MONTGOMERY, Ohio — For Edward Zha and Katherine Wen, cooking is about more than food.

It’s about celebrating their Chinese heritage and sharing it with others.

That’s more important than ever now, they said, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the anti-Asian rhetoric that has accompanied it.

“During this crisis, like, Asian hate and all that, we really need to be proud of ourselves and show who we really are,” said Edward, a 13-year-old eighth-grader at Mason Middle School.

“We shouldn’t be ashamed of showing our culture and things that we enjoy,” added Katherine, a 15-year-old sophomore at Sycamore High School. “I think with food, you don’t really need to know a certain language or be part of a culture. Anyone can enjoy food from any culture, so I think that’s really nice.”

The teens have been honing their cooking skills – and building their pride – as part of a new youth program launched by the Greater Cincinnati Chinese Cultural Exchange Association. The program has eight youth leaders who oversee its three pillars: sharing food, performing arts and storytelling.

Lucy May | WCPO

“I cannot tell you how excited I am, because I personally see the growth of these youth,” said Felicity Tao, the association’s co-chair. “I really think all of these young kids have the potential to be leaders in the community. They can really serve the community, and it’s always a way for them to discuss their passion.”

Edward and Katherine lead the cooking group, and both will be sharing what they’ve learned during the Asian Food Fest this weekend. They will oversee a secret menu booth and serve some of their tastiest dishes.

‘I get to find my true identity’

Edward will be making Biang Biang Mian, a spicy noodle dish that he first tasted at an authentic Xi’an restaurant in Columbus that his family likes to visit. It’s named for the sound that the dough makes when hitting the board as it’s being prepared.

He likes the dish so much that he got a recipe from YouTube and learned to make it himself. Now Edward sells the noodle dish to neighbors and friends.

“I always loved cooking, and then since COVID came in, my mom had a lot of Zoom meetings, because she’s a Chinese teacher,” he said. “Most days I would cook lunch or dinner by myself. And I would use YouTube and watch a lot of simpler dishes. And gradually I went to harder dishes and my own cultural dishes.”

Katherine said she started cooking more during COVID-19 quarantine, too, and usually made lunch for herself when she attended classes virtually last school year.

Lucy May | WCPO

For the Asian Food Festival, she’ll be making Zongzi, or sticky rice dumplings. Her Zongzi will be wrapped in reed leaves and stuffed with dates, although she said other varieties can be stuffed with meat or egg yolks.

“Zongzi is eaten for a holiday. It’s the Dragon Boat Festival,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to cook food from your culture and celebrate traditional holidays and be able to show it to people who’d like to learn.”

Edward joined the GCCCEA youth program a few months ago, he said, because cooking is his passion.

“My family is, like, really into cooking. My dad’s cooking is better than my mom’s – don’t tell her that,” he said with a grin as his mom stood a few feet away. “I feel like whenever I cook with them, I get to find my true identity with them. And it’s a lot of fun.”

Katherine enjoys cooking, too, she said, but joined the youth program primarily to meet people.

Passion, enthusiasm and commitment

“I’ve made a lot of new friends through this program,” she said. “And also volunteering with a lot of festivals and things, it’s just a lot of fun being able to help the community with things like that.”

Tao said Edward and Katherine have taken charge of the secret menu booth for this weekend’s Asian Food Festival with very little involvement from GCCCEA’s adult leaders.

“They were planning, and they were deciding on the menus, and they will cook some of the food on-site as well,” she said, in addition to staffing the booth to sell the food and talk with people who stop by. “Their passion and their enthusiasm and their commitment make us think they can run this program, and we will support them however we can.”

It’s all part of the goal of the youth program to help youth embrace their cultural identity, become strong leaders and serve the community, she said. While the group is open to youth from any background, Tao said, it has been especially important for Asian American youth during the pandemic.

Lucy May | WCPO

“We are very proud of our heritage culture, and there is no reason that they don’t belong here,” Tao said. “So by discovering themselves, connecting with others, hopefully they will find it’s a little easier for them to embrace their own culture.”

The Asian Food Fest will be from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 10, on the new Court Street Plaza on East Court Street between Vine and Walnut streets in downtown Cincinnati. More information is available online.

Lucy May writes about the people, places and issues that define our region – to celebrate what makes the Tri-State great and shine a spotlight on issues we need to address. To reach Lucy, email lucy.may@wcpo.com. Follow her on Twitter @LucyMayCincy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — By a vote of 94-1, the United States Senate passed a limited but symbolically important piece of legislation addressing hate crimes against Asian Americans on Thursday.

The legislation creates a new position within the Department of Justice to expedite reviews of hate crimes, especially ones involving the COVID-19 pandemic.

The legislation also helps provide resources to local police departments so they can handle allegations of a hate crime more efficiently.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that the bill is "proof" that "the Senate can work to solve important issues" and would tell bigots "we're going after you."

New York Democratic Rep. Grace Meng and Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono were the primary sponsors of the legislation.

Because the bill was amended in the Senate, it now goes back to the House for a final vote. President Biden has said he would sign it.

GROWING PROBLEM

While hate crimes declined nationally in 2020 by 7%, hate crimes directed toward Asians spiked by more than 150%, according to the nonpartisan Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.

In New York City in 2019, there were three reported incidents toward Asians reported to police. In 2020, 28 incidents were reported.

Most hate crimes go unreported, according to experts.

Diversity across the U.S. continues to grow, and the growth of Asian Americans may be one of the starkest examples of that.

“Asian Americans are projected to become the largest group in the U.S. by 2065,” said Neil Ruiz, Associate Director of Race and Ethnicity Research with Pew Research.

Pew analyzed data from the American Community Survey from the census.

“Since 2009, there are more immigrant arrivals coming from Asia than Latin America, which is really contributing to this Asian American population growth,” said Ruiz.

The population of Asians in the U.S. has nearly doubled since 2000, making them the fastest growing community of color in the country.

Alyssa Nilemo loves seeing her community blossom.

“I’m grateful for my community and how it’s supported me,” she said.

Nilemo is a member of the Colorado Asian Chamber of Commerce. She sees the growth of the community.

“We see places like, here, where we have small business owners, restaurants, sort of our cultural hub as it were,” said Nilemo.

But being a growing sector of society comes with growing pains. Hate crimes targeting Asians rose by 164% over last year.

“We are seeing a rise in violent crimes against Asians, but I don’t want to give the false impression that racism and that outburst towards Asians is something new,” said Nilemo.

But the rate of Asian American growth is new. Both Ruiz and Nilemo trace this growth back more than 50 years.

“This wave of Asian immigration is an outcome of the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act passage,” said Ruiz.

“Ever since the 1960s, when we saw a lift on those immigration bans start, this has been a steady increase,” said Nilemo.

“Before 1965, Asians and Latin Americans were banned from coming into the United States,” said Ruiz.

That law, the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act, allowed Asians to freely immigrate to the U.S. In 1960, there were less than 1 million Asians in the country. Today, there are almost 24 million.

As the population numbers grow, people like Nilemo are encouraging others to seek out and learn more about Asian culture.

“Come engage in community centers like this. Try the food, look up some resources, like the Asian Chamber that can connect you with Asian owned businesses,” said Nilemo.