Republican contender Mitt Romney. (Photo: Gage Skidmore/flickr)

The Florida Primary could be a turning point in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, and Latino voters are in the middle of the fight.

It will be the year’s first primary in a state with a large Latino population. Florida also has a significant bloc of conservative Republican Latino voters. Will they vote for Newt Gingrich, a social conservative who says he’s open to some type of immigration reform? Or will they heed the endorsements of powerful Cuban American leaders in the state and support Mitt Romney?

Host Aswini Anburajan is joined on this podcast by Dan Judy, a Republican strategist and pollster at Ayres, McHenry & Associates, Inc., and Mark Lopez, associate director of the Pew Hispanic Center.

Listen to the podcast

Take a look at the recent Latino Decisions/Univision/ABC Poll about Latino voters in Florida.

The Pew Hispanic Center also has a new poll about Florida Latinos.

Subscribe to the Fi2W podcast using iTunes or Podbean

Feet in Two Worlds is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

Three Cup Chicken at Ku-Shiang in Flushng, Queens. (Photo: Sarah Kate Kramer)

Dinner at a Chinese restaurant was a Sunday night ritual in my family.  We always ordered our favorites,  Cantonese-inspired dishes like chicken with crunchy water chestnuts and bamboo shoots, wonton soup, and lobster Cantonese —a delicious combination of roughly chopped Maine lobster still in the shell, ground pork, scrambled egg and scallions.  Then in the late ’60s Szechuan restaurants started popping up in the city, and we learned that there was actually more than one type of Chinese food.  Dishes featuring hot chiles, finely diced meats, and silky-smooth tofu opened our eyes and our taste buds.

Listen to this Food in Two Worlds podcast:

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In later years, Hunan, Yunnan, and Shanghai-style restaurants entered the scene, giving restaurant-goers many more choices, as well as a comprehension of the incredible variety in Chinese regional cooking.

As someone who has spent decades exploring Chinese cuisine in New York, as well as in China, Hong Kong, and San Francisco, I thought I had a pretty good sense of the depth and breadth of China’s culinary offerings.   But on a recent visit to Chinatown in Flushing, New York, with Chef Kian Lam Kho, I learned that there still are worlds of regional Chinese food waiting to be discovered and enjoyed.

Shaved Ice

Smash Ice Device at Snopo

Pot at New World Mall

Hand Pulled Noodles

Food Court at New World Mall

New World Mall

Waitress at Fu Run Restaurant

Cumin Encrusted Ribs at Fu Run Restaurant

Salad at Fu Run Restaurant

Stir Fried Sea Intestine at Fu Run Restaurant

Customers at Nan Xiang Dumpling House

Steamed Soup Dumplings at Nan Xiang Dumpling House

Ku-Shiang Taiwanese Restaurant

Our Guide Kian Lam Kho at Ku-Shiang Taiwanese Restaurant

Our Guide Kian Lam Kho at Ku-Shiang Taiwanese Restaurant

Three Cup Chicken at Ku-Shiang Taiwanese Restaurant

Stinky Tofu at Ku-Shiang Taiwanese Restaurant

Oyster Omelet at Ku-Shiang Taiwanese Restaurant

(Photographs by Sarah Kate Kramer)

Kian is a chef and blogger who runs a company called Red Cook.  His tour of Chinatown, Flushing, is the first segment in this month’s Food in Two Worlds podcast.

We also visit the city’s oldest dim sum restaurant, Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street in Manhattan,  and one of the newer, trendy restaurants serving dim sum,  Red Egg on Centre Street with journalist Larry Tung.  Both are run by second-generation Chinese-American restauranteurs who are redefining the dim sum experience.  Finally, in celebration of Chinese New Year, journalist Richard Yeh brings us to his family dinner table to reflect on the connection between food and home.

Kian Lam Kho’s recipe for Egg Dumplings (鮮肉蛋餃)

These tiny omelets filled with pork are eaten during Chinese New Year to symbolize prosperity, since the yellow dumplings resemble gold ingots.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Slow cooking time: 30 minutes

Meat Filling

1/2 lb. ground pork

1 tablespoon minced scallion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Egg Wrapper

6 eggs

2 tablespoons tapioca starch (木薯粉)

3 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon salt

Vegetable oil for coating the skillet

Mix all the filling ingredients together in a small (1 cup) bowl and set aside. Beat the eggs in a medium (1.5 quart) bowl for about one minute. In a separate small (1 cup) bowl mix the water and the tapioca starch into a thin slurry. Then add the slurry and salt into the beaten egg. Continue to beat the egg mixture until evenly combined, or about three minutes.

