Inheriting Presents: "Specially Processed" by Self Evident

Inheriting Presents: "Specially Processed" by Self Evident

From Inheriting by NPR

July 18, 2024 · 39 min · Season 1 · Episode 11

About this episode

The episode explores the cultural significance of Spam in Asian American communities through the lens of Jaime Sunwoo's play and her family's migration story.

This week, we bring you a special bonus episode from our friends at the podcast Self Evident: Asian America's Stories. For so many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, Spam is a beloved classic food, showing up in everything from musubi to fried rice. But behind that nostalgia is a history of war and colonization, and the inheritance of both favorite foods and hidden traumas. Korean American playwright Jaime Sunwoo's play, Specially Processed American Me, takes a close look at Spam's legacies, and the lost stories of her own family — who've migrated twice over two generations, from North Korean to South Korea, then from South Korea to the United States. While sharing behind-the-scenes previews of the play, Jaime and Self Evident host Cathy Vo talk about the challenges and rewards of interviewing older generations, and how those conversations have helped Jamie process her own identity as an Asian American. Learn more about the play at speciallyprocessed.com and hear more from Self Evident at selfevidentshow.com . Stay connected with us! Email us at inheriting@laiststudios.com to share your questions, feelings, and even your story. Inheriting is entirely funded by supporters like…

People in this episode

Host: Cathy Vo

Guest: Jaime Sunwoo

Topics covered

  • Asian American identity
  • food history
  • colonization
  • family migration
  • intergenerational trauma
  • theater

Keywords

  • Spam
  • Asian American
  • Pacific Islander
  • cultural heritage
  • interviews
  • identity
  • theater
  • migration
  • trauma

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Self Evident, NPR

Books & works: Specially Processed American Me

Places: North Korea, South Korea, United States

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