Copyright chicagoreader
The largest gathering of Asian American chefs in Chicago history is happening next Monday, November 3, at the Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. That’s according to Ed Marszewski of the Marz Community empire, who managed to rustle up some 41 chefs (and counting) in three weeks after a roundtable gathering at Maxwells Trading earlier this month on Chuseok, the Korean autumn harvest festival. Talk went around about organizing similar events, and when someone mentioned a night market, Marszewski spoke up: “All our cultures help inform what the city’s like,” he said. “And this is a way to introduce our cultures to different people. Food tears down boundaries and creates understanding. And whether you like it or not, you’re on the front lines putting our cultures out there to the rest of humanity as immigrant communities. Why don’t we do a fundraiser for immigration rights groups and the ACLU, so we can get some people to help represent those who are being kidnapped, and educate and support all potential kidnapping victims?” And so it began. The Ramova jumped in to host, every chef Marszewski asked said yes, and he rustled up enough sponsorship deals to cover the food and production costs, so 100 percent of the take could go to groups like Red Line Service, ACLU of Illinois, Organized Communities Against Deportation, the National Immigrant Justice Center, and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR). Normally, on that night I’d be hosting Monday Night Foodball, the Reader’s weekly chef pop-up at Thattu. But chef Margaret Pak was invited to attend, and the paper was invited to set up a table, so that night’s MNF is hereby preempted. I’ll be there handing out Reader swag and Foodball schedule flyers, because we’ll be back in action the following week. And Pak will be there dishing tasting portions of tamarind shrimp and coconut rice. There’ll be a karaoke lounge and DJs spinning all night and complimentary beverages from the likes of Marz, the Ramova, Bartesian, and the Coquetel Collective. Joe Fontelera of Lincoln’s Square’s Boonie’s, who’s making adobo chicken feet, thought it was important to be there. “As a Brown person of an immigrant family, it feels really scary to say or do anything that directly challenges what’s been going on in our communities lately,” he said. “The Tiger Moon event has created a space where we can be united in the face of the terrible things that are affecting our communities while also still uplifting and celebrating the joy and beauty that our communities color the world with. There is resistance in joy, especially when we’re being terrorized into feeling like we need to stay at home and make ourselves invisible again.” Ethan Eang Lim of Hermosa will be there too, with nom pka, a Cambodian lotus flower cookie. “The current immigration enforcement strips our civil rights of due process,” he says. “This year marked the 50th year in remembering the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and its involvement with the genocide. It is important to maintain a check and balance of power, as outlined by our constitution, to prevent further escalation.” Among the many reasons Lim is a cool daddy is that he himself is a Foodball veteran, and if you’re missing your weekly Monday pop-up fun in Avondale, other vets will be in the house. That includes Tita Tootsie’s with their chopped cheese; Akahoshi with a classic ramen of course; Palita Sriritana of Pink Salt will have gaeng keow wan gai, aka green curry chicken with kabocha squash; plus Haru Haru (fresh tuna chamchi kimbap, mayak rice, Chilee Oil, and tortilla furikake with tomato kimchi); and Kimski (pajeon). The entire lineup is incomparable, the cause righteous, and the vibe will be joyful and defiant. That’s this Monday, November 3, beginning at 6 PM at 3250 S. Halsted. Regular tickets are sold out but there will be an Instagram auction for more all day tomorrow via @ramovachicago, from 5 to 8 PM. Set your notifications. And by the way, fersetan dengan es, ไอ้น้ำแข็ง, chết tiệt đá, 他妈的冰, ファックアイス, pak yelo, बर्फ को भाड़ में जाओ, ចុយម៉ែ, and 아이씨 개새끼들. Or, as one politely declares in English: fuck ICE.
