Interview Date: 09/02/2022
*** To keep the authenticity of the interviews, everything was transcribed/translated exactly or very close to what they said, so there may be a few grammatical errors. Please be understanding about it, and we hope you enjoy getting a glimpse of the interviewee’s thoughts and experiences!***
- Could you tell us your name, ethnicity, and place of origin?
- Name: Ciin Lun
- Ethnicity: Zomi
- Country: Myanmar
- Could you give us a little backstory? Something about you that you want to share?
When we were young, we didn’t live like this. We lived in a small village and went to school there, but it was challenging to get good schooling. Because it was difficult for us to get schooling, I think you guys are blessed to be able to attend school properly.
- Could you explain your culture, and what it means to you?
I don’t know much about that. Our culture has a couple of essential celebration days, such as Zomi Nam Ni (Zomi Day), and Khuado. For us, these are very significant holidays and days, similar to Labor Day or the Fourth of July here.
- Why did you decide to make this dish?
For us, when we make buhman, we only make it on special occasions to eat together with people we love.
- Do you have a specific or treasured memory of this dish or relating to this dish?
As for the beans, we just eat them whenever it’s available. For the lahpet thot, in my country, only the wealthy or upper-class can eat it. The lower-class or poor people couldn’t afford to eat it. We eat beans whenever it’s in season.
- Is this representative of a typical meal you have, or is it more for special occasions?
As I mentioned previously, we only eat the lahpet thot on important days when everyone is present. Other than that, we eat the beans according to the seasons. We only eat buhman together with the ones we love.
- What was your journey to the USA?
In Myanmar, the government was not good. The military/police did as they wished, and they often abused us. If they want to, they kill us, they steal our stuff, and they raped women as they pleased. Because we no longer wanted to be treated like that, to escape from their hands, we went to Malaysia. Then from Malaysia, we went to America to live a better and more secure life.
- Do you have any words of wisdom?
As I said earlier, we lived harsh lives in Myanmar. When we were in Myanmar, we had less freedom under its oppressive military rule. But after we moved here, we gained freedom. Also, unlike Myanmar, if you work hard here, you can accomplish anything. Here, we can get a really good education and security, and the government takes good care of us. So I would say that work hard, work diligently in your studies, and be more obedient to your parents and elders.
- Do you know the historical context behind these dishes?
These are foods we usually eat in our homeland. It’s one of the foods that are easily available to them, so they eat it according to the season it is harvested in.
- Does every family have the same way of cooking this dish or does it differ from family to family?
We should make it however we find it delicious. The recipe is very similar from family to family. For instance, the sticky rice, we used green peas today, but other families could use corn, nothing, black/red/pinto beans, pork, chicken, beef, or any other toppings.