MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) -- Students at the High School of Art and Design are blending food, family, and culture into a powerful new project for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
The school's AAPI Club is turning cherished family recipes into cultural stories with a new student-made magazine. Their 28-page anthology of food stories titled 'Have You Eaten Yet?' explores the ties between food, history, and the experiences of the AAPI community.
“'Have you eaten yet?' is a greeting that a lot of Asian communities will say to each other instead of 'How are you doing?' because food is just such a integral part of our community and our culture," said Assistant Principal of Humanities Kaity Li. "It’s how we greet each other, it’s how we share love, it’s how we make sure that we’re all ok."
It’s a project where every page tells a story and every dish carries a legacy. Along with their own family traditions, students are also highlighting the diverse food narratives of their classmates, creating a rich, shared celebration of culture and identity. Co-President Ginny Zou says the project gave her a chance to reflect on how food brings her family together.
“I’m Chinese American, so we eat family style, which means we have a vegetable dish, a meat dish, we each have our own bowl of rice, and we eat together, and like it’s definitely a way for us to connect," Zou said.
For Ulap Calamiong, writing about Filipino Barbecue brings back memories of her childhood.
“Growing up, I used to eat — I would ask my mom if we could get Filipino barbecue with pancit, which is like the Filipino fried noodle dish, or rice, and I think the combination is just so good together," she said.
Of all the dishes featured in the magazine, lead graphic designer Isabella Chan highlighted eight on the cover — intentionally picking that number because eight is considered lucky in many Asian cultures.
“For Chinese culture, the word for eight, which is Bā in Mandarin, it’s very similar in both sound and appearance to the word for prosperity and good luck, which is Fù, so those two ideas are kind of intertwined," said Chan.
Students are gearing up to debut the magazine at a fundraiser next week, where they’ll sell copies to support ‘Yu & Me Books’ — an Asian-owned bookstore in Chinatown known for championing AAPI voices. The beloved shop is still recovering after a devastating fire forced it to rebuild two years ago.
Through this project, students hope readers will gain a deeper appreciation for their culture and the foods that shape it.
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