It's an AAPI Heritage Month Party! - Ten News Deep Dive

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Ten News Deep Dive: Episode 546

🥳 The Ten News, along with special guests Asher and Kristen from the Culture Kids podcast, are celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

🌺 We’re sharing 5 cool things about AAPI Heritage Month from why we celebrate it to some of our favorite AAPI celebrities.

😋 Plus, it’s not a party without a potluck! We’re playing Food & Fact, tasting and describing delicious dishes from different cultures.

🥤 And, test your boba tea knowledge on today's trivia!

Resources

https://asianpacificheritage.gov/

https://www.history.com/articles/asian-american-pacific-islander-heritage-month

https://www.census.gov/topics/population/race/about.html

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Transcript:

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

<SFX Door Opens> <SFX sniff sniff sniffs>

RYAN: Sweet fancy Moses, PAM! What is that heavenly smell! 

PAM: It could be any number of things…today’s the potluck party.

ASHER: Hi Pam! Hi Ryan!

KRISTEN: Hey Pam, where should we drop the food off?

PAM: Over in the snack room please!

RYAN: Is that Asher and Kristen from the Culture Kids podcast?!? I love that show! What are they doing here?

PAM: We’re celebrating AAPI Heritage Month…with a potluck party and a deep dive. Remember?  

RYAN: Oh. I definitely…remembered. I just, forgot to bring a dish…so I’m going to improvise, because I’m Ryan Willard.

PAM: And I’m Pamela Kirkland. It’s Friday, May 9th. 

RYAN: This is a Ten News Deep Dive.

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

PAM: May is AAPI Heritage Month.

RYAN:  And I, being Filipino, get very excited for this month.

PAM: But what is AAPI Heritage month and why do we celebrate it? 

RYAN: Well, AAPI stands for Asian American Pacific Islander… But let’s break it down with 5 cool things about AAPI Heritage Month…

PAM: #1: According to the US Census , Asian is classified as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. 

RYAN: And Pacific Islanders include, a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands.  

RYAN: #2: We celebrate AAPI month to recognize Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their contributions to the United States of America. AAPI heritage was first recognized on a federal level in 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation which established Asian/Pacific American heritage week to take place in May. And in 1990 the week was extended to last the whole month, and then in 1992 Congress passed a law that officially made May AAPI Heritage month. 

PAM: #3: May was chosen to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, on May 10th, 1869 and aimed to recognize the Chinese immigrants who made up a majority of the workers that completed the project. The railroad was one of the most important infrastructures in the development of the United States. It being in May also commemorates the arrival of the first Japanese Immigrant to the United States on May 7th, 1843. 

RYAN: #4: Over the last 5 years, AAPI films have done very well at the Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars.

RYAN: Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by the Daniels, had major AAPI representation in their cast and also won best picture. And Ke Huy Quan won for best supporting actor!

PAM: #5:  Some of my favorite AAPI celebrities include, Singing sensation Olivia Rodrigo, Jacob Batalon who plays Ned in the Spiderman films, Bowen Yang from Saturday Night Live…

RYAN: John M Chu the director of Wicked, Jason Momoa from the Minecraft movie– 

PAM: Dwayne Johnson from Moana 1 and 2…

RYAN: And of course I gotta shout out some of our US Olympians… My two favorite table tennis players, Lily Zhang and Kanak Jha, who aren’t just Olympians but also US national champions. And then of course, gymnast Sunisa Lee, who has six total Olympic medals! 

PAM: There’s a lot to celebrate this May. But I think we might need to celebrate with that potluck…

RYAN: Oh yeah… ummmm, just give me a few minutes…
<SFX footsteps running away>

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO 

RYAN: Okay Abua, I put the smashed garlic in… anything else…?

ABUA: (on speakerphone) Ryan. Don’t forget the black pepper! 

RYAN: Ahhh yes of course, thank you Abua! <SFX Pepper grinder> Oh my gosh, the Culture Kids Podcast people are coming, I gotta act cool and not starstruck at all…gotta go!

ABUA: Love you. Miss you. Byyyyye–

RYAN: –Byyyyye 

PAM: Asher, I hope you and your Mom are hungry…

ASHER: I could probably eat 2 bowls of bibimbap… 

KRISTEN: We’re very excited for the potluck–

PAM: Ry, are you…cooking? 

RYAN: NOPE. I’m just…yes I’m cooking. I forgot we had to bring a dish and had to pull something together quickly.

ASHER: I’ve never smelled that smell, it smells great! 

KRISTEN: What’d you cook??

RYAN: I’m not done yet…but I was just telling my grandma about you and she asked what the Culture Kids Podcast was about…can you break it down for us?

