IW820_hmong_nutritionist Transcript

Patty Loew: Well, it's estimated that more than 47,000 Hmong live in Wisconsin and some are recent immigrants. The transition to a new culture and customs can be difficult, especially when it comes to Thanksgiving. On that note, Bao Thao-Vang came up with a recipe for success involving good food that's good for you in Appleton.   

Liz Koerner:
Bao Thao-Vang has a job that keeps her on the move. She covers three counties in the Fox Valley teaching nutrition to the large Hmong community in this area.

Bao Thao-Vang:
A lot of the Hmong people now have high blood pressure and diabetes.   

Liz Koerner:
One place where Thao-Vang teaches is Appleton North High School. Here she lets teens know not only how to make healthy meals, but how to make connections with their elders. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
When I teach the younger Hmong, I told them, that this is what you're eating in this country, but your in-laws or your parents, they like the Hmong food, so you can make this into Hmong food too.   

Liz Koerner:
One of the recipes they're learning to make is for Hmong rice cake, a dessert most of them eat at home. 

Girl:
I have eaten it before, but this is my first time to make it.   

Liz Koerner:
Bao also goes out to educate the elder Hmong. They gather for classes sponsored by Lutheran Social Services at the Thompson community center in Appleton. She gives this group the same advice as the teens, but in reverse. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
For the elder I will make them American food and say, this is your children, your grandchildren, when they go to school, these are the food that they eat. 

Liz Koerner:
Bao is in a good position to understand both the elders in her community from Laos and the generations of Hmong growing up here. That's because she was born in Laos and at the age of eight came to America. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
My first day in school, when the teacher talked, you just hear the “s” sound, so it's really difficult. I go, how am I going to learn this language?   

Liz Koerner:
It's her memories of learning a new language and culture that she calls on when teaching the elders about good nutrition. For them, even shopping for groceries is a challenge. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
For our Hmong people, when they go there, they don't take canned food or boxed food because they -- it's not that they don't like it. It's that they don't know how to cook. 

Liz Koerner:
In addition to her in-person education efforts, Bao hosts a Hmong-language cable show on television. It's called "Bridging Hmong American" and presents a wide range of helpful ideas. The most popular show so far tackles the topic of turkeys. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
People come to me and say, we saw your show on the turkey and it's good. 

Liz Koerner:
She says the turkey show came about because new immigrants were confused when offered a gift basket with a raw Thanksgiving turkey. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
And they go, well, this chicken is so big. How do we cook this chicken? Sometimes they are cut up and boil it like a chicken. 

Liz Koerner:
With her media exposure and many nutrition classes, Bao continues to spread the word about the health benefits that come from eating nutritious food. That and a sympathetic ear make her a valuable resource to both young and old in the Hmong community. 

Bao Thao-Vang:
I listen to them and try to be a person that they can go to if they have any question about anything.   

Patty Loew:
Repeats of the show "Bridging Hmong American" still air in the Fox Valley, but new production has been cancelled. To find a link, log on to our website at wpt.org/inwisconsin. An extensive list of programs in the Hmong language is available through the Appleton Public Library.