Ube Industrial Complex

In this episode, we each talk about our "Proustian madeleine" or the taste sensation that sends our memories flooding back, and sets us off "in search of things past." We think critically about the role nostalgia plays in our food worlds, while exploring how place, fantasy and the formation of taste is related to certain Filipino foods.

We get into our attraction, repulsion and "lunch box politics" with various family dishes that were meant to be meaningful to us. Plus, our scene report dives into noodles (cold and hot), California-style bodega sandwiches, and a lively, large-format iteration of okoy.

Welcome to Ube Industrial Complex, a food-motivated limited podcast series that explores culinary scenes and broader pop cultural appetites from a Filipino American and Canadian POV. Co-hosted across three cities by Karen Tongson (L.A.), Adrian De Leon (NY), and James Zarsadiaz (SF), the show boasts both local perspectives, and a worldly sensibility across generations, migration routes, foodways, trends and tastes. In episode 1, we talk about ube, its origins, its role in food trends and why we think it has evolved into an "industrial complex" in Filipino food cultures. Plus, we offer scene reports about the places that have our attention in L.A., N.Y. and S.F., while bringing in some observations from our recent travels beyond our home cities.