No Asians on Food Network

Harry Mok
October 27, 2008

This video is funny but true. Lots of Asian food, no Asian people on the Food Network other than Ming Tsai, and his show isn't on the network anymore.
An aside: I saw Tsai, the East Meets West star, when I was celebrating my birthday at Alan Wong's restaurant in Honolulu a few weeks back. Didn't get a chance to say hello.
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Harry Mok

Editor in chief

Editor in Chief Harry Mok wrote about growing up on a Chinese vegetable farm for the second issue of Hyphen and has been a volunteer editor since 2004. As a board member of the San Francisco and New York chapters of the Asian American Journalists Association, Harry has recruited and organized events for student members. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was also a graduate student instructor in the Asian American Studies Department.

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Comments

Comments

giles wrote on Mon, 10/27/2008 - 7:46pm
it's funny cuz it's true.
Pauline wrote on Wed, 10/29/2008 - 4:44pm
SO true! I was excited to see some diversity with the latest Food Network Star winner - Big Daddy's Kitchen (as incredibly stereotypical as the theme may be). The only exposure we get is with Chef Morimoto in Iron Chef - give him his own show! He's got the creds!
RayF wrote on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 6:56pm
so true..if it weren't for the Japanese Iron Chef, there would be NO Food Network! Give LeeAnn Wong from Top Chef her own show!
Susan wrote on Wed, 11/05/2008 - 11:42pm
hahaaa! and in case anyone is looking for Ming on TV, check out his show 'Simply Ming' on PBS stations nationwide! (They just started Season 6 in October) Thank goodness for public television :)
BrandonP wrote on Wed, 01/28/2009 - 11:57am
As a big Food TV fan, it never occurred to me how under-repped Asians are on the Network. Yes, lots about Asian food, but cooked by anyone but Asians. I remember a long time ago watching Emeril do "Chinese" food on a show. He used olive oil to stir fry in a wok...It made me physically cringe watching him cook(as does Martin Yan mincing around doing a Charlie Chan act with his cleaver).Ming is good, but his stuff is Pan Asian.How about one show on Asian food done by a Asian American with no accent?