Thread by @washingtonpost

Food is how people show love in the Asian American Pacific Islander community: “It’s how we communicate, how we cope and find comfort,” writes @marianliu.

For AAPI Heritage Month, we asked Asian chefs and celebrities what role food plays in their lives. washingtonpost.com/food/interacti…

When Christine Ha's mother died, leaving no recipes behind, she set out to recreate her cooking from memory. Her comfort food is fried rice, a dish her mom made.

“Being able to create food with my own two hands and make other people happy ... That really sparked a joy in me.”

Sheldon Simeon's comfort food is loco moco, “the most American” dish that's still “distinguishably Hawaii.”

“I think Hawaii can be a great snapshot for what this country needs of us, respecting each other’s culture and celebrating each other.”

Aspiring pastry chef Hamza Khan says it's hard to find seviyan as good as the shops in Pakistan, but his mom makes the vermicelli and milk dish at home, too.

“People can connect through food. I can showcase some parts of my culture that can maybe open conversations.”

Niki Nakayama's comfort food is what she always ends up eating at home with her wife and mother-in-law: the Japanese hot pot dish shabu shabu (しゃぶしゃぶ).

“Let’s use food as a way to connect people instead of separating, because that’s what we are about.”

What Asian dish brings you comfort or reminds you of home?

We want to document the role Asian cuisines have played in your life. Share your experience with us: hosted-washpost.submissionplatform.com/sub/hosted/607…