A Chinese-Malaysian journalist and director of marketing communications at Kalamazoo Community Foundations, Sarah Lee reflects upon her article “Why do I cook?”, an intimate examination of the connection between food and identity. She connects the methodical process of cooking to the more personal and vulnerable lens of her heritage, as food becomes a way of expressing community, care, and love between her and her family. Lee also discusses her 31 Stories for AAPI Month project, in which her words become a vessel for remembrance of the cultural roots that were slowly displaced after she immigrated to the United States. Amidst her personal recollections, Lee connects her own individual experiences with the increased violence against AAPI individuals during the pandemic. She reflects upon the cultural scapegoating of Asian-Americans, the sudden hypervisibility she felt due to COVID, and the media’s obsession with tragedy as a form of public consumption. While such large acts of violence and bigotry at times made her feel helpless, Lee also talks about her involvement in an Asian affinity group in her local community as a form of self-care and communal uplifting. Throughout, Lee’s passions–cooking, writing, her involvement in her community–shine through as powerful channels of self-expression, racial empowerment, and healing in a time characterized by hatred and uncertainty.