Inheritance Stories, Volume 1: Nancy, Stef and Lola
Our oral history project, sharing recipes we’ve learned from people in our lives, turned into a zine! Stories by Nancy Wong, Stef Choi, and Lola Milholland. Illustrations by Stef Choi. Printed by Container Corps. Made in Spring 2021.
Contents
How to Collect an Inheritance Story
Nancy’s Mom’s Zong—Sticky Rice Dumplings
Chris’ Larb Mueng, Stef-Style
Lola’s Dad’s Omelets
All proceeds will go to LA Chinatown Mutual Aid.
Inheritance Stories is a project that requires three people: the storyteller, the interviewer, and the recorder. Each person cycles through each role so there is balance and an opportunity to practice different skills and roles. The basic premise is to ask each person to share a recipe they learned from someone in their life that they still cook, to really listen to them, and to record their story in a way that transmits their voice.
I am interested in how we each hold and maintain cultural traditions even as we evolve them. I also want to put the spotlight on people who may not seek it, or who are sometimes made invisible, but whose lives and stories are entangled in our own.
For volume 1, I invited two of my closests to test this idea with me: Stef Choi and Nancy Wong. I wrote questions as a starting point. Stef interviewed Nancy, and I took notes; I interviewed Stef, and Nancy took notes; Nancy interviewed me, and Stef took notes. We each played every role, and in so doing discovered a catharsis in the story telling, a high in listening and learning, and a focused challenge in recording. This project rejects ideas of authority in publishing and authorship. I want to embrace the culture of kinkos zines that capture real people doing their thing.
We are donating proceeds to LA Chinatown Mutual Aid. The attacks on Asian Americans in our community is sickening and heart-wrenching. Even before the call for self-quarantine, LA’s Chinatown lost their last remaining full-service grocery stores that would have provided fundamental supplies to the community. Starting as early as January 2020, small businesses in Chinatown began to experience a drastic drop in business due to Sinophobia. LA Chinatown Mutual Aid Re:COVID-19 is a joint project between Chinatown Community for Equitable Development (CCED) and Southeast Asian Community Alliance (SEACA). Funds will be used to provide food, care packages, and financial support to elders in LA’s Chinatown, Lincoln Heights, and Solano Canyon neighborhoods.
