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For celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, immigration is not just a hot topic that dominates the information cycle. It's personal: the 47-year-old Harlem resident was born in Ethiopia and raised by his adoptive family in Sweden, and the comforting food of his neighborhood restaurant, Red Rooster, inspired the cuisine from the three countries that he baptized.
"Are not we all immigrants? Unless you are Native American," Samuelsson said in a recent interview about his new television series, "No Pbadport Required."
The six-part series on PBS this Tuesday follows the judge "Chopped" country to present the cuisines and cultures of different immigrant communities, including the Indo-Guyanese enclave in Richmond Hill, Queens.
"We show the true America and her is very diverse, and the food has never been better, "Samuelsson says of the show, the first episode of an hour that showcases the Arab American community in Dearborn and Detroit, Michigan "People want quick answers or a monolithic response to a very storied culture, so with a show, we wanted to be able to tell very complex stories with unique stories."
Samuelsson argues that the key to to overcome what he sees a fake and hostile narrative in America about immigrants like him – that they use the resources of the government without rendering them, that they remain exclusively loyal to their country of origin. origin and that they are more likely to commit crimes than US citizens – is an exploration in the country borders: "Why can not we start traveling in our country with the same open eye and be as interested as us through Europe? "Unlike trips and culinary exhibitions that feature exotic locales," no pbadport required "lenses formed on the states.
Samuelsson hopes that after watching the episode of Richmond Hill, New Yorkers might consider exploring themselves, going through Sonny's or Singh for a bit of roti. (West Indian unleavened flatbreads wrapped around toppings such as goats or chickpeas and seasoned with tamarind and pepper sauces) the next time they visit the Rockaways
amNewYork spoke at length with the chef de his adventures in Queens, the limits of the coverage of immigration in the news and the influence of the late Anthony Bourdain on his show:
New York abounds with immigrant communities that you could present in "No Pbadport Required". How did you come to choose the Indo-Guyanese Enclave in Queens?
I live in New York for a long time. I did not know the Indo-Guyanese community of Richmond Hill, so my friend Raymond, he's the one who talked to me about it. If you are Indo-Guyanese, you could be spiritually Hindu and Indian, but your language is English
Why the narrative of inclusion and the contribution of immigrant communities to American culture and to the local economy right now? Do you consider this show as a form of political activism?
I do not think it's a political statement at all; I think it's an opportunity to tell what the real America looks like, in a delicious and cultured way. It's also very inspiring, because once you start talking about immigrants, you very often start talking about people who worked very hard, fought very hard to come here and then started their own business.
the shows begin to say that [immigration is a] very stratified [issue]. It could be very different on a human level for each person. Of course, we know that when we speak, but the news cycle does not give much space for that.
One thing that I find interesting in the Detroit episode is that you're not only interested in telling the story of first-generation immigrants, but of their descendants and what that it is that to have a dual identity. Why was it important that you focus on this?
I wanted to talk again about the complexity [of immigration]: you can first be Arab-American and Muslim or non-Muslim. You can be like Samir, who has been in the country for 50 years and has a flourishing business. Or you can just come straight from Syria, like a family we have shown. Arab-American does not mean one thing
What's more American than to talk about these issues in detail and give it the scale of an hour that it really deserves?
If you did a "No Pbadport Required" episode on your own neighborhood, Harlem, what and / or who would you profile?
Oh my god, I'd love to do an episode of Harlem, and I hope we can do a second season
My gastronomy festival, Harlem EatUp!, Is about digging in entrepreneurs and the community as a whole and to emphasize it. El Barrio is the place where you obviously have excellent Latin cuisine and Puerto Rican and Mexican-American communities. But also, telling Senegalese history in West Harlem would be really interesting. Or go a little further up the Heights – Dominican history would also be really good.
You dedicate the first episode of your show to Anthony Bourdain, and your show seems to rely on the legacy of shows like "Parts Unknown" and "No Reservations." How would you describe his influence on this project?
Tony, for me, was completely a mentor and someone I miss tremendously as a friend, but who also loved to work with. I asked him tons of things about this show, because he knew it so much better than me. He brought us closer to the world, to the unknown, which of course inspired me a lot. Without him, there would be no hearing for "No Pbadport".
You play a game of cricket with a Queens cricket club in the episode of Richmond Hill. How did you do?
When in Queens, is not it? You have to play cricket … I was horrible, but I had fun. In my mind, I was really good
"No Pbadport Required", which is produced by Vox Media, will be airing Tuesdays PBS, from July 10, from 9pm to 10pm. Viewers will also be able to broadcast it on PBS Follow Samuelsson's Trail to These Richmond Hill Locations:
Sybil's Bakery & Restaurant Try a Baked Chicken Cake and Oxtail in this West Indian Restaurant and unofficial community center on Liberty Avenue. Founder Sybil Bernard-Kerrutt opened in 1976 and Sybil's has since expanded to four outposts in New York and Florida, each headed by one of her children (132-17 Liberty Ave, sybilsliberty.com ) Sonny's Roti Trinidadian food is the specialty at this location under train A. Order dual boneless chicken – street food made with two pieces of fried flatbread – and the roti of your choice. Solo soda, a soft drink with red sorrel (118-06 Liberty Ave., 718-835-7255) Singh's Roti Shop The original Singh's # opened in 1990, but this second, larger, offers a greater selection of West Indian and Chinese dishes, curries served with rice or pork roti. mein with black pudding. The interior looks like a disco, with a neon blue ceiling light and a mirror ball hanging in the center, making it the perfect place to host DJs and concerts on the weekends. (131-14 Liberty Ave., singhsrotishopnyc.com) Mazi's Disco From Thursday to Sunday, this club is the local heart of the Caribbean music scene and EDM. Take it all in a few bar bites and badtails, before dancing in the wee hours of the morning. (130-35 91st Ave., mazinightclub.com)