KRISTEN: (ANSWERS) Yes!  We are a family podcast where we take our listeners on exciting adventures all around the world and meet people from different cultures, languages and traditions. From riding canoes on the Okavango Delta in Botswana to sleeping on an active volcano in Nicaragua- there is no limit to our adventures. 

PAM: Yeah Culture Kids is one of my favorite podcasts…we love how many different cultures and perspectives your show explores. Why do you think diversity is important?

KRISTEN(and or ASHER): (ANSWERS) Yes!  Well connecting with people all over the world and learning about how other families live, practice their faith or eat different foods helps us to stay creative, adventurous and it helps our minds and hearts grow every day.  

Asher:  And you can make friends from all over the world and they can teach you new things.  Plus…you can collect Pokemon cards in so many languages.  

RYAN: Yeah, I absolutely love diversity. And there’s so many different Asian cultures…

KRISTEN: SO many. And even within different cultures in different countries, every family practices their own traditions in their own unique ways.  

RYAN: Well I’m incredibly hungry, and Asher I bet you are too–

ASHER: I could definitely eat!

RYAN: Maybe we could play “Food and Fact” and get our potluck on…

PAM: Ooooh, you know I love playing Food and Fact!

KRISTEN: How do we play? 

PAM: You just talk about the food you brought and add a fact about where it’s from! I’ll start! I brought PARATHA… 

ASHER: Ooooooh! I LOVE paratha! Is that from India?

PAM: That’s right! It’s an Indian layered flatbread, and it’s warm and flaky and buttery… 

KRISTEN: Warm buttery bread from any country makes my soul smile. 

PAM: And I also brought SAMOSAS, they’re a triangular, crispy, deep-fried pastry. These samosas have spiced potatoes and peas. And it comes with some mint chutney. 

RYAN: I want those snacky mcyumyums Pam! Appetize me!

ASHER: Same same saaaame! 

KRISTEN: Pam did you cook all that?!

PAM: No…I got take out from my favorite Indian restaurant, Payal’s Place. But I do have a FACT… INSERT INDIA FACT

KRISTEN: Oh wow, I didn’t know that! Can I go next?? I brought… Bulgogi.  It’s thinly sliced beef marinated in the most delicious sauce ever.  

RYAN: I love Korean food. And I love BBQ!

ASHER: My Mom makes this a lot and I love it. I bet you will too! 

KRISTEN: made it spicy. (DESCRIBES DISH)

PAM: Yeah… I’m ready for some bool gogi . Hook me up! What’s your FACT Kristen? 

KRISTEN: Well.  The word bul-gogi translates to “fire meat.”  Bul is fire and gogi means meat. But…it doesn’t mean that it’s spicy. It’s called bulgogi because of the traditional cooking method of grilling marinated meat over an open flame, giving it a smoky, savory flavor.

RYAN:  Did, wait, did you say pool gogi or, it's not bulgogi.

KRISTEN:  That's, that's a really good question. So it's, think of it as something in between B and P instead of P. It's not that soft. It's also not pool either. Pool actually means grass in Korean. So think between B or P. P. That was great. P. Right. Yeah. Yeah, o's the O's are like, um, not like o, it's just Kogi, like, just very straight shot. Like Kogi. There's no like curving of the O's. You know? There's not a lot of curving in Korean language in general. Pr. Yeah.

RYAN: Okay that is hard to top. I don’t think I can beat those. 

ASHER: You don’t win or lose in this game, you just have to share what you’ve got!

RYAN: Well… I called my Abua, she’s my grandma, and got her recipe for ADOBO. I’m Filipino and Adobo is the national dish; and this adobo recipe was surprisingly easy to make…You basically just take a half cup of seasoned rice vinegar, a quarter cup of soy sauce, three tablespoons of brown sugar and put it all in a pot. Then add some fresh ground pepper, 6 smashed cloves of garlic and a smashed piece of ginger. Mix it all together and taste it…and then add chicken or pork and cook it on medium heat, flipping the meat whenever the sauce starts to boil. AND THAT’S IT! Oh and you serve it with white rice. 

PAM/KRISTEN/ASHER: Mmmmmmmmmm! 

PAM: I never thought I’d say this but…I’m excited to try your cooking, Ry. 

KRISTEN: Yeah that sounds delicious, can I get a plate? 

RYAN: Oh yeah, of course! And my FACT is that the Philippines is made up of 7,641 islands, which makes it one of the biggest archipelagos in the world. An archipelago is a chain or group of islands spread out over a body of water. And Filipino is the national language, which is a standardized version of Tagalog. It’s spelled Tagalog but pronounced Tagalog. And there are over 170 different language dialects spoken throughout the Philippines. 