Heat a skillet on low heat and spread a thin layer of vegetable oil using a kitchen brush. Measure one tablespoon full of the egg batter and pour in the middle of the skillet. Use the measuring spoon to spread the batter into a thin round layer of about three inches in diameter. Form a teaspoon of filling into an oval shape and put it in the center. Use a spatula to flip one side of the wrapper over until the ends meet and press down to close. Remove from heat when the edges are sealed and arrange on a plate. The meat filling should not be completely cooked.

You can use these dumplings in soup or as one of many ingredients for hot pot meal. You can also serve them with oyster sauce gravy. Boil the dumplings over medium heat in about one cup of chicken stock in a wok for about ten minutes. Drain the dumplings and arrange them on a plate leaving the chicken stock in the wok. Add about two tablespoons of oyster sauce to the chicken stock and reduce to about one-quarter cup of gravy. Pour the gravy over the dumplings and garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

Restaurants and places we visited on our tour of Flushing’s Chinatown

Ku-Shiang, 135-40 39th Ave., Flushing, NY 11354,  phone 718-888-8798.   Also called Gu-Shine Taiwanese Restaurant.

Don’t miss the Three Cup Chicken, listed on the menu as Chicken with Basil in Casserole.

Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (Dumpling House), 38-12 Prince Street, Flushing, NY 11354, phone 718-321-3838

A Shanghainese dumpling house with superb soup dumplings.

Fu Run Restaurant, 40-09 Prince Street, Flushing, NY 11354, phone 718-321-1363

The barbecued lamb ribs are a must.

The New World Mall Food Court 136-20 Roosvelt Ave, Flushing, NY 11354, phone: (718) 353-055,1 info@newworldmallny.com

You can eat your way from one end of Asia to the other, and back again in this glittering food court that features 32 food stalls.

Lastly, a great source for Asian ingredients is the nearby Chang Jiang Supermarket,  41-41 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354, phone 718-359-3399

Feet in Two Worlds is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

John Liu gets a hug from a longtime supporter at a recent fundraiser. (Photo: Stella Chan)

An F.B.I. investigation into New York City Comptroller John Liu’s fundraising practices has had a chilling effect on Liu’s ability to raise money for a potential 2013 mayoral run. As revealed this week in his campaign filing report, he’s also been forced to spend thousands on legal fees related to the investigation. But John Liu remains a role model for New York’s Asian American community and still embodies the political aspirations of this growing segment of the city’s population. 

In this podcast, Fi2W executive producer John Rudolph interviews Sing Tao Daily reporter Stella Chan about her recent article for Fi2W concerning the conversations taking place about Comptroller Liu among Asian Americans. We also hear from Korea Daily Senior Reporter Danny Shin. Listen:

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Reporter’s Notebook: “Scandal” vs. “Issue”

Chinese vs. English Language Media and the Subtlety of Words. By Stella Chan.

When the F.B.I. investigation unleashed a flood of news about City Comptroller John Liu, I saw that the stories in New York’s English-language and Asian-language media were as different as day and night. In contrast to the mainstream English-language press which uses the word “scandal” to refer to Liu’s situation, Chinese newspapers were terming it a “fundraising issue,” while the Korean press used the word “allegation.”

On October 11, 2011, the New York Times ran a front page article titled “Doubts Raised on Donations to Comptroller.” The investigative article uncovered irregularities in Liu’s donor lists, and subsequently, the F.B.I. began a probe into whether Liu’s campaign was illegally bundling donations. Immediately, the Chinese media began to run articles concerning the negative impact of the investigation on Asian American political participation. Several community leaders expressed their concerns about the investigation and some of them wondered if Liu was singled out because of his race. These angles were muted in the English-language press until the recent NY1 report, “Asian-American Community Struggles with Liu Controversy,” on Jan 5, 2012.

Meanwhile, the English media was reporting that Liu may be involved in several irregularities apart from his fundraising scandal, including his appointment of John Dorsa, his decision on a pension fund contract and his own office renovation. The New York Post even called upon Liu to resign, writing that “John Liu was never suited for public office,” in a November 21, 2011 editorial.  An Asian reporter, off the record, told me that some English press were running negative stories in order to damage Liu’s reputation.

The different approaches of English and Chinese media were clearly shown in the reporting on a press conference hosted by Liu’s Chinese supporters on December 22, 2011. The New York Post, Daily News and New York Times joined a number of Chinese media outlets at the Chinatown meeting. The following day, The Post and The Daily News came up with the headlines “Liu in FBI cross hairs” and “Liu insists he’s still running for mayor despite probe,” while the Chinese media wrote articles about supporters calling for a united community to back up Liu.

