Saving the Seeds

Why do Asian Americans have such deep relationships with fruit?

Cathy goes on a quest to find the answers — starting with her friendly neighborhood fruit vendor, Cece, then spending time with friends and listeners in our extended podcast fam.

Along the way, she hears stories about family heirloom trees, mango sharing techniques, persimmon obsessions, and an unbridled love for durian. Then, she calls up food writer Priya Krishna and heritage farmer Kristyn Leach to unpack all the personal stories she’s heard.

As Cathy learns the ways that Asian Americans across the country have instilled a reverence for fruit and upheld countless rituals with it in their lives, she realizes that our tastes are even more deeply rooted than we might think.

Credits

• Written by Cathy Erway
• Produced by James Boo, Harsha Nahata, and Julia Shu
• Edited by James Boo and Julia Shu
• Music by Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound
• Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love

Shoutouts

Big thanks to everyone who shared their fruit stories and fruit feels with us for this episode:

• Ahmed Ali Akbar
• Ann Duong
• Dorothy Faye Pirtle
• Jack Shu
• Jenn De La Vega
• Jenn Wong
• Kristyn Leach
• Merk Nguyen
• Nidhi Prakash
• Niha Reddy
• Priya Krishna
• Raman Sehgal
• Stanford Chiou

We couldn’t fit everyone into the final cut, but you can see and hear bonus stories on our Instagram, using the hashtag #MyImmigrantFruitStory.

Reading, Listening, and Resources

• "If I'm Cutting Fresh Fruit For Dessert, I Probably Love You" by Priya Krishna for Bon Appetite
• "A Bowl of Cut Fruit is How Asian Moms Say I Love You" by Yi Jun Loh for TASTE
• "How the simple art of cutting fruit can be an act of love" by Daniela Galarza for The Washington Post
• “The Loquat, San Francisco’s Secret Fruit, Is Hidden in Plain Sight” by Jenn Wong for Mission Local
• “Bok Choy Isn’t ‘Exotic’,” by Cathy Erway in Eater
• Check out Priya’s recipes in her cookbook, Indianish
• “Underground Aams Trade,” by Ahmed Ali Akbar for Proof (America’s Test Kitchen)
• Grow your own East Asian heritage crops and cook from recipes at Kristyn Leach’s Second Generation Seeds