'Taste The Nation' returns for second season with three Asian American episodes

Just what is American cuisine? The answer is complicated. At least, that's what Padma Lakshmi is trying to say in her Hulu series that is part travelogue, part food show, part political commentary.

"We throw around a lot of platitudes like, ‘nothing’s as American as apple pie,’" says the Top Chef host. "Well, apple pie is not American. Not one ingredient in apple pie is indigenous to North America. Not even the apple! So what are we talking about here?”

In a new season of Taste The Nation, Lakshmi travels the United States to discover more of the American food experience via the various communities that have been built by immigrants over the country’s history adding to the potpouri we call America.

Three of the ten episodes of Taste the Nation's second season focuses on the Asian cuisines of Afghanistan, Cambodia and the Philippines.

"Taste The Nation is a show about what connects us as Americans and as human beings.⁣ It’s about the undeniable spirit, adaptability and resilience of the immigrants and indigenous communities who shaped this country and what we now know as 'American' food," says Lakshmi, who came to the US when she was 4-years old. ⁣⁣

Lakshmi, an Indian American, is proving to be an more than able host. The series' style is more in the vein of Anthony Bourdain's food/travelogue series, using food as a door to dive deeper into the people and culture.

For example, in Episode 6, the Filipino episode, "Ube in the Bay," she shows that she does her homework. She explores how colonialism has affected how Filipinos view their own cuisine and how they view themselves; why Filipino nurses are so plentiful in the US; and how a new generation of Filipino Americans are breaking away from "colonial mentality."

Lakshmi won't come out and say the underlying message of Taste the Nation: the United States, like its food, is a melange of cuisines drawn from around the world. In her unassuming and comfortable way, she would like the viewers come to that conclusion on their own without hitting them over the head with a sledgehammer.

That's "the whole point of the show," says Lakshmi. "We create more understanding between types of Americans, and hopefully, we do it in an entertaining and delicious way with lots of history and culture thrown in there."

FYI: 'Taste the Nation,' can be streamed on Hulu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter or at his blog Views From the Edge.

 

Padma Lakshmi's Taste the Nation awarded second season

 

We're thrilled that Padma Lakshmi's Taste the Nation will return for a second season.

The food show on Hulu hosted by Lakshmi received great reviews and sccorred 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hulu's10 episodes visited different ethnic chefs and explored the roots of iconic foods that have become part of American culture. Underlying the recipes and food was the message about the contributions immigrants and native Americans have made to the United States, through the deft interviewing of the inoffensive but intentional host.

One writer from The Atlantic described the show as a "Trojan Horse," luring in the foodies but delivering a message of diversity due to the "charming" Lakshmi, long a fixture in the food world as host of Top Chef.

The show stars Lakshmi, who is also its executive producer. Taste the Nation takes viewers on a journey across America exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today.

A synopsis of the show said. "From Indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history -- ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American."

Padma Lakshmi's new food show presents 'American' food, with a side of politics

Just what is American food?

Most likely someone would respond, "a hotdog." Sorry, that's German in origin.n

How about the fortune cookie, chop suey, the burrito? Sorry, hella American.

Padma Kakshmi - cookbook author, food show host and cultural commentator -- attempts to examine this question in her new show Taste the Nation, which premieres June 18.

“Taste The Nation is a show about what connects us as Americans and as human beings,” Lakshmi wrote in an Instagram post.

The show that airs on the Hulu streaming channel takes audiences on a journey across America, exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. 

From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history – ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.

“It’s a project I’ve spent years developing.," says the Indian American host of Top Chef. "We traveled across the country visiting indigenous and immigrant communities to find out what American food is today. The process was incredibly emotional and rewarding, a journey I will never forget. “⁣

Unlike her other efforts, Taste The Nation lets Padma be Padma. It allows her to voice her opinions and lets her guests air their views. If you are a follower of Lakshmi's tweets, you're going to love this.

What would the American food scene be without Chinese American restaurants, without Taco Bell, without sushi or jambalaya? It would be boring, she contends.

“I want to hear these stories,” Padma told me on a recent phone call. “I don’t want to hear the same Eurocentric stuff. I’m bored.” Throughout the 10-episode season, there’s creamy bowls of khao soi, cheesy bean burritos, indigenous three sisters salad, and so many other vibrant flavors. 

"I have also been frustrated that [my worth] has not been as deeply weighted as my male colleagues who work less than I do frankly. I was sick of it. I really am thankful to Hulu for giving me the opportunity to do this show in the way that I wanted," she said in an interview on Thrillist.

At a time in US history when immigrants are being villified, and bigots feel emboldened to attack foreign-looking people, Lakshmi is not afraid to wade into some uncomfortable conversations.

"I wanted to remind people that America actually had a tradition and legacy of welcoming outsiders and welcoming people who do need a safe haven, who do come here looking for a better life," Lakshmi says.

Yes, there’s hot dogs too -- and also an explainer on how those snappy sausages came to the US by way of immigrants.