After the press conference, Lotus Chau, Chief reporter of Sing Tao Daily, (where this reporter is on staff) wrote in a side bar that because Liu is the first Chinese American who holds a city-wide office in New York City, when the New York Post refers to Liu as a “Liu-ser,” it is seen as a personal attack and makes many Chinese supporters uncomfortable.

“Innocent until proven guilty,” said Danny Shin, senior reporter for The Korea Daily who wrote an exclusive report about the FBI investigation of Korean donors. According to Shin, Korean supporters had donated $100,000 to Liu as of July 2011 and Korean supporters hosted a big fundraising event this month.  Shin says while the mainstream English-language media has their own take on the scandal, “We are neither reporting it negative nor positive.”

Listen to Stella Chan speaking about John Liu on our partner WNYC Radio.

Stella Chan is a reporter for Sing Tao Daily and a Feet in Two Worlds reporting fellow. Her work, and that of the other Feet in Two Worlds fellows, is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are also supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

(Photo: Mockstar/flickr)

While the Republican presidential candidates have taken hard line positions on illegal immigration, rank and file GOP voters in New Hampshire tend to have a more nuanced position on the issue.  Pilar Marrero, senior political writer for La Opinion, says Republican voters she has met in New Hampshire are worried about illegal immigration, but they don’t necessarily support policies that would separate immigrant families.

In this podcast, recorded on the eve of the 2012 New Hampshire Primary, Marrero and free lance journalist Valeria Fernandez speak with Fi2W Executive Producer John Rudolph about the mood of the voters in the Granite State.  Fernandez talks about her reporting on the state’s small but growing Latino population, and their concerns about the Republican candidates and President Obama’s immigration policies. Listen:

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Feet in Two Worlds podcasts are supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are also supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

A Polish pharmacy in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. (Photo: bondidwhat/flickr)

If you’re looking for the center of community life for Polish immigrants in Brooklyn you should check out the local pharmacy.

Polish pharmacies in Greenpoint, Brooklyn help immigrants negotiate life in their new home while maintaining a connection to Poland.  In this podcast we’re digging into the Feet in Two Worlds archives for an intimate visit to a Polish pharmacy with journalist Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska.  Ewa is a reporter for the Polish Daily News and a frequent contributor to public radio.  This story, produced in 2005, was Ewa’s public radio debut. Listen:

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Feet in Two Worlds podcasts are supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are also supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

A Pakistani man at a protest against NATO attacks in Pakistan. (Photo: Groundreporter/flickr)

Pakistani immigrants are keenly aware of the dangers posed by the latest crisis in U.S.-Pakistan relations.  Ever since the November 26 NATO airstrike that killed at least 25 Pakistani soldiers near the border with Afghanistan, the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan has been on a downward spiral.

In this Feet in Two Worlds podcast, Mohsin Zaheer, the founder and editor of The Pakistani Newspaper and the editor of Sada-e-Pakistan, an Urdu-language weekly in New York, talks about the shock waves rolling through the Pakistani American community.  In a conversation with Fi2W Executive Producer John Rudolph, Mohsin discusses the concerns of Pakistani immigrants as well as their desire to help rebuild the battered relationship between the two nations.

Listen:

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Fi2W podcasts are supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and the Sirus Fund, and are produced in association with the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and CUNY-TV.

Immigrants are a growing force in New York politics. (Photo: Mockstar/flickr)

In this Feet in Two Worlds podcast, La Opinión senior political writer and columnist Pilar Marrero breaks down a new poll released by impreMedia and Latino Decisions analyzing how religion and faith are likely to impact voting decisions for Latino voters. We also hear from Matt Barreto of Latino Decisions. Listen:

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Moral issues rank very low in Latino voters’ minds, while issues like the economy, jobs, taxes and minimum wage are far more important, a recent poll shows.

The finding contradicts Ronald Reagan’s famous statement that “Hispanics are Republicans. They just don’t know it yet.”

Many Republicans insist that Latinos are “naturals” to join the party because of their conservative philosophy, family values, religion and their entrepreneurial spirit.

But the latest poll by impreMedia and Latino Decisions show the majority (53 percent) of these citizens said their own religion does not have much influence on which candidate they choose, while 40 percent said it does.

Only 23 percent said their own religion has a “big impact,” on their support for candidates, while 19 percent said the candidate’s religion has a big impact. The only exception is among Latinos who are registered Republcans, with 47 percent saying their own religion does have a big impact on their election choices.

