In the Spring 2021 semester, I taught an undergraduate research seminar, ASAMST 190: Asian American History in the Age of COVID-19. Students and I regularly contributed to discussion prompts that I posted on our bCourse website. One of our discussion prompts was the following:

“In her personal essay about Thamee, Simone Jacobson writes, "Before the pandemic, Jungle Asian restaurants provided an edible soundtrack to our lives. I don’t want to imagine a D.C. without them." (emphasis mine) Based on your reading of Jacobson's essay, what is "an edible soundtrack"? What was an edible soundtrack in your lives before the pandemic? after the pandemic? In your response, you are welcome to free-write, use bullet points, and be creative.”  

I also contributed to the bCourse discussions. Below is my response about an edible soundtrack in my life:

An edible soundtrack is the aural landscape of the cooking and eating around us, whether it be in neighborhood restaurants, the food court at the mall, or in our homes. In her essay Jacobson reflects on the edible soundtrack of the Southeast Asian restaurants in DC, an edible soundtrack that may not be heard and experienced again as this pandemic continues. This loss is immense. We often think of loss in terms of lives lost. While this is undoubtedly important, loss for Asian Americans during this pandemic is multilayered.

My edible soundtrack before this pandemic includes sounds of my husband cooking, the clanging of various pots and pans, an occasional curse word when something clearly has not gone right. The sound of "thank you, this is so good." I hear groups of people, conversations, sometimes tense but usually joyful in the restaurants we would frequent: a local sushi place, a local tapas place. I miss Tacos Sinaloa on Telegraph, the lines, the sound of orders being taken, the sound and smell of the preparation of a carnitas taco. 

During the pandemic, my edible soundtrack has changed. I haven't been to Tacos Sinaloa for almost a year. I also miss Yogurt Park near campus. The sound of the yogurt machines putting out swirls of yummy flavors, chocolate, peanut butter, mint.

- Submitted by Catherine Ceniza Choy, Professor of Ethnic Studies, UC Berkeley

Below are student submissions to the discussion prompt: 

An edible soundtrack in my life would certainly include eating pho as a remedy for illness in Vietnamese restaurants, Korean dishes that would give me a glimpse of my mother's upbringing, and burritos from taquerias that would remind my mother of her life in Mexico when she was younger.

After the pandemic, I'm not sure what an edible soundtrack would look like. Perhaps it would look like the same restaurants my family and I would eat at but with a different meaning.

- Submitted by Esther Smith, a fourth year undergraduate at UC Berkeley

In Simone Jacobson's description of an "edible soundtrack", she describes, "...a solo dinner at the one chair in front of Tom Cunanan’s kitchen counter at Bad Saint, unabashedly slurping the saucy insides out of prawn heads". For me, this means that an "edible soundtrack" is the experience of eating, and especially eating with others, to be able to hear the food sizzling on the grill, people talking over their meals, the clattering of utensils. An edible soundtrack before the pandemic for me was Sawtelle Japantown, where there was always the sound of people eating in the outdoor seating areas, slurping ramen, laughing with friends, and sucking boba through straws until late at night. After the pandemic, visiting the same area, there is mostly silence. There is the rustling of plastic bags of takeout, people walking to their parked cars, ordering food through plastic barriers. I hope that the day will come again when the street can return to its soundtrack.

- Submitted by Yi-Shen Loo, a third year undergraduate studying Asian American Studies and Ethnic Studies

My reading of an "edible soundtrack" is the variety of meals and food experiences that elevate the day to day life. The edible soundtrack brings diversity and flavor into the community and are a part of our lived experiences. Before COVID-19, eating out with friends on and around campus was a pretty common feature and I ate more diverse things than I do now at home. After the pandemic, I hope that we are able to continue to visit and have a diverse food scape.

☀️ Edible Soundtrack (Pre-COVID-19) ☀️

Shwarma Wraps by Dyar on Durant

Pizza with Potatoes and Corn by Sliver on Telegraph

Communal Dinners by Friends & Housemates

Lots of Tea & Spice by Chengdu Style on Bancroft

☀️ Edible Soundtrack (Now) ☀️

Home Cooked Meal by My Mom & I

Sometimes Fried Chicken by Popeyes

Takeout (ft. on busy days) by Support Local Businesses

Coffee by Me

- Submitted by Sarah Xu, a fourth year undergraduate at UC Berkeley studying Environmental Economics and Policy