resources

FOOD follow-up

On February 23, the UW Alumni Association hosted FOOD: Four Short Talks. Professor Branden Born; restaurateurs Laurie and Leslie Coaston, ’85; lecturer and author Anita Verna Crofts, ’02; and tastemaker My Tam Nguyen, ’06, with host and social entrepreneur Veena Prasad, ’09, gave short talks on the connections created through food. From recommended restaurants to great food organizations, below are some follow-up resources coming straight from our speakers that will help you learn, explore and be a good food citizen.

Restaurants and dishes

• Laurie and Leslie Coaston
  • Island Soul Rum Bar and Soul Shack (Rainier)
  • Marjorie Restaurant (Capitol Hill)
  • Plum Bistro (Capitol Hill)
  • The food of Chef Goddess Kristi Brown
• My Tam Nguyen
  • Duck leg noodle soup at Ba Bar (Capitol Hill/Central District)
  • Banh hoi thap cam at Huong Binh (Little Saigon)
  • Get a week’s worth of groceries at Lam Seafood (Little Saigon)
  • Any of Chef Tarik Abdullah’s work: the MorningStar popup brunches or the soon to open Black and Tan Hall (Columbia City and various pop uplocations)
  • Quarterly Vietnamese vegan feast at Co Lam Pagoda — email mytamn@gmail.com if interested (MLK & Graham)
  • The off-menu “salmon three ways” and “sayonora roll” at Sushi Kashiba (Downtown)
  • Something you’ve never eaten before at Rainier BBQ (Rainier Valley)
  • Ramen or moo shoo pork at Fu Lin (Chinatown/ID)
  • Che ba mau, a sandwich or any fresh deli item on the weekends at Thanh Son Tofu or Tammy’s Bakery (Little Saigon)
  • A shaved ice during a hot Seattle summer day with mung bean, red bean and egg custard at Seattle’s first bubble tea shop, Ambrosia (Chinatown/ID)
• Veena Prasad
  • South Indian dosas (savory pancakes) and idlis (rice cakes) at Chili’s Deli (University District)
  • Momos at Everest Kitchen (Renton)
  • Kenyan cuisine including collard greens, fish and more at Safari Njema (Rainier Valley)
  • Olive Tree and Ishtar restaurants for Iraqi food — try the potato kubbe at Ishtar (Kent)
  • The international street food menu at Project Feast’s new Ubuntu Café (Kent, 202 W Gowe St)
  • Project Feast’s Migrating Meals series for spotlights on various refugee/immigrant-run restaurants and a chance to meet the owner/chef while learning more about their culture and cuisine
  • DK Market for a very international grocery shopping experience — try the Indian savory snacks for something fun to share at your next party (Renton)
  • Yuzana brand Lephet thoke kit from Rainier Mekong store (Rainier Valley)
  • Indian groceries at Apna Bazar
• Anita Verna Crofts
  • Szechuan Noodle Bowl (Chinatown/ID)
  • Bodrum (Wallingford)
  • Cafe Selam (Central District)

Activities

• Laurie and Leslie Coaston
  • Go to a “farm to table” dinner, like the one on Hey Day Farms on Bainbridge Island
  • Cook family meals or cook for friends
• My Tam Nguyen
  • Invest in Black & Tan Hall
  • Explore options and sign up for the newsletter at http://ethnicseattle.com/
  • Sign up for a Wing Luke Museum food tour
  • Support local restaurants in your neighborhood and build a relationship with the owners, attend their events and bring friends. Some good resources: http://thinklocalseattle.org/ and http://www.seattlenetwork.org/
  • Sign up to receive news and events from your neighborhood Chamber of Commerce
  • Eat for a good cause: http://www.diningoutforlife.com/seattle
  • Volunteer for Beacon Food Forest
  • Learn more about food justice advocacy: https://cagj.org/food-justice/
  • Find your perfect org: http://www.seattletilth.org/our-community/urbanagfoodgroups
  • Volunteer or donate to your local food pantry, great map here by neighborhood: https://foodlifeline.org/need-food
• Veena Prasad
  • Support Project Feast’s culinary training for refugees and immigrants and events that offer deep intercultural dialogue while supporting local immigrant run restaurants
• Anita Verna Crofts
  • Support these organizations:
    • FEEST
    • Tilth Alliance
    • MarketShare

Books

• “Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors” by Andrea Nguyen
• “My Vietnam: Stories And Recipes” by Luke Nguyen
• “The Lusty Vegan: A Cookbook and Relationship Manifesto for Vegans and Those Who Love Them” by Ayinde Howell
• “Making the Invisible Visible: A Multicultural Planning History” by Leonie Sandercock
• “Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas,” “Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas” and “Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas” by Rebecca Solnit
• “On Her Own Terms: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker” by A’Leila Bundles
• “Having Our Say” by Sarah L. Delany and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth
• “What Ms Fisher Said” (the oldest African American Cookbook)
• “A Taste of Country Cooking” by Enda Lewis
• “Meet Me at the Bamboo Table” by A.V Crofts 
• “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollen
• “The 100 Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating” by Alisa Smith and J.B. Mackinnon
• “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver
• “Diet for a Small Planet” by Frances Moore Lappe