On today’s THE FOOD SEEN, Naomi Duguid has spent her life exhaustively traveling and documenting the greater part of Southeast Asia. Her cookbooks have introduced the true cuisines of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, greater China, and now Burma (aka Myanmar) Her latest tome, BURMA: Rivers of Flavor, explores SE Asia’s largest country, a rarely traversed region sitting at the crossroad of India and China. Waterways up and down the Irrawaddy river, a year round growing season, plentiful rice paddies, and deeply personal cooking full of crispy fried shallots, turmeric, banana flowers, dried shrimp powder, curries, culminate with simple yet sensational national dishes like Mohinga, rice noodles with fish broth usually eaten as breakfast. Get your flavor passport ready! This program has been sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"The word 'steamed' is not very appetizing to people when you think about meat... I don't know where this notion of 'bland' comes from in in terms of steamed meat, when in fact, it's succulent." [19:58]

"There's a light-handedness to the flavoring [of Burmese food] that I find very interesting." [24:27]

-- Naomi Duguid on THE FOOD SEEN

This week on A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio is joined by Canadian food writer Noami Duguid, who has authored seminal books such as "Seductions of Rice" and "Burma: Rivers of Flavor". Tune in and hear what it's like being an outsider in a foreign land and how Noami navigates cultures and communities to learn about the cuisine that lives amongst them. Find out how the politically oppressed people of Burma operate in their kitchens what makes their food simultaneously accessible and unique. From fish paste to garlic, discover the layered flavors of Burma and the delicious dishes that come from them. This program was sponsored by Hearst Ranch.

"I'm always a beginner - wherever I am. I will never be an expert. All I'm trying to do is get my head in a place where I have some understand of what grows there, how people think about their food, how things are made, what's important to them and what's not important of them." [3:43]

"I didn't want to talk about the people of Burma as victims because we think of victims as less than whole." [9:00]

"In Burmese culture, people use tea leaves in salad. They ferment them, use them fresh or dried." [21:00]

"My problem with breakfast in Burma is there are so many things I want to eat!" [26:50]

"Food is an entry point - it's a way of understanding how things work." [28:30]

-- writer Noami Duguid on A Taste of the Past

Natural wine and social justice are the topics on this week's episode of The Morning After! Jessie Kiefer and Jen Tullock celebrate their twentieth show as co-hosts with two awesome guests. Tune in to this episode to hear Jessie talk with Ariana Occhipinti. Ariana makes wines in Sicily, with her first vintage from 2004. Find out how Ariana's wines reflect the regions that they are from. Why did Ariana decide to make natural wines as opposed to using conventional methods? Later, Jessie and Jen chat with Emily Jacobi of Digital Democracy. Find out why Emily decided to start a non-profit that connected marginalized people to the Internet. How does modern technology empower different populations? Later, Jessie and Jen wrap up the show by talking about the Chardonnay's menu in airports nationwide! This program has been brought to you by Fairway Market.

"With a good grape you don't need to add too much, because if you follow the transformation of the grape, the result is often very good. It keeps the character of a place." [19:00]

-- Ariana Occhipinti on The Morning After