The Whiteness in Wellness and Our Cultural Connections - An Interview with Small Eats Podcast

Photo by @shethrivesblog

Edited for clarity

Interviewed by Nate Davis

Aimée Suen is the voice of small eats, a podcast about health, wellness and “the amazing people making a difference and empowering others”. She is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, author, recipe developer, designer and photographer.

Nate Davis: So,  to start off- what's your ethnic blend?

 Aimee Suen:  (Laughs) I've never heard it said like that... blend. I'm Chinese, Irish, French, Canadian, and Norwegian

 ND: So getting on, we're in a juicery and you have a podcast called Small Steps... how'd that come to fruition? And what's that all about?

AS: So, Small Steps podcasts... I've been blogging for about six years. It started as a food blog, sharing recipes, and then I became more interested in nutrition- I became a nutritionist. But I was really realizing that I was kind of outgrowing just talking about food. And I really wanted a way to talk about all of the things that I thought about, which was like health, nutrition, the nuances that go with that, lifestyle things. When the idea came to me I was also looking at a lot of ways that health is impacted by things that aren't as obvious or sexy, like food access, and the things that we have around food or diet culture. The podcast was a way to cover more facets of things that I was interested in talking about and actually start talking.

ND: 

Do you think being mixed has very obvious impacts in your life, or is it kind of, like, "I see it here and there but mostly I don't notice it"?

AS: A really funny question, because i feel like in the past year I've really been digging into and getting clear about the impacts of it. I mean, I realized being mixed meant being different, but I didn't realize how it impacted... all my behaviors, all my patterns.. It's been a really interesting thing that it took me awhile to realize that, "Oh yeah- being mixed. This is a big part of why I feel a certain way". I've always been aware that I've been mixed and that's something that I'm proud of. But it also has all of these layers that I didn't really realize until the past year and started looking at that like,  "Oh. Oh. Oh. This makes sense. This makes a lot of sense now."

ND: Have you noticed a difference in how people respond to you or how you respond to yourself being mixed? In terms of like... "When I was in elementary school it’s this, when I was in middle school, high school, college and beyond".

AS: Um…  When I was younger I looked more Chinese. So when I lived in the middle of the country it was pretty noticeable. I'm used to the, "So, what are you" question- like when I got older, in high school, I had like a pat answer and it made it funny like, "Oh I'm whasian" and people are like, "Oh thats so funny". And like you don't realize until later, you're like "Wow, that was such a micro aggression against myself, such an accommodation to make it funny". And when I moved back to L.A.- I moved back to L.A. for college- I didn't think about it. It was definitely a part of me, and I've never been shy to talk about my Chinese heritage. I'm really proud of that. But now I think about it a lot more, being mixed race. And I don't get that question as much anymore, it feels kind of strange. I feel like there is a thing, especially when you're more white, I think there is a weird tension of, "I want to be recognized for all of me". And when I look more white people may not acknowledge that I might be more than just a white person. So that's something that's really interesting.

ND: And what kind of things have you been doing to explore history or dive in your own culture?

AS: A few years back I did the twenty-three and me thing. Some of it is a mystery because on my grandmother's line on my mom's side, there are more people to ask. And there are more people doing records and stuff. My grandfather's side, she was an only child, so there's not a lot of information there. The Chinese side has always felt more mysterious because of all the different lines and how people came to the country. Was that legal, was that illegal, how did it actually happen? Even finding out there could be different stories for how people came but no one knows the real answer. The people that would have those answers have all passed. So, yeah right now it feels more important to find out about... There's always been a stronger pull with my Chinese side, I think because we also spent more time with them when I was growing up. Going to San Francisco was always... there's just so much more history for me than my white side. I mean I do feel a connection in some point, but something about my Chinese background just I feel much more connected to.

ND: From when you got into wellness from six years ago to now, have you noticed an expansion of the mind of the community? In terms of understanding either that privilege or just opening up the space to more cultures? We see a lot of things are opening up in terms of marginalized communities- is wellness following that trend too? 

AS: Yes and no. I think wellness sees it as a trend, but it's not a trend. It's something that's just a fact. Like these all things come from all different people and it's important to acknowledge those people and to make space for those folks or potentially not even go into a certain product line or field because someone else has at covered. Specific groups of people outside of white folks have huge purchasing power, have extreme brand loyalty. But because the default is whiteness, that's not quite seen or respected as much. These are things that everyone needs to learn, not just white people. It's important for everyone to see the systems that are making it difficult, or impossible in some cases, for other people to advance, get the exposure, get the level of clout, coverage, payment, all of that. So it's something that all of us can put the work in on the awareness, and really make sure that everyone is included at the table. Or we burn the table down and make a new table. 

ND: Wait that’s dope, I love that. If you had to leave something for other mixed people, whether you're a kid starting the journey or people who are still not quite sure where they fit- what’s a quick tip or piece of advice you would give?

AS: Find other mixed folks and talk with them. Because the feelings that you have, the questions, the fears the uncertainty, the longing, the not quite here or not quite there: you're not alone in that. So definitely try and find more mixed folk. And honestly a lot of the other mixed people that I've met through the Internet. So like sites like Mixedlife and like literally trolling, like "Who are they following? I'm going to follow these people" or finding organizations. Because having that community: whether it's just one conversation with one person or finding an organization or finding a website like yours, it just... If I had done that when I was younger, if I had had that community, I feel so many things I struggle with and have struggled with... I would have a very different relationship with them.