The Sizzler: The California Origin Story Behind One of India’s Flashiest Dishes
Take any popular dish – pizza, ice cream, hot dogs – and try to trace its origin story. Chances are, you’re going to go on a winding road with conflicting accounts of who actually invented the dish, or whether it was invented by one, single person at all. KQED’s Silicon Valley reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi recently ate a dish so mish-mashed with foods from different countries, that she found herself on a food origin story journey that led her across the world and then back to the Bay Area.
How a Tiny Hmong Market in Yuba County Became ‘Everybody’s Store’
On the edge of the town of Marysville in Yuba County, in a strip mall, you’ll find Phooj Ywg Lee’s Market. The store’s shelves are bursting with ingredients for all kinds of Asian foods, an inventory that would rival Asian grocery stores in big cities. Kou Lee runs the store with her family. She was born in Laos, and her family’s language and background is Hmong. If you wind your way through the candy aisle, you’ll find a small, bustling kitchen in the back corner. For her series California Foodways, reporter Lisa Morehouse tells us about becoming a fan of the dishes made here, and appreciating the woman behind them even more.
Youth Takeover: My Impostor Syndrome Started In Elementary School
Every April for the last few years, KQED has been handing over the mic to teens as part of our Youth Takeover week. High school students from around the Bay Area produce stories that reflect their experiences and communities. Today, we hear from Clara Chiu, a junior at Woodside High School in San Mateo County. She explores how she’s learning how to balance her own identity with the pressures of high school.