Joanne Molinaro on telling stories to change the world
Joanne Molinaro, known on social media as The Korean Vegan, is a master of the art of storytelling for social change. After the video in which she prepares Korean braised potatoes while describing how she worked as a janitor during high school in order to earn money to buy clothes to fit in with the cool kids went viral, she started producing 60-second recipe videos in which she tells stories about her family, immigrants from what is now known as North Korea.
In this episode, Joanne—a passionate social justice advocate—joins Evanna and Melanie to discuss how she uses storytelling and food strategically to promote empathy as the antidote to the division and conflict she sees in the world. Tune in to learn how Joanne has embraced the challenge of embodying her values by making significant changes in her life, while protecting the bonds she has with loved ones and honoring her cultural traditions.
Joanne Molinaro is an author, a food blogger, a TikTok star, a podcast host, a photographer, a former lawyer, a marathon runner, and an incredible storyteller. Her debut cookbook, The Korean Vegan Cookbook, was selected as one of the best cookbooks of 2021 by The New York Times and The New Yorker, among others. She has made TV appearances on The Food Network, CBS Saturday Morning, and ABC’s Live with Kelly and Ryan, and she's been featured in the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and more.
Joanne started her TikTok channel in 2020 as a coping mechanism for the isolation caused by the pandemic. She began posting content related to politics and life as a lawyer during quarantine. However, after a single post of her making Korean braised potatoes went viral, she shifted her attention to producing 60-second recipe videos while sharing stories about her heritage and her parents, who were born in what is now known as North Korea.
Learn more about Joanne at thekoreanvegan.com.
Check out her book, The Korean Vegan Cookbook.
Listen to The Korean Vegan podcast.
Follow her on social media:
Check out Melanie’s books Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows and Beyond Beliefs.
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This episode was edited by Andrew Sims.
