Wisconsin Life

Chef Jamie Hoang grew up loving spicy food, lime and cilantro. And that love and those flavors go into her recipes at Madison’s Ahan, a restaurant built on her culinary talent and Lao roots. Now, Hoang’s work is being recognized by the James Beard Awards as a semifinalist for Emerging Chef. We revisit this story as one of our favorite features of 2023.

Did you know the first lyrics for the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” were published in London in 1780? Not only that, but in the northern counties of England, the song was often called the “Ten Days of Christmas,” as there were only ten gifts. And did you know that “The Twelve Days of Christmas has a Wisconsin connection? Meg Jones explains how the song arrived in the United States.

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey is known for so many things. There’s her long-running talk show “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” her OWN TV Network and, of course, the massive giveaways. Oprah’s philanthropy extends far beyond TV show giveaways. Her deep need to give back was inspired by a moment in Milwaukee. Writer Dean Robbins takes us back to Oprah’s best Christmas.

Las Posadas are an important part of the Christmas tradition in Mexico. These community celebrations take place on each of the nine nights leading up to Christmas from December 16th to the 24th. The word “posada” means inn or shelter in Spanish and in this tradition, Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for a place to stay is reenacted.

Angelie Soria grew up in Mexico but now calls Milwaukee home. During a storytelling event hosted by Milwaukee’s Ex Fabula, she described Las Posadas in Mexico as a community event, but things changed when she came to the Midwest.

Comedian Esteban Touma is taking time to reflect on cold weather in Wisconsin. Born and raised in Ecuador, the state’s severe winters have tested him. But, an even greater challenge for Touma has been acclimating to how much Wisconsinites like to TALK about the weather.

In the early 20th century, millions of Jewish people fled Russia due to persecution and poor quality of life. Some of them ended up in Wisconsin. In Sheboygan, a former synagogue with an historic stained glass window acts as a testament to the area’s once thriving Jewish community. Molly Hunken brings us the story of the community through the history of Adas Israel, or White Shul, synagogue. The building’s stained glass window is part of the Wisconsin 101 project, which tells our state’s history through objects.

Though Steve and Emily Lakatos of Green Bay, Wisconsin met in their 30s, they both found out that it’s near impossible to escape the awkwardness of a first date. And though it didn’t go as well as they hoped, the one who set them up had the feeling that sometimes you just need a second chance. The couple talked with one another about that experience as part of a StoryCorps Mobile Tour stop in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Janel McCarville’s WNBA career included plenty of highlights, including a championship in 2013. The 6-foot-2 center also played internationally in Italy, China and Sweden. Her playing career came to an end in early 2022. But then, she returned to her hometown in Wisconsin. She wound up coaching high school girls basketball in Stevens Point – and is living in the same house she grew up in. WPR’s Rob Mentzer talked with McCarville about her life as a pro athlete.

When someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, how do we choose to preserve the memory of that person? Radio producer Alexandra Salmon and her mother-in-law Chris Thomas of Madison, Wisconsin have always been close. When Chris was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, Alexandra started recording some of their conversations. And on a perfect fall day, the two of them talked about Chris’s lifelong connection to Wisconsin and what she hopes to leave behind.

Wisconsin is one of 12 states that requires Native American content to be taught in schools. That prompted listener Maria Novotny to reach out to WPR’s WHYsconsin project, asking us how educators are teaching this in the classroom. As WPR’s Gaby Vinick reports, schools are working to integrate Indigenous histories, cultures and tribal sovereignty into the curriculum. But some educators say they’re concerned schools are not adequately tapping into available resources.