Ming-Cheau Lin saw nothing unusual about the food she ate growing up. After moving to South Africa from Taiwan in 1991, her family held fast to their cuisine. But at school, kids bullied Lin for her packed lunches and her Asian identity. For years, Lin tried to disassociate with her culture to fit in. When she left for college, she discovered a delicious way to reconnect with her heritage.
Distanced from her family and community, Lin yearned for home. So she delved into the meals her family had loved for years. But their recipes weren’t written in English, which led Lin to recreate and rewrite them on her award-winning blog, Butterfingers. “Through food, I learnt to embrace my identity,” she says. Lin’s online presence created opportunities for her to connect with fellow Asians in South Africa. This empowered Lin to reclaim her story, and pay homage to her parents and others who share similar experiences in her memoir, Yellow and Confused.
Through food and writing, Lin navigates conceptions of identity while educating people about the challenges minorities face. “It’s okay to be ignorant,” she says. “It’s more about what you do with it.” No one is defined by stereotypes. Over a mouthwatering feast, we can come together and appreciate each other’s differences.
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