Growing heritage and healing through traditional Asian vegetables

A group of faculty, staff, and alumni from UC Santa Cruz are drawing upon and strengthening their cultural heritage and connection to Asian foodways to cultivate traditional vegetables, build community, and promote agroecological and socioecological diversity and representation.

“We are focusing on preservation of both the genetics of these plants and the knowledge and cultural legacies that come with them,” Matsushita-Tseng said. “And we focus on reclaiming the ability to define the story of Asian vegetables within the community, as opposed to having it co-opted or marketed by white growers or white audiences.”

Matsushita-Tseng says there’s been a lot of “trending” lately around fruits and vegetables that are common in a wide variety of Asian cuisines. These foods are increasingly being appropriated by white-owned agricultural companies and marketed as “exotic” or “superfoods,” which continues the industry’s long history of exploiting Asian Americans.

I read this article from the local university because of my involvement in agriculture. I enjoyed the film Minari about the Korean family moving to Arkansas to give a try at farming. This year I grew 30 acres of Napa cabbage (Chinese cabbage) for the Bay Area market. I didn't realize as a white grower I was co-opting anything. As we say out on the farm this author is the south end of a north moving horse.

From the article:
“ Kellee Matsushita-Tseng cares for chili pepper plants in the
CASFS greenhouse.”

No irony there. Peppers, of course, are from the Americas, so this is obviously cultural appropriation.

I also grow Asian plants, mostly Japanese greens and herbs. Mrs. VanShuyten is from Japan, and I value her appreciation more than I fear the author’s denigration of me being white, but growing Asian plants.

Komatsuma Spinach Mustard

Taste cross between spinach and mustard greens. Super easy to grow and comes back every year if you let some of it go to seed. I’ve had a patch growing for 5 years now.

These foods are increasingly being appropriated by white-owned agricultural companies and marketed as “exotic” or “superfoods,” which continues the industry’s long history of exploiting Asian Americans.

It's called "marketing" to sell their product to a food fad-centric public. You could be doing the exact same thing. This is not "exploiting" Asian Americans or "appropriating" ... because your ethnicity or culture don't own these vegetables.

So shut up.

On a different but sort of related topic, what do you, Ms. Tseng, think of Asians who make use of plastic surgeons to narrow their noses and Westernize their eyelids? Is that "cultural appropriation" of Caucasians and do you object?

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.