Asian Aunties: Cooking for a Cause
What started as a casual conversation over lunch has evolved into a twice a month volunteer commitment, in which, some friends and I prepare or cook food for about 35 women experiencing homelessness who are staying at WISEPlace in Santa Ana.
Full Disclosure: I am the social media consultant for WISEPlace, so to be honest, when I first talked to Anita about making food for the shelter, my intention was mainly to have something to film for social media content! But then we realized that we could really make a difference in these women’s lives, as they follow the program that will teach them to be self-sufficient. Recently, I interviewed my fellow Aunties so I could write this article.
Some of the best things about our little girl gang (By the way, you don’t have to be female, an auntie, or even Asian to join us.) are our shared experience of being “immigrants” in America, our different perspectives having different nationalities (Filipino for me, Chinese for Anita (though she’s lived all over), Thai for Oakley), and our love for food or more precisely, getting together to bond over a meal.
How did Asian Aunties come to be?
*Marcie had told me she was working with WISEplace. I volunteered with Bracken’s Kitchen when they first started and I have volunteered before years ago at the downtown women’s shelter in LA with Les Dames d’Escoffier. I’ve always wanted to work with women so I jumped at the opportunity when Marcie brought it up. — Anita
“Marcie and Anita asked and I said yes! lol” — Oakley
Why did you choose to “serve” by making meals for homeless women?
- *Nutritious food has always been something that’s of top priority within my own household. I am a huge advocate of whole-body health. You can’t just “take care” of your physical health without also taking care of your mental health and whole-body health. So if you’re constantly going to the gym and working out but eat a poor diet, then it defeats the purpose. I’m a huge advocate in taking care of your entire self. — Anita
Why did you choose to “serve” by making meals for homeless women? / Do you think Food is Your Love Language? What does that mean to you? As an Asian woman, how would you describe your relationship with food/views about food and sharing meals? I’m answering all of them here! LOL says Oakley, and she expounds:
Feeding people is a part of Thai culture. We often follow up “How are you?” with “Have you eaten?” It’s a way we show love, friendship, and kindness. And I don’t mean just paying for your friend’s lunch. We send food to each other! Motorcycle messengers are common in Bangkok even when 30+ years ago, and my mom and her friends would send to each other fruits and vegetables they found at the market, or sometimes snacks and curries or fried chicken, or whatever good eats they found. One day you’d come home from school and there would be treats from way across town waiting because Aunty so-and-so sent it. My friends back home are doing the same thing now. Anyway, food is definitely my love language as I continue to cook and share my food with others. We are fortunate that food comes easy for many of us, but there are so many who don’t have access to it. It’s the simplest act of kindness, to feed someone.
As an Asian woman, how would you describe your relationship with food/views about food and sharing meals?
**As I mentioned before, food hasn’t always been used positively when I was growing up so I had to relearn, (or perhaps unlearn is a better word) my relationship with food and how I personally use it in my life. It’ll take too long to go into it, but these days, I have a far healthier relationship with food and am a huge advocate of locally sourced, organic produce (which doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive). It’s a misconception that healthful/fresh ingredients are always expensive. That’s the message I want to promote… That you can still make good choices without breaking the bank. — Anita
Do you think Food is Your Love Language? What does that mean to you?
**My love language is actually “acts of service” but food has been a huge part of my life since childhood. It hasn’t always been used positively and it took me a very long time to understand my own relationship with food. So now, this is a way of incorporating the acts of service with food. — Anita
What is your go-to comfort food when you are having a stressful day?
**Usually something carby like a bowl of noodles or rice. — Anita
Thai omelet over hot jasmine rice with a bit of Siraja Panich chile sauce (THE original “Sriracha.”) — Oakley
Like Anita, it’s carbs! A Filipino ensaymada if I have it, if not, I’ll DIY one with toast, butter, sugar and cheese. — Marcie (that’s me)
In the end, I am proud of the birth and evolution of Asian Aunties. We used to joke that a penchant for giving unsolicited advice to young people and expressing love through food would be enough to qualify one to be an auntie, and no, you don’t have to be Asian. But to be an #AsianAuntie who actually does the work is another matter. As we plan and shop for each week’s menu, we realize that we need money to fund our philanthropic endeavor — so we reach out and some friends have actually been kind enough to donate cash via Venmo, and we tap our friends in the restaurant industry for product donations.
Below is a list of people we’d like to thank:
Cash Donations
Jennifer Dater
Romina Camiling
Evangelene Cheng
Karen Terry
Veronica Reyes
Oakley Boren
In-Kind Donations
OC Baking Col (Thanks, Dean Kim)
Rusty’s Island Potato Chips (Thanks, Russ)
Generous discount on gyros from Doner G (Thanks, Yalcin)
