Food Is Never Just Food (June 2025)
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In this powerful episode of *Immigrantly*, host Sadia Khan opens with a sobering look at the growing crisis of food insecurity in the U.S., particularly among Black households, and the dismantling of federal data tracking on hunger. She introduces chef and cultural critic Jenny Dorsey, whose work explores how food is never just sustenance—it’s a vessel of power, identity, history, and systemic inequity. Through personal stories and deep cultural analysis, Dorsey unpacks the complexities of authenticity, the invisible hierarchies in Singapore’s food culture, and how food shapes our worldview from childhood. She reflects on her own experience of being shamed for eating ham at a summer camp—a moment that crystallized how food can enforce racial boundaries. The conversation expands to include the model minority myth, cultural appropriation, and the emotional weight of heritage, especially in immigrant communities. Dorsey challenges the idea that food is only a connector, arguing instead that it’s a tool of both connection and control, and that discomfort is often where real learning happens. The episode closes with a call to embrace unease as a path to growth and deeper understanding.
Food insecurity disproportionately affects Black households, and the loss of federal data tracking makes the crisis harder to address.
Authenticity in food is not fixed—it's a point of view shaped by power, context, and history.
Food is a lens through which we see our place in the world, often reinforcing racial, gender, and class hierarchies.
Discomfort in food experiences—like in Dorsey’s pop-up events—can be a powerful tool for empathy and learning.
The model minority myth harms Asian Americans by pitting them against other marginalized groups and masking systemic racism.
…and 3 more takeaways available in PodZeus
The Crisis of Food Insecurity in America
“The reality is food's never been just food. It has always been about who has power, who writes the rules and whose hunger gets counted.”
Singapore’s Hawker Culture and the Myth of 'Authentic' Food
Jenny Dorsey shares her research on Singapore’s hawker centers—affordable, multi-ethnic food hubs that blend Chinese, Malay, and Indian influences. She challenges the idea of 'authentic' food, showing how dishes like Hainanese chicken rice and fish head curry are uniquely Singaporean, not tied to any single homeland.
Food as Identity, Power, and Propaganda
Dorsey discusses how food is used to construct national and cultural identity, often through exclusion and propaganda. She explains how the government’s campaign to classify hawker food as 'intangible heritage' is contested, especially across borders with Malaysia, and how food can be a tool of both unity and division.
The Emotional Weight of Eating: Shame, Identity, and Resistance
“I can still really feel that hang on to that like feeling of just uh shame of just knowing that I'm not supposed to be here and somehow the act of eating in a way that was confusing to me, but I was doing my best had made that really visible.”
Authenticity, Commodification, and the Politics of Heritage
The conversation turns to how heritage food is commodified, especially in fine dining spaces dominated by white male chefs. Dorsey argues that authenticity is not fixed but depends on who holds power and whose story gets told. She distinguishes between resistance and gatekeeping, advocating for conscious choices in cultural sharing.
“Cooking is inherently what makes us human because only humans are the only animal that cook their food. No one else, all the animals eat it raw, right? No one is like lighting a little fire.”
“The reality is food's never been just food. It has always been about who has power, who writes the rules and whose hunger gets counted.”
“I can still really feel that hang on to that like feeling of just uh shame of just knowing that I'm not supposed to be here and somehow the act of eating in a way that was confusing to me, but I was doing my best had made that really visible.”
Host
Guest
Jenny Dorsey
person
Singapore
place
Sadia Khan
person
Hawker Centers
place
Hainanese Chicken Rice
other
SNAP
other
Flushing
place
other
White Bear
other
Fulbright
other
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