The reporter who was called “very Asian” by a racist viewer has written the children’s book A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food. 

The reporter who was called “very Asian” by a racist viewer has written the children’s book A Very Asian Guide to Korean Food. When Michelle Li shared her New Year’s tradition of eating dumplings this January, a racist viewer left the station a voicemail in which she called Li “very Asian” and told her to “keep her Korean to herself.” The incident, and Li’s reaction video, sparked a flurry of support and made the hashtag #VeryAsian go viral, with Asian American users specifically using it to share what makes them proud to be Asian. Li not only started The Very Asian foundation in the aftermath, she’s now written a book to teach kids to have pride in Korean food. The book shows colorful illustrations and trivia about traditional dishes like “kimchi, mandu (Korean dumplings) and bingsu (Korean shaved ice dessert).” As Li expressed, “I don’t think anyone should be embarrassed about food because food is who we are.” (NBC News)