Feast Meets West: Recent Episodes
Lynda and Iris
Podcast tracing the stories behind your favorite Asian dishes. Hosted by Lynda Liu in NYC and Iris Van Kerckhove in Hong Kong. Please note that these are our old episodes--we are now part of the Heritage Radio Network! Please search "Feast Meets West" in the podcast section of the iTunes store and subscribe to Feast Meets West by Heritage Radio Network for new episodes.
We end 2016 with a bang by talking about what is one of the trendiest foods right now: poke. While poke is not an Asian dish (it's from Hawaii), we talk about the influence of Japanese flavors on this dish, and how quickly it has travelled around the world.
Today we're sharing one of our favorite interviews with you: Lynda's chat with Wilson Tang of Nom Wah Tea Parlor. In the full-length interview, Wilson tells us about how he left a white collar career to follow in his family's footsteps, pursuing his passion for hospitality and food, and more about the concept behind Nom Wah.
Today we’re talking about Pad Thai, one of America’s favorite Thai noodle dishes. We interview Andy Ricker, the chef behind the Thai restaurant group, Pok Pok. He tells us about the origins of the dish, the different variations and why you maybe shouldn’t eat chicken Pad Thai.
We take a break from our regular programming for a very special one-off episode. Instead of talking about a specific Asian food or releasing a full-length interview, Lynda and Iris interview each other on their upbringing in both the East and the West, and how that affected their food habits and palates, and how these changed over the years.
We have another full-length interview for you! Lynda chats with Matt Le-Khac, head chef at An Choi in New York City. You may have heard him on our episode, “When Life Gives Baguettes, Make Bahn Mi.” In this interview you won’t just learn about banh mi, but also about how Matt became the head chef at An Choi, why cilantro might not be the right herb to use in your pho, and the differences between selling Vietnamese food in Vietnam and in New York.
In this episode, we tell the story of dim sum, including the historical influences, the different types of dim sum, and what makes good dim sum. We then cover the recent changes and trends transforming this popular cuisine. You’ll hear from Wilson Tang owner of Nom Wah Tea Parlor, the oldest dim sum restaurant in New York City, as well as Alex Chau, owner of Ding Dim 1968 in Hong Kong.
This episode is about Indian curry, one of the oldest and most popular dishes in the world. We attempt to define curry, provide a condensed history of where it’s from, talk about the different regional variations, and its widespread appeal. We also answer the questions is curry healthy and what’s next in the evolution of curry. We chat with Hemant Mathur, the proprietor and Managing Executive Chef of 6 successful Indian restaurants in NY and the first Indian chef in the U.S. to be awarded a Michelin star, and Lakshmi Harilela, an Ayurvedic Chef based in Hong Kong.
We're shaking things up this week with the full-length interview we recorded with Graham Fortgang, CEO and Co-owner of the extremely popular MatchaBar in New York. You may remember him from our Matcha Madness episode. In this episode, he tells us more about the history of matcha, the health and mental benefits as well as the story behind how he and his brother started their business.
This episode is about Bubble Tea, the popular Taiwanese drink that was invented in the late 80s. We define the “bubbles” in bubble tea, explain the different naming conventions, and we explore the history and growth of this whimsical drink. We talk to Anchal Lamba, President of GongCha USA in New York, and Nana Chan, owner of the artisanal teashop Teakha in Hong Kong.
We go through the history of banh mi - starting with the French colonization of Vietnam, then its migration over to the West in the 70s, and how it experienced a burst of popularity in the early 2010s. We discuss some regional variations and what makes a good banh mi. We talk to Matt Le-Khac, head chef at An Choi in the Lower East Side of New York City, and Peter Cuong Franklin, former executive chef at Chom Chom and Viet Kitchen in Hong Kong.
This episode is about Japanese whisky. We take a look at its history, why it’s different from other types of whiskies, its recent rise in popularity and as a result the scarcity issue. We’ve included some clips of interviews with a couple friends including Rachel Kim, a cocktails and spirits consultant based in NYC and instructor at the Astor Center, and Elliot Faber beverage director at Yardbird, Ronin, and Sunday's Grocery restaurants in Hong Kong,
Our first 'official' episode is about Matcha - the Japanese green tea powder found in everything from your lattes to your Kit Kats. Learn what it is, where it came from and what led to its surge in popularity. We've included some clips of our interviews with Graham Fortgang of MatchaBar in Williamsburg Brooklyn, Hide Minamida of Matcha Cafe Wabi in East Village New York, and Kosei Kamatani of Via Tokyo in Hong Kong.
Today's show is about the Bao - the Taiwanese snack food popularized by David Chang of Momofuku. Learn what it is, what led to its international success - and listen in to some clips of our interview with May Chow of Little Bao in Hong Kong.