| Years ago when I moved to Seattle from Philadelphia (by way of China) I visited the Seattle Art Museum to check out a traveling exhibit of African art. Part of the show included a looping video that documented storytellers reciting West African folk tales. In one story, “pepper for the beast” is prepared and administered as a way for a wily protagonist to best a big meanie by getting them to sneeze after eating the pepper. I liked the turn of phrase; I liked the idea of smarts and creativity outwitting the bad guys; and I have always been a big fan of food that calls for a dash (or two or three) of pepper. I jotted the phrase down and knew I would use it in the future. Coming full circle to today, much of my work takes me to Africa and food writing has nudged its way forward to become a central part of my career that straddles both journalism and academia. Now it appears that PFTB well embodies many aspects of my work, from communications with a bite, gastro-ethnography writing, cross-cultural trainings, and visual leadership development.
Q: So, is PFTB what you do fulltime?
No, but it is very much and extension of my work. I am on faculty at the University of Washington Department of Communication, where I teach at the Master of Communication in Digital Media program, as well as sharing its Associate Director responsibilities. My current interests involve individual and collective leadership in the digital age, design considerations in a digital world,
and storytelling as a leadership tool. I also maintain a Clinical Instructor appointment at the UW Department of Global Health. My work in global health has involved contributing digital storytelling and strategic communication modules as part of trainings in Sudan, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia, and Namibia.
Q: What can PFTB do for me?
Well, that depends who you are and what you seek. If you are a fellow gastro-nomad-ethnographer, then do check out my blog Sneeze where I collect and comment on various articles and writings on the intersection of food, culture, and identity. If you are a media outlet in search of a creative food writer who knows a good story when she sees one, meets her deadlines, and lights up a page, let’s talk. If you represent an agency, organization, or school that wants a knock-your-socks off cross-cultural training, digital storytelling demo session, or presentation on any strand of my research, look no further. Finally, I excel at taking tired prose and spicing it up with a dash of pepper—from personal ads to annual reports.
Q: What is your favorite species of pepper?
Sichuan Pepper, or huājiāo (花椒). For all the dishes that these tingling peppercorns have made sing in my mouth. |
