If you're in Los Angeles, Visual Communications and the Japanese American National Museum invite to the L.A. premiere of Off The Menu: Asian America. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Grace Lee, the documentary is an exploration of food in changing communities, families traditions and faiths.
The documentary follows Grace as she travels around the country, from Houston to New York's Lower East Side, and from Oak Creek, Wisconsin to Oahu, seeking stories that reflect an evolving Asian Pacific America and the role food plays in people's lives. This is not your average food travelogue.
It's happening Sunday, October 25 at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo. The evening will also feature a post-screening conversation, moderated by writer and sociologist Oliver Wang, with folks from the city's culinary scene, including Chef Minh Pham of Porridge+Puffs, food writer Christine Chiao, scholar Karen Tongson, and Youa Yang of Yang Farms.
Here are some more details about the screening:
Grace Lee's OFF THE MENU: ASIAN AMERICA (L.A. Premiere)
Sunday, October 25, 2015
4:00 PM
Japanese American National Museum
100 N. Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Off the Menu: Asian America, a new documentary by award-winning filmmaker Grace Lee, takes viewers on a road trip across the United States in an exploration of how family, history, faith, and geography shape people’s relationships to food and their communities. Lee travels from Houston, Texas, to Oak Creek, Wisconsin, to Oahu, Hawaii, seeking stories that reflect an evolving Asian Pacific America and the role food plays in peoples’ lives.
"We wanted to find unexpected stories that embodied the Asian American experience," says Lee. "Asian America is already such a vast, complex, and contested idea. Focusing on food was a way to explore the deeper connections of culture and family, and the ideas of authenticity and adaptation that link us all."
Screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Lee and local chefs and food writers, moderated by sociologist Oliver Wang. Reception to follow, featuring dishes inspired by the film.
**If available, tickets can be purchased at the Japanese American National Museum on the day of the event ($25 per ticket).
This is a marvelous film. Don't miss this screening and what should be a really interested discussion. For further information, refer to the Facebook event. To purchase tickets, go here.
