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Ming-Na: At the time, my idea was to tell about the Asian American experience, and not my own. I wanted to introduce it all the food I liked to eat, whether I was cooking for myself or when my father cooked for us. He had an amazing international palate, and served in World War II.
My literary agent was the one who said, “That’s a really hard sell,” because most cookbooks have a niche. She came up with the idea of my journey through food, and that’s how that whole process started.
It felt so organic and true to who I am, and it made writing about the different foods more fun. I went down memory lane, thinking about why these recipes and these dishes were so important to me.
It was a moving experience to realize that these dishes are not just food, these foods that I have shared with my family and friends. It’s almost like sharing culture, experiences, and memories that become part of your DNA.
