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An array of steamy, mouthwatering dishes is placed on the table as joyous chatter fills the room, ranging from lighthearted banter to serious debate. In many Asian American Pacific Islander communities, cooking allows individuals to connect with their loved ones.

In South Asian cultures, food is integrated into the celebration of many festivals, including Diwali. Sophomore Aarya Bhushan sees cooking during Diwali as a time to bond with her mother. 鈥淒uring Diwali, my mom and I always make Indian sweets together, and we always have a fun time in the kitchen,鈥� she said.

Similarly, English teacher Terence Kitada, who is Japanese American, remembers how his family would relax and enjoy Japanese 聽cuisine together. 鈥淲hen I was a little kid, my dad would always grill chicken teriyaki (during) the summers,鈥� he said. 鈥淢aking food with my family is a nice break. Everybody鈥檚 so busy all the time, if you could just concentrate on making something together, it brings people together.鈥� Kitada recounted how food also fostered more intimate connections with individual family members outside of larger gatherings. When he was younger, Kitada and his sister would regularly go to a Japanese restaurant together, which provided them with a time to build their relationship. 鈥淲e鈥檇 always go after school and just eat comfort food (while) talking to each other,鈥� he said.

Nostalgic moments around food also appear in Chinese teacher Yanan Vrudny鈥檚 childhood. She and her extended family would gather at her grandparents鈥� house to make 鈥渏iaozi,鈥� or dumplings, together. 鈥淵ou have uncles and cousins who you may have never met for years,鈥� Vrudny said. 鈥淵ou realize that making dumplings is not only making food, but it鈥檚 making connections to relatives and hearing their stories from all the generations. You can鈥檛 learn all these from the textbook.鈥�

Children of immigrants may find it difficult to learn about their cultural customs. According to Vrudny, however, food provides an opportunity for them to connect with their heritage. 鈥淚 once heard that food is history 鈥� the way it鈥檚 prepared, the ingredients that are used and other factors are all chosen by our ancestors,鈥� she said. 鈥淏y cherishing the food, it鈥檚 like eating a piece of history with some twists of our own.鈥�

Similarly, when Kitada was teaching in Japan, he and his students learned about Japanese cultural values through the experience of harvesting rice. 鈥淵ou eat (rice) every day, but a lot of work goes into it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Japan, you鈥檙e not excused to go to recess until you鈥檝e eaten every grain of rice in the bowl. (There is) the idea to not waste food because somebody made that for you.鈥�

Sharing food among different groups in the AAPI community also kindles intercultural dialogue. Vrudny explained that although chopsticks are used in multiple countries 鈥� China, Japan and Korea, to name a few 鈥� they are designed differently based on the specific foods and customs each individual culture has. Having conversations among different AAPI cultures regarding food practices can create bonds between communities. 鈥�(This) can build connections when people may have nothing to talk about,鈥� Vrudny said.

Food is also significant in religious practices. In Hinduism, food called 鈥減rasada鈥� is offered to God and consumed by devotees as a way to give thanks. 鈥淭here鈥檚 the aspect of sacrificing for God,鈥� Bhushan said. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also bringing us closer to our culture and heritage.鈥�

Despite the positive connotations of food in AAPI communities, many experience discrimination due to their cultural foods. AAPI foods have been considered 鈥渆xotic鈥� or 鈥渟trange鈥� in some school lunchrooms, which can cause AAPI individuals, such as sophomore Jessie Han, to feel uncomfortable with sharing their cuisines. 鈥淚n the past, I was self-conscious about the food I brought to school, mostly because I was scared that others would act negatively towards it,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut if I could time travel, I would encourage them to be curious and try some. If they like it, that鈥檚 amazing 鈥� if not, then that鈥檚 totally fine as well.鈥�

Kitada discussed this type of discrimination in his Visual Storytelling class while reading 鈥淎merican Born Chinese,鈥� a graphic novel in which the Chinese American protagonist experiences bullying because of his lunch. 鈥淲hen students in my class reflect on the text, I consistently hear people mentioning that they went through the same thing when they were younger,鈥� Kitada said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sad that students are discouraged from eating cuisine from their own culture due to harassment from classmates.

As an integral part of AAPI culture and community, food celebrates a sense of belonging and what it means to be AAPI. 鈥淔ood not only is for eating,鈥� Vrudny said. 鈥淚t is more important how we use it as a tool to connect people to the knowledge, the ingredients and the world.鈥