Take a Bao

This 2-part story is about refugee food—two words that carry so much weight, so much prejudice, so many layers to them. Despite our preconceptions, the vast majority of us haven’t had many interactions with refugees at all, much less shared a meal with them, or eaten their food. In part 1, we melt away the misconceptions around refugee food, and explore the true meaning of food cooked by refugees. We follow the story of PichaEats, a Malaysian social enterprise working with refugees to share their food with the world and hear the story and struggles of a Syrian home cook. (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

What are kueh/kuih? A quick search on the web will tell you that “kueh are bite-sized snacks or desserts commonly found in Southeast Asia”. But kueh is so much more than that. They go beyond just sweets and snacks. Kueh came together by the clash of cultures in Southeast Asian centuries ago, and its techniques and ingredients is a culmination of cultures and communities across the world. In short, kueh is the very fabric of life. So this week, we learn how kueh connects the world, and get all warm and fuzzy hearing some heartwarming kueh stories. (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

Around the world, there are hundreds and thousands of cuisines and sub-cuisines. It’s near impossible to understand and taste them all. So when we’re faced with a foreign cuisine, how should we seek to understand it? How should we think about food we’re unfamiliar with, other people’s food? We grapple with that, and more, through the story of the Chettis, a marginalized, multiracial community in Southeast Asia. The Chettis date back to the 15th century, originating from traders and sailors from India who settled down in the Malay Archipelago and married into the local community. Today, there are less than 500 Chettis in Malaysia, and their food and culture is dwindling with each passing generation, and most Malaysians have never even heard of them. So on this episode, we learn about the Chettis, and do our best to understand their food. (Connect with us at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

Ah, Dalgona coffee. It's the latest viral Asian drink to sweep the world like a pandemic. This episode, we examine how this coffee drink was popularized by Korean social media, hear about an Indian predecessor to Dalgona coffee, and discuss the science behind coffee foam. We'll also tackle one aspect of the drink that hasn't really been talked about much—its taste. (Spoiler alert: It definitely looks much better than it tastes...) So we seek help from baristas across the world, to see if we can improve on the drink! (Connect with us and subscribe to our newsletter at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.)

Durians might have a bad reputation as the smelliest fruit in the world, but in Southeast Asia, they are called the king of fruits for a reason. Get past durian's stinky façade, and you'll find rich, creamy pockets of flesh unlike anything else that the fruit world has to offer. So on the very first episode of Take A Bao, we explore the world's funkiest fruit, find out why they're so loved in Asia, and learn of the story of one variety of durian—Musang King—that has dominated the durian market in the past decade, becoming the king of the king of fruits. (Connect with us and subscribe to our newsletter at takeabaopodcast.com, or on Instagram @jun.and.tonic.