For additional numbers and analysis of the poll numbers listen to the podcast.

Feet in Two Worlds podcasts are supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are also supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

Zarela Martinez, a Mexican American culinary icon.

In this Food in Two Worlds podcast episode, Von Diaz tells the story of Chef Zarela Martinez and her pivotal role in bringing sophisticated Mexican cuisine to New York.  Also Mariana Suarez, co-founder of Gourmet Latino discusses the challenges facing today’s Latino chefs. 

Listen:

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I met Zarela Martinez for the first time last fall at a party held in her honor.  She was being given a lifetime achievement award from the Mexican cultural organization Mano a Mano, for her commitment to promoting Mexican traditions through food.

Volunteers served tequila cocktails with jalapeno and pineapple soda along with food from the best Mexican restaurants in New York.  A live mariachi band serenaded the tightly packed rooms, at one point joined by Zarela herself in a somber ballad. Zarela, dressed in an off-shoulder white dress reminiscent of Frida Kahlo, with a full skirt and lace top and trademark red lipstick, was totally in her element.

She told the crowd, “I asked my mother once, ‘Why did you name me Zarela, why couldn’t you give me a normal name like Gabriela or Maritza?’ And she said, ‘Because it’s going to look great in lights honey.”

Zarela’s career dates back to the days before The Food Network and Iron Chef. She was born in Sonora, Mexico, and started out as a caterer in Texas. Her catering business brought her to New Orleans in the early 1980s, where she met legendary Chef Paul Prudhomme. “You come in here, and we’ll work together all week. I’ll teach you Cajun, you teach me Mexican,” is how Zarela described their first conversation.

Chef Prudhomme was so taken with Zarela’s unique personality and culinary style that he invited her to cook for an event at the renowned Tavern on the Green restaurant in New York, alongside such culinary luminaries as Alice Waters and, later, Wolfgang Puck.  The event launched her career in New York, followed shortly afterwards by reviews in The New York Times, and an invitation to cook for President Ronald Regan and Queen Elizabeth II. She eventually moved to New York with her twin sons, Rodrigo and Aarón .

In 1987 she opened her own restaurant, serving traditional Mexican cuisine on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and, naturally, named it Zarela. While there are numerous upscale Mexican restaurants across the city today, back then most Mexican restaurants in New York served up Tex-Mex snack foods like tacos and burritos. Restaurant Zarela featured regional Mexican dishes like pescado con coco,  (fish with coconut and fresh mint) and costillas con longaniza, baby back ribs and sausage marinated in lime, garlic and oregano.

Zarela Martinez inspired a generation of young Hispanic chefs and restaurateurs to build today’s Latino food scene in New York City. Last February she closed Zarela after 23 years in business. The rising cost of rent, increased taxes and fees, and the proliferation of low-cost Mexican food options like taco trucks made it necessary to close the restaurant. The economy was a factor, but she also had challenges in her personal life—although she rarely mentions them.  Seven-years-ago Zarela was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

It’s no surprise that Zarela downplays her health concerns, because she hasn’t let them stop her. She has a larger-than-life personality matched with uncanny business savvy, and is tenacious to the core. She came to New York as a single mother with just enough money for the down payment on an apartment, and reinvented herself as a Latina culinary trendsetter.

Among those she inspired is her son, Aarón Sanchez. Aarón is the chef/owner of two restaurants – Centrico and Tacombi – in New York, as well as another restaurant in Kansas City. He regularly appears on Food Network shows Chopped and Heat Seekers. Aarón makes frequent reference to his mother’s influence both on his cooking style and his entrepreneurship, and even has a letter to his mom on his website.

Chef and restauranteur, Julian Medina, who owns Toloache, Yerba Buena, and Coppelia, has known Zarela for more than 15 years. He describes her as a pioneer, and says he and other Latino chefs owe a lot to her legacy.

“She’s always going to be that woman that pushed Mexican culture and food. She’s been like a teacher for all of us, and an example also -that the burritos and all that stuff, that is not Mexican food,” he said at the Mano a Mano event honoring Zarela. “She opened doors for a lot of us.”

One of Zarela Martinez's cookbooks. (Photo: Von Diaz)

Here is one of  Zarela’s original recipes.  Poblano chiles are stuffed with a flavorful pork, fruit and plantain mixture, and topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.

