The Racist Sandwich Podcast

Zahir interviews Omar El Akkad, author of the critically acclaimed novel "American War," at an Egyptian shawarma stand in Portland, Oregon where they talk about sci-fi literature, what Ramadan means in a time of Islamophobia, and why McDonald's was such a huge hit in Doha. They also touch on what it is like to be a person of color in Portland and why writers of color should work against the impulse (and pressure) to write only for white readers.

This episode was made possible by our guest producer by Eric Klein

Today’s guest is the one, the only Jen Agg—the Toronto, Canada-based restaurateur who, in a lot of ways, has been imposed with a sort of Cassandra role in the food media. She’s been sounding the alarm on the toxic and often violent masculinity that infests the food industry for years. She even went so far as to organizing a one-night conference on patriarchy in the restaurant world in 2015. She describes herself as “vigilantly pro-conflict”—her memoir, which came out earlier this year, is literally called, I Hear She’s a Real Bitch. And yet... what has changed for women in the food industry since she started ringing that bell? Tune in as we hash out all this and more!

In this episode, Zahir interviews the award-winning writer Alexander Chee about his new essay collection “How to Write an Autobiographical Novel.” Alexander speaks about his visit to Korea, what it was like to wait tables before writing his novel, and why he felt like an impostor while living in a plush New York apartment. Also on this episode, Soleil talks about her trip to Hawaii and Zahir gushes about his experience at Kundiman.

Produced by Juan Ramirez and Stephanie Kuo. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

LINKS DU JOUR

• How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
• Kundiman

We celebrate our first anniversary by having guest producer Cristina Kim takes us to Oakland, Ca to talk with Wanda Stewart on the joys and challenges of teaching gardening and community farming at Hoover Elementary. Wanda welcomes us into her classroom and opens up about her goal to dismantle the negative connotations many of her students and their parents-- especially from the African American community--have with getting dirty and growing food. In a time where it's hard to know how to best be active and engaged, she reminds us that the way forward may be as simple as working like ants.

Produced by Juan Ramirez and Cristina Kim. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.

LINKS DU JOUR

• People's Grocery
• Cristina's Work
• Become A Patron

This is the first of a two-part series on mental health. Soleil sits down with author Hannah Howard and chef Casey Rebecca Nunes, who both open up about their own mental health struggles in the food industry. In the first part of the episode, Howard describes a scene from her new memoir “Feast: True Love in and Out of the Kitchen,” and talks about grappling with an eating disorder while working at a fine dining restaurant. Nunes then explains how she balances the pressures of being a chef with self-care routines.

Produced by Juan Ramirez. Music by AF the Naysayer and Blue Dot Sessions.