- Patty Loew:
It's estimated that
more than 47,000 Hmong
live in Wisconsin
and some are recent immigrants.
A clash of cultures
for elders raised in Laos
can make the transition to a new
homeland difficult.
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.
[speaking Hmoob]
- Bao Thao-Vang:
A lot of the Hmong people
now have high blood pressure
and diabetes.
[speaking Hmoob]
- 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 tell 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: Thao-Vang
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: Thao-Vang 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 of
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?
[speaking Hmoob]
- 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.
Thao-Vang speaking Hmoob]
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:
I hope 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
canceled by Time-Warner Cable.
An extensive list of programs
in the Hmong language
is available through
the Appleton Public Library.
To find a link, log on to our
website at W-P-T dot o-r-g
Then, scroll down and click on
In Wisconsin .
Topics include health, safety,
and culture.