Chef Patrice Cleary of Purple Patch and Crystal HyunJung Rie of the DC Oral History Collaborative return to question what “authenticity” means in food, host Mary Kong-DeVito wants to get married at KFC in China, plus the time she almost took back fried chicken from a homeless man.
[2:35] Is Chinese food a gateway to other Asian cuisines in the U.S.?
[4:47] Patrice explains how Filipinos opened Chinese restaurants in the U.S. that offered secret Filipino menus.
[13:39] Patrice talks about the subtle nuance of Filipino food and what “authenticity” means.
[16:38] Crystal wonders why we never question “authenticity” in the country a certain food comes from.
[20:48] Crystal’s parents discover sushi burritos in the U.S.
[34:48] Mary wants to get married at KFC in China.
[38:44] Mary recounts the time she almost took back fried chicken from a homeless man.
Mary was born and raised in New York City where her family owned restaurants. Instead of eating dirt on the playground, she ate duck blood, beef tripe and pork belly. She cut her teeth at The Mandarin Oriental and The Ritz-Carlton hotels, working with Barbra Streisand, Vanessa Williams, Michael Stipe, LeVar Burton, Jane Krakowski and others. Mary founded Girl Meets Food in 2009 as a cover for her debilitating addiction to fried chicken and was named Washington Post’s “Favorite Local Foodie.” After 13 years in hospitality, she started freelance writing for USA Today, The Washington Post, Eater, Washington City Paper, and more. Today, she provides digital marketing for hospitality clients as a content creator who’s contently creating content.