ASHER: Hey Mom, can we visit one of the islands in the Philippines one day?

KRISTEN: If we’re flying all the way out there, I think we’ll have to check out more than one island. By the way Asher, do you want to share what you bought for dessert? 

ASHER: For dessert I brought…CHOCO PIE. It’s a fan favorite among me and my friends. (Choco pie is kinda a cake with a layer of marshmallow in the middle and then the whole cake is covered in chocolate.  

RYAN: Would anyone be offended if I ate dessert first because that sounds TREMENDOUS. 

KRISTEN: Choco Pie isn’t necessarily a traditional Korean dessert…but I will say, almost every child that grew up in Korea in the 80s and 90s grew up eating it.  So it almost feels like a traditional snack.  

ASHER: Hey!  Actually my fact is that Koreans usually eat fruit for dessert.  When my grandparents are here they give us fruit for dessert.  

RYAN: Oooooh, my Filipino grandparents always have fruit for dessert, too! 

PAM: Gosh I really love how diverse AAPI heritage is, thank you for sharing yours with us. 

RYAN: My favorite part of Food and Fact is that there are no losers, just winners and eaters. CAN WE PLEASE?!

ASHER: YES WE CAN!

KRISTEN: Thank you for having us! And if you want to listen to more Culture Kids, you can find us on Apple and Spotify. 

ASHER: AND on Youtube Kids! 

RYAN: I’m subscribing to Culture Kids rrrrrright…NOW. 

<SFX Trivia Room door opens>

OWEN: Welcome to the Trivia Room!

ASHER: Hey Owen! 

OWEN: Asher! My guy! What’s happening? 

ASHER: I brought you a plate from the pot luck, it’s got paratha, adobo, bulgogi and choco pie for dessert.

OWEN: Whoa! That is so kind, thank you so much! 

ASHER: You’re welcome! 

OWEN: I must say, I love the Culture Kids podcast, it would be an honor if you stepped up to the Trivia Throne…

ASHER:  Thank you!  I thought you’d never ask! 

<SFX trivia intro> 

OWEN: Bubble Tea or Boba Tea is one of my favorite treats, my friends and like to get it after school. Bubble Tea consists of Milk, Tea, Sugar and Bubbles aka Boba. But do you know where the boba comes from? Is it…

1. Potatoes

2. Tapioca

3. Turnips or

4. Inflated watermelon seeds

ASHER: Oh wow…I love bubble tea! Hmmmmm, I’m going to guess… 

OWEN: The answer is…B! Tapioca is the main ingredient in boba! Tapioca is a starch derived from the cassava root, a tuberous root vegetable. And do you know where Boba Tea originated from?

ASHER: I know this one! The actual inventor of Bubble Tea is still debated, but we do know it originated in Taiwan in the 1980s!

OWEN: Correct! Wow, you’re good at this. Maybe we should get some Boba as a reward?

ASHER: Ummmm Yes, I do!

OWEN: Let’s go!

INT. TEN NEWS STUDIO

RYAN: I’ve never been so full after an episode of the show. My brain is full of facts and my stomach is stuffed with food. 

PAM: Same, but…I might go for thirds.... 

RYAN: ALRIGHT PAM, IF YOU INSIST. I will join you for thirds. 

PAM: But first, we should give Ten News Snaps to one of our listeners. 

RYAN: And before that, here’s a quick note for the grownups!
<AD BREAK>

RYAN: Time for Ten News Snaps!

PAM: A Ten’er named Switch 2 is Da Best said, “this is the best podcast ever! Get the Switch 2!

RYAN: Ummm, I will, just because you said so. Thank you!

PAM: And an unnamed Ten’er said, “You guys talk about the things that other kid pods and adults never tell us. I appreciate how you keep me informed every week. Keep up the best work. Ryan I’m sanding you some butterflies to the the Ten News studio, here you go!” And then they left about 127 butterfly emojis. 

RYAN: WHUT. I don’t get it, it was such a delightful review and then they just dumped nightmare fuel all over. Thank you but no thank you!

PAM: And two extra notes for the grown-ups, you can now get ad-free versions of our episodes when you join the Ten’ers Club on our website. 

RYAN: And if you want to help support the Ten News, you can make a tax-deductible donation at the link in our show notes. The whole team thanks you for your support!

PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.

RYAN: The Ten News creative team is eating ALL of the galbi and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody. 

PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Not Dim But Albright and show creator Tracy Takes the Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.   

RYAN: And I’m Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to this Ten News Deep Dive.