The meeting took place after a special screening and discussion session. The session featured an episode of Lucky Chow that explored Vietnamese culinary influence in Paris.
The event, which was held this past Thursday at 6:30 p.m., was organized by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) in collaboration with the &Doc screening series. This series is part of NYU Journalism’s News & Documentary program. Travel content creator Christina Young moderated the conversation. Afterward, there was an engaging question-and-answer session with audience members.
Screening and Discussion at NYU
During the event, attendees viewed an episode from the latest season of Lucky Chow titled “Paris: By Way of Vietnam.” In the episode, Chang explores how Vietnamese cuisine became deeply woven into French culture through colonial history, migration, and resettlement. The episode highlights foods ranging from steaming bowls of pho and traditional Vietnamese coffee to banh mi sandwiches and French pastries. The program depicts this culinary journey. The episode examines how Vietnamese culinary traditions have influenced Paris’s food culture.
The episode examines the significant Vietnamese community in Paris and its role in shaping the city’s food culture, where Vietnamese cuisine has become a familiar part of the city’s dining landscape. In the episode, Chang explores Vietnamese cafes, restaurants, bakeries, and specialty food shops during her travels. She also meets farmers, chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary innovators. These individuals have either preserved traditional culinary practices or developed new ways to adapt and share them.
Food as a Bridge Between Cultures
Speaking with Presence News, Chang emphasized that her storytelling intentionally focuses on food, culture, and human experiences rather than political issues. She noted that many immigrant communities seek to build successful lives in their adopted countries. Often, they strive to assimilate while maintaining meaningful connections to their heritage.
Lucky Chow explores immigrant experiences, including the pursuit of opportunity, adaptation to new cultures, and the ways traditions are passed to future generations through food. Furthermore, Lucky Chow presents personal stories and cultural experiences while using food as a bridge between cultures and generations.
Attendees were shown how migration, identity, and food are linked together in different ways. In addition, the episode explored how migration and cultural identity have influenced Paris’s culinary landscape.
Editor’s Disclaimer: Presence News attended this event in person for on-site reporting and on-site coverage. Information in this article is based on observations made during the event, publicly presented remarks, program materials, and comments provided by event participants.
