Meat + Three Heritage Radio Network

On this very special bonus episode of Meat and Three, we hear from our 2024 Julia Child Foundation Writing Fellow Loan Ngyuen, and get a glimpse into the new show she has spent the last 6 months developing. Nourishing Change dives into the story of three generations behind the longest running vegan restaurant in Philadelphia, as well as Loan’s own story with veganism. In this pilot episode, Loan touches on themes of cultural food access, community health and vegan soul food.

Third spaces are having a moment. From cafes and bars to parks and beaches, these informal gathering places are central to creating community – often with food at the center. In this episode of Meat and Three, we travel across the globe and through time to explore third spaces that build community around food.

What obligations do we have to the foodways we’ve inherited? As whole ways of life go extinct in the face of globalization and modern technology, what do we save, and why? Our reporters seek out the protectors of tiny taters, bacterial breads, and Aztec agriculture to understand how the past informs our present.

When we first began reporting this episode, we wanted to tell stories about foods, drinks, and experiences that fall outside what is typically considered “authentic.” We coined the term “purposefully IN-authentic” and ran with it until we couldn’t run any further. What we found instead is that choosing the road less traveled because it is the road that feels most true, might be the most exemplary form of authenticity. From entire cuisines, to community practices, to individual choices, to specific places (uh-um, Margaritaville), this episode celebrates a new definition of authenticity: commitment, genuineness and unabashed ingenuity.

Here at Meat and Three, cheese holds a special place in our hearts. Cheese can connect us to our past and future while making us more grounded in our present. It can bring us together and bring cultural traditions to life.

This week we explore the many facets of cheese. From at home cheese-making and cheese fortune telling, to the cheese traditions of Wisconsin and Mexico, join us in celebrating cheese in all its forms.

Today on Meat and Three we’re talking acknowledgement and celebration as a tool for social change and sustainability. And we’re doing so by celebrating our own archive; our reporters look back at some of their favorite stories from the HRN airwaves.