to talk about moving to Chicago from Southern California, what it means to be a queer food writer of color, and why people should not be intimidated by wine. Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the...
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The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 3
This is our third installment of poetry and prose that Soleil recorded when she stopped by the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University this summer. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. This episode...
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E56: The Most Interesting City in America (w/ Dan Q. Dao)
For this episode, we welcome back producer Stephanie Kuo as guest host. She's setting out on a journey to unpack the culinary legacy of her home state: Texas! And today, she sits down with Dan Dao, a NYC-based food writer who also hails from the Lone Star State. She's from Dallas; he's from...
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The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 2
On this bonus episode, you'll hear the next installment of poetry and prose that Soleil recorded when she stopped by the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University this summer. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master...
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E55: Louisville's Super Chef (w/ Darnell Ferguson)
Guest interviewer Roxanne Scott chats with chef and television fixture Darnell Ferguson about what it means to be the only Black executive chef in Louisville, Kentucky. In this frank interview, Ferguson reveals his approach to mentorship and the work it takes to ensure his message of positivity...
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The Kundiman 2018 Series, Pt. 1
This summer, Soleil stopped by the Kundiman writer's retreat at Fordham University to record snippets of poetry and prose from this year's writing fellows. Each year, Kundiman brings upcoming Asian American writers together for a week of mentorship, workshops, and master classes. On this bonus...
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E54: What the Duck (w/ Lillian Li)
In today's episode, Zahir interviews Lillian Li, the author of the critically acclaimed novel "Number One Chinese Restaurant." Lillian discusses her relationship to the food she grew up eating, what she learned working at a Chinese restaurant and how she's trying to challenge the way we think…
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E53: Eating Intuitively (w/ Heather Armstrong & Kimberley Wilson)
In this second episode of a two-part series on mental health, Soleil speaks with Heather Armstrong and Kimberley Wilson on the links between diet and mental health. Armstrong, a blogger and writer also known as "Dooce," tell us how her last attempt at veganism resulted in the worst depression of...
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Rerun: History on a Plate: The State of Filipino Cuisine (w/ Sarahlynn Pablo & Natalia Roxas)
To commemorate our producer emeritus' upcoming podcast for and about Filipino Americans, we're re-releasing this great interview with Filipino Kitchen on the history of the cuisine. We want to send a big warm congratulations to Alan Montecillo for launching Balikbayan! The first episode drops…
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E52: Tasting Something Other Than Shame (w/ Ijeoma Oluo)
Today's episode is an important one for us at Racist Sandwich. We talk a lot about the intersection of food, race and culture, but we're also a podcast about class – because we know a lot of people aren't afforded the luxury of food as leisure. For a lot of people, food is survival. But prolific...
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E51: Keeping It Together In The Kitchen (w/ Hannah Howard & Casey Rebecca Nunes)
This is the first of a two-part series on mental health. Soleil sits down with author Hannah Howard and chef Casey Rebecca Nunes, who both open up about their own mental health struggles in the food industry. In the first part of the episode, Howard describes a scene from her new memoir "Feast:...
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E50: Detroiters are Fighters (w/ Devita Davison, Malik Yakini & Serena Maria Daniels)
We're in Detroit for our 50th episode! And we're talking about the city's enduring food legacy. While a lot of food media often likens Detroit's food scene to a "Renaissance" of sorts, led predominantly by white chefs from the suburbs, the truth is it never went anywhere. People of color have…
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E49: Fighting Occupation with Food (w/ Reem Assil)
In this episode, we hear the morning keynote address at the La Cocina food conference delivered by Reem Assil, the founder of Reem's Bakery and the newly opened restaurant Dyafa. Reem speaks about the targeting of civilians in Gaza and how she uses food as a way to push back against the Israeli...
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Bonus Episode: Racially Conscious Wallah Bro (w/ Khaled Beydoun)
We have another special bonus episode to mark the start of Ramadan! Zahir travels to Dearborn, Mich., to sit down with Khaled Beydoun, a law professor and author of the newly released book, "American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear." Khaled shares his insights about growing...
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E48: Food Stories That Don't Pay the Bills (w/Francis Lam)
We're thrilled to have one of Soleil's food icons on the podcast this week! Francis Lam, host of The Splendid Table and food writer extraordinaire, joins Soleil for a conversation about telling the food stories that aren't "glamorous." They also talk about media gatekeepers, food as an entree…
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Bonus Episode: The Cure for Yellow Fever (w/ Dakota Kim)
Surprise! We have a special bonus episode for you after several requests to unpack the "Yellow Fever" debacle on Twitter. Writer and restaurateur Dakota Kim joins Soleil for this discussion about the Asian fusion restaurant in Long Beach, Calif. whose name has sparked a lot of controversy. It's...
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E47: Bird's Nest (w/ Liana Aghajanian)
In part one, Soleil, Zahir, and Juan meet for the first time at La Cocina Conference in San Francisco and Soleil shares some exciting news. In part two, we commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day by interviewing journalist Liana Aghajanian about what it was like to come to the US as a…
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E46: Kitchen Spanish (w/ Emily Hunsberger)
It's our first reported episode of the season! Emily Hunsberger, who hosts the Spanish-language podcast Tertulia, brings us this great story about Kitchen Spanish, the unique pidgin spoken among Spanish-speaking and English-speaking staff in restaurant kitchens. While interviewing food workers in...
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E45: Becoming an American Writer (w/ Alexander Chee)
In this episode, Zahir interviews the award-winning writer Alexander Chee about his new essay collection "How to Write an Autobiographical Novel." Alexander speaks about his visit to Korea, what it was like to wait tables before writing his novel, and why he felt like an impostor while living in…
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E44: Hell in a Bread Basket (w/ Samin Nosrat)
In this episode, new producer Stephanie Kuo joins Zahir to discuss an op-ed she wrote for the Dallas Observer about her complicated relationship with white-owned Asian-fusion restaurants, shame and respect for cultures outside our own. In part two, Soleil interviews the spectacular Samin Nosrat,...
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E43: Eat Pickles Get Ripped (w/ Carmen Maria Machado)
We are excited to kick off season two of our podcast! In part one, Soleil and Zahir talk about missing Taco Bell and gush about our roller coaster ride of a Kickstarter campaign. In part two, guest interviewer Emilly Prado interviews Carmen Maria Machado, the National Book Award-nominated author…
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Bonus Episode: Ohio Against the World (with Hanif Abdurraqib)
Zahir interviews poet and cultural critic Hanif Abdurraqib about his new collection of essays called "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us." Hanif speaks about growing up in Ohio, how the city's Black population has been displaced, and why Black-owned restaurants are critical at a time in which,...
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E42: Break Time
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...
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E41: Only White Men Get to Be Geniuses (w/ Jen Agg)
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…
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E40: The Pav to Success (w/ Preeti Mistry)
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…
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EP39: Namaste Motherfucker (with Mitali Desai and Naben Ruthnum)
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"...
About this show
The Racist Sandwich podcast serves up a perspective you don't often hear: food – how we consume, create and interpret it – can be political. Journalists and radio producers Stephanie Kuo and Juan Ramirez interview chefs and purveyors of color, tackling food's relationship to race, gender and class in their bi-weekly podcast that pushes the boundaries of food media.
Hosted by