Chiles en Nogada

Ingredients

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes (about 2 pounds)
• 12 large poblano chiles
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 2 small green or other cooking apples, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 ripe, firm peaches, peeled or 1/2 cup dried, diced
• 2 small ripe plantains, skin removed, diced
• 6 tablespoons diced preserved citron, diced
• 6 tablespoons dark or golden raisins softened in
 1 cup dry sherry
• l cup unsalted butter or vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, finely diced
• 4 cups shredded cooked pork butt
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon canela (true Ceylon cinnamon)
• Nogada Sauce (recipe follows)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds
• 50 Italian parsley leaves

Instructions

Heat heavy cast-iron skillet or griddle over high heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Roast the tomatoes, turning several times, until blistered on all sides. Let cool until just cool enough to handle. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds and chop finely. Set aside. Wash the poblano chiles and thoroughly dry them. Make a small (l to l l/2 inches long) lengthwise slit in each chile. Pour oil into large heavy skillet to a depth of about l/2 inch and heat over high heat until very hot but not quite smoking. Fry the chiles, 3 at a time, turning once or twice, until they puff up and take on an olive-beige color. Remove from pan as they are done. Carefully peel chiles under cold running water. Very gently pull out seeds through the slit in each chile, being sure not to tear the flesh. Set aside. In large skillet, melt the butter or vegetable oil over medium heat until very hot and fragrant. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add fresh and dried fruit and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the spices and pork and cook, stirring to combine, for 2 minutes more. Season with the canela, salt, and pepper to taste. Carefully fill the mixture into the chiles through the slit in each. Bake on greased baking sheet or shallow pan for 5 minutes. Cover the chiles with the nogada sauce and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and a few leaves of Italian parsley. Chiles may be served warm or at room temperature.

Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: lunch
Culinary tradition: Mexican

Nogada (Walnut Sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 pound queso fresco or cream cheese
• 1 cup milk
• 2 small French rolls soaked in milk until softened and squeezed dry
• 2/3 cup dried sherry
• 1/2 teaspoon ground canela (true Ceylon Cinnamon or use 1/4 teaspoon U.S. cinnamon)
• 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste

Instructions

Soak the walnuts in cold water or milk for three hours or overnight in water to cover. Discard the soaking liquid. Grind the walnuts in the food processor or blender with the French roll, cheese, cream or milk, the sherry, cinnamon, sugar and salt.

Recipe Copyright © Zarela Martinez.

Von Diaz is a Feet in Two Worlds education reporting fellow. Her work, and the work of other Fi2W fellows, is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundationwith additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

Elias Garcia, a third grader at P.S. 24 in Sunset Park. (Photo: Ramaa Reddy Raghavan)

In some New York City public schools, learning English doesn’t mean giving up your native tongue.

There are about 90 dual language public schools in New York City that aim to make students proficient in two languages. P.S. 24 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn is one of them.

The student body is nearly all-Latino and almost half are designated ‘English Language Learners.’ The school has won the trust of immigrant families by immersing the students in both English and Spanish, but its report card from the city’s Department of Education was mixed.

Fi2W reporter Ramaa Reddy Raghavan investigated the school’s dual language program. In this podcast episode, she speaks with Fi2W executive producer John Rudolph about the challenges facing a school that has won accolades for its success in child development but struggles to meet the goals of the D.O.E’s standardized tests. Listen:

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Ramaa Reddy Raghavan is a Feet in Two Worlds education reporting fellow. Her work, and the work of other Fi2W fellows, is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundationwith additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation. Fi2W podcasts are supported in part by WNYC Radio and the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

A coalition of interfaith organizations rallied against the Congressional hearings on the radicalization of American Muslims. (Photo: Mohsin Zaheer)

Muslim Community Report is a brand-new print newspaper and website covering the diverse set of Muslim and African communities in the New York metropolitan area. In this podcast episode, Fi2W’s John Rudolph speaks with the paper’s primary reporter and editor, Arao Ameny, and publisher Sheikh Moussa Drammeh about the mission and target audience of the new venture.

Editor’s note: After this podcast was published Feet in Two Worlds learned that Arao Ameny resigned as editor of Muslim Community Report citing editorial differences with the publisher.

Listen:

The project is an expansion of Youth Community Report, a newspaper primarily written by youth who attend Drammeh’s school in the Bronx, the Islamic Leadership School.

Drammeh wants MCR to be considered a mainstream newspaper, but at the same time, it has the stated goal of challenging stereotypes about Muslim communities that emerged after 9/11.

Subscribe to the Fi2W podcast using iTunes or Podbean ¦ Download this episode

Feet in Two Worlds is supported by the New York Community Trust and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation and the Sirus Fund.  Feet in Two Worlds podcasts are supported in part by WNYC, New York Public Radio.