Digest This! Series Kick-Off
featuring Tamara van der Does and Hue-Chan Karels
This monthly interdisciplinary public program series engages audiences in timely and important cultural conversations by offering creative and inspiring "bite-sized" talks followed by a tasting prepared by a local chef. The 2020 Digest This programs are centered on scholarship related to the works on view in Displaced: Contemporary Artists Confront the Global Refugee Crisis and are made possible in part with support from the New Mexico Humanities Council.
Dr. Tamara van der Does is a computational sociologist who studies people’s identities and beliefs — how they develop, how they change over time, and how they relate to larger social factors such as social networks, cultural norms, and national policies. She is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Santa Fe Institute, working with Professor Mirta Galesic on modeling belief change using techniques inspired by statistical physics. Her presentation will cover how migration continuously transforms human societies. Dr. van der Does will discuss how changes in large-scale policy and cultural beliefs impact the day-to-day experience of migration — and how individual experiences of migration can in turn change policy and culture.
Born in Da Nang, the largest city of Central Vietnam, Hue-Chan Karels, Chef-Owner of Open Kitchen, and her family settled in the U.S. as refugees in the aftermath of the Vietnam war in 1975. Hue-Chan will take you on a culinary journey of flavors and techniques that make up Vietnamese cuisine. She will share recipes and stories that bring Vietnamese food to life on your plate. In addition to learning about the balancing and health benefits of essential ingredients, and the fundamentals of food preparation and presentation, participants can experience a glimpse of Vietnamese history and culture. Hue-Chan Karels will be preparing “Bánh Cuốn”– Vietnamese Steamed Rice Crêpes filled with Ground Pork and Shiitake Mushroom, served Nước Chấm, Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, and Bean Sprouts and Fresh Herbs. This dish is significant to her as this was the last dish her family feasted on as we departed Vietnam on April 23, 1975 - a week before Saigon fell.
With support from the New Mexico Humanities Council, ten tickets for each program are being offered at a "pay what you can up to $5" amount. We are happy to make this event accessible to a diverse range of socio-economic levels.