Toasted sesame flavored Cheerios. A Pop-Tart topped with strawberry lychee frosting. And a Lunchable that includes a fried pork gua bao, cucumber salad and a Yakult.
Frankie Gaw's social media page is filled with videos of creations like these 鈥� items you won't usually find at your local American grocery store.
That鈥檚 the whole point, says Gaw, a Taiwanese American and author of the cookbook First Generation.
鈥淚 asked myself, in an alternate universe, where the world is much more inclusive and embraced all of these diverse flavors, what are the things that Asian Americans would want to see?鈥� he said.
Gaw talked with 海角社区 about how his hit social media cooking series 鈥淭urning American classics Asian" came to be, and its origin as a tribute to his family and his Midwest upbringing.
The grocery store seemed stuck in time
The idea sprouted after a trip to his local supermarket. Traversing through the aisles, Gaw noticed that much of the food stocked on the shelves resembled what he saw as a kid 20 years ago. Meanwhile, ingredients like soy sauce and miso were still strictly grouped in 鈥淎sian鈥� or 鈥淚nternational" aisles.
鈥淩estaurants have been embracing more Asian ingredients, and it feels like grocery stores have remained the same," Gaw said.
For many immigrants and children of immigrants, food is an intimate part of identity. For Gaw, straddling between the 鈥淎sian鈥� aisle and the rest of the grocery store was also symbolic of his upbringing in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Growing up, Gaw felt like he was living a double life. In public, Gaw enjoyed McDonald鈥檚 chicken nuggets and fries. At home, he feasted on his grandmother鈥檚 beef noodle soup. It took time for him to embrace his dual-taste palette.
Years later in his Seattle apartment, Gaw began experimenting with his childhood favorites. He tinkered with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and turned it into congee. He infused mac and cheese with miso. He went as far as designing the packaging for each meal as if he owned a food company.
Gaw shared his concoctions on social media. It took off. His food and his experiences at the grocery store resonated with people, especially other Asian Americans.
鈥淚t was a surprise. I didn't realize how many people had similar experiences as me," he said.
A love letter to his kid self
鈥淭urning American classics Asian鈥� is not just about Gaw鈥檚 appreciation for Asian flavors and ingredients, or a diss to American staples. Instead, it鈥檚 Gaw鈥檚 way of paying homage to both 鈥� and on a larger scale, to the experiences of Asian Americans.
鈥淚 have always straddled this sort of in-between space,鈥� he said. 鈥淕rowing up in the Midwest, I never felt Asian enough. But then, being with my Asian family, I didn鈥檛 feel American enough.鈥�
Had matcha flavored Twinkies or strawberry lychee Pop-Tarts been around when Gaw was younger, he thinks it would鈥檝e helped him embrace that in-between experience.
鈥淚f I was in a generic American grocery store and then I saw rice cakes, I think that would鈥檝e allowed me to break down the walls of, 鈥極h this only exists within my home,鈥� 鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd I could鈥檝e existed as my whole self out in the world.鈥�
The project also relates back to his family and growing up in the Midwest
Gaw鈥檚 journey into cooking and his first cookbook were motivated by his father, who died in 2014 from lung cancer. Revisiting his father and his paternal grandmother鈥檚 old dishes was a way to grieve and keep his father鈥檚 memory alive, Gaw said.
In this cooking series, he also reminisces about the time spent with his mother. It鈥檚 because of her that Gaw was able to indulge on Lunchables, Twinkies and Pop-Tarts as a kid. She wanted to make sure he would fit in and make friends.
鈥淢y mom would stock the entire pantry so that when I go into lunch period, I was like the number one kid in the cafeteria with the best lunch,鈥� he said.
The project also stems from Gaw鈥檚 Midwestern roots. In his neighborhood, restaurants were synonymous with fast food and Olive Garden was the place to go on special occasions.
Late nights with his parents at the McDonald's drive-through were common as a kid, Gaw said, because his parents were often exhausted after long hours at work. 鈥淚t was a reminder of how much they had to hustle,鈥� he said.
In Gaw鈥檚 version of a Happy Meal, he steams buns and marries ground pork with scallions and ginger, topping it off with a chili crunch ketchup.
As he cooks, he thinks about his father, his mother, his grandparents 鈥� and the comfort that these dishes would鈥檝e brought them as they were adjusting to life in America.
鈥淚 think they always felt like they were on the outside breaking in," he said. "To see their food at a fast food institution, I think it would've made them feel like they have a seat at the table."
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