#ChineseFoodiesofIG: Joanna Yee

Joanna Yee

This is part of an ongoing series of interviews I’m doing with my favourite Chinese foodies that I follow on Instagram. Come and follow the #ChineseFoodiesofIG hashtag on Instagram and leave a comment showing your support for these talented folk!

Where are you from? Where are you really from?

My grandparents are from China. My parents were both born in Vietnam but met in Chicago which is where I was born. But Boston is home.

What does home taste like?

When I walk into my mom’s house and smell shrimp paste I know she’s in a good mood and we’re in for a fun afternoon because she’s making bun rieu. Otherwise home usually tastes like hong shao rou, braised pork belly with tofu that’s soaked up all the glorious flavor from the sauce, steamed whole fish with ginger and scallions and a mountain of gai lan. And soup, there is always soup. My fave one is sour soup (it must have a legitimate name but I don’t know what it’s actually called) with okra, tomatoes and pineapple among other things.

Share a food memory:

For some time my mother was a part time waitress as her second job when I was around 9-10 years old. We had a ritual when she came home from waitressing: she’d take out all the tips she earned that shift on the kitchen table. She would carefully put away the bills but the coins were destined for something fun: a trip to Popeyes! I lived for these excursions since we mostly ate home cooked meals. My usual order: drumsticks with buttermilk biscuits and corn on the cob combo to share with my sister. To this day I can’t pass by a Popeyes without feeling super nostalgic.

The most important Chinese ingredient is:

Ginger. It is something my mom always has in the kitchen. And while I was going through post maternity confinement it was in everything I ate for its healing properties. 

Who's your Chinese food legend?

My maternal grandmother on the basis that she was able to coax a fussy seven year old me to eat. I don’t know how she managed to make bitter melon soup taste good to young kids but she did.

Cook or be cooked for?

Be cooked for. Nothing I ever cook tastes as good to me as it does to others. For a while I thought I was just a so-so cook but apparently this is a thing!

What’s in your fridge?

I have Vietnamese pork chops marinating in the fridge for dinner. There’s also store bought chicken bone broth, tofu, chinese cabbage and a ridiculous assortment of half empty sauce jars like doubanjiang, black bean sauce and gochujang. As I’m currently taking an online pastry course I also have a generous amount of eggs and butter stored.

Ultimate comfort food:

I can go in so many different directions with this one but will settle for this: instant ramen with meat and chinese greens. There’s a very specific way my mom cooks the instant ramen that makes this dish irresistible and so very comforting.

Know any good Chinese restaurants?

This last year I’ve been very dependent on places that deliver to me: Xi’an Impression when I need biang biang noodles, Three Uncles for roast meats and hainan chicken rice, Old Street Chinese for dry fried beef ho fun and mapo tofu. Now that we’re able to dine out again I’m very much looking forward to revisiting A.Wong.

What does Chinese food mean to you?

As a kid Chinese food was essentially a conduit to celebration of my culture/traditions and time spent and shared with family. Now as an expat living away from family, especially during the pandemic, Chinese food means home. I’ve never had such a visceral need for it until this last year.