Roxane Gay, plant-based Mexican, Indian spices

Hosted by Evan Kleiman May. 30, 2020 Food & Drink

The mission of Diaspora Co. was to source spices from India, creating a sustainable spice supply chain. Photo credit: Gentl & Hyers

Like it or hate it, home cooking is the task that won’t go away during the pandemic. Author Roxane Gay learned to cook while being a vegetarian, and shares her adventures in the kitchen on her Twitter feed. Plus, veganism is finding its place in Mexican cuisine. Also, a visit with Sana Javeri Kadri following the recent turmeric harvest in India.

From this Episode:

Roxane Gay: ‘There’s so much stigma around food, no matter how you consume it as a fat person’

Roxane Gay’s book, “ Hunger ,” is a confessional of personal trauma and a searing societal indictment of how people are judged.

10 min

Trojan horse way to veganism: Slowly sneak in the sweet potatoes

Animal rights, environment, and health are the trifecta for turning to vegetarian and vegan cooking. A Gallup poll concluded that 5% of Americans consider themselves vegan.

11 min

Keeping plant-based Mexican food culturally relevant

Jocelyn Ramirez suggests “decolonizing our diet,” and cutting out pork and chicken in traditional Mexican dishes. Ramirez describes jackfruit as a blank palette with a...

11 min

‘People think I’m Indiana Jones but it’s not that,’: Sana Javeri Kadri on sourcing spices

Twenty-seven-year-old Sana Javeri Kadri lied about her age and marital status when she started Diaspora Co. via Kickstarter in 2017. Her mission? To create an equitable...

10 min

Herbs, banchan, and renewed energy at the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market

Market correspondent Gillian Ferguson speaks with Jihee Kim and her new project, Perilla , featuring Korean banchan and rice bowls. Kim describes how she is using...

8 min

Filtering the air we breathe: masks made from coffee filters

When the German government called on companies to use ingenuity in the wake of COVID-19, Melitta pivoted to make masks alongside their original paper coffee filters.

6 min