The Athropology of Appetite: How Jolin Blends Cooking, Culture, and Curiosity
Jolin is a senior at Harvard College with a love for food that feels less like a passion and more like a language she’s always spoken. Her introduction to the kitchen came early, shaped by her mother’s steady hands and a chiffon cake recipe that’s since become tradition. Later, the pandemic gave her time to take food seriously—to slow down, to experiment, to document. She baked bread, she mastered family recipes, she found rhythm and ritual in flour and heat.
But food, for Jolin, is more than an act of creation. It’s a way of asking questions about history, culture, and identity. At Harvard, she studies History & Literature and Social Anthropology, with a focus on food studies and Asian American narratives. Her senior thesis—born of nights spent working as a server in a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley—explores the intersections of labor, memory, and sustenance.
I had the pleasure of learning more about Jolin's journey through food, how it's shaped her studies, and her dreams for the future.
I’d love to learn more about your introduction into the food world. How did you get started? What are you learning in school? What is your dream job after graduating?
My mom has always been such an amazing cook and baker! I grew up watching and helping her in the kitchen—I think the first thing I ever learned to bake was a chiffon cake (which now has become a beloved birthday tradition). But I think I first started to take food seriously during the pandemic (which is when I started my food account!), since I suddenly had a lot of extra free time. I was one of those sourdough people in 2020, but I especially loved taking the time to cook and bake with my mom and truly learn her and our family’s recipes.
In college, I learned that I could take my love for food even further! One of the first classes I took freshman year was a history of American food, which I absolutely fell in love with. Since then, I’ve pursued food studies (alongside Asian American studies) in my joint concentrations, History & Literature and Social Anthropology, and I was inspired to conduct my senior thesis research by working as a server in a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley! I feel like college has been a bunch of wonderful moments of realizing my passions both in and out the classroom. I hope to get my PhD in Anthropology and one day become a professor—perhaps still focused on food studies!
How incredible! I love how you've integrated your passions so seamlessly into your studies. The depth of your academic journey adds such a unique layer to your relationship with food. It’s not just about cooking; it’s about understanding the stories, histories, and cultures that every bite can tell.
You have such a poetic way of making and capturing food. What inspires you in the kitchen? How do you search for creativity when you’re feeling uninspired?
Thank you so much—this made my day! I think consuming a lot of food media has informed so much of what I cook and bake. This ranges from my Instagram explore page to my many years of watching The Great British Bake Off. But, for moments when I’m feeling uninspired, I always return to my mom’s cooking. Sometimes this means just helping her cook in the kitchen as her sous chef while she leads, and other days it means thinking back to my favorite childhood meals!
The Great British Bake Off is one of my all-time favorites. It always draws me right back into the kitchen to whip something up myself.
If you could only use three ingredients for the rest of your food-focused career, what would they be and why?
Ooh, this is such a tough question because I’m someone who must try something new, whether that’s something on a restaurant menu or a recipe. But there are always ingredients in my kitchen that I gravitate towards, so I’ll just pick my favorite ingredients, though I doubt they would taste well together: Japanese sweet potatoes (they do well in both savory and sweet applications), white pepper (so fragrant and adds something special to a dish), and tofu (one of my favorite proteins to work with—so versatile when you’ve learned how to cook with it).
I saw you spent some time in Mexico City this summer— I'm so jealous! What was the best thing you ate while you were there?
Mexico City is such an amazing place to be if you love food! I’m not even joking when I say that I still think about Comal Oculto’s enmolada (con pollo / with chicken) everyday. The mole is out of this world, and they are so deserving of making it to the Michelin Guide. Second place goes to Restaurante Rosetta’s papparadelle with chicken liver and sage! And that’s coming from someone who rarely likes liver.
Do you have a favorite city when it comes to food from all your travels?
I left Mexico City so full and so in love with the culture, but I’ve also had some of my favorite meals (and memories) in Taipei! From the night markets to bars to cafes, Taipei truly has everything and is such a welcoming place for travelers.
Adding to my travel bucket list! How do you incorporate influence from different cultures into your cooking?
I love making notes of my favorite dishes from around the world so that, when I return back to my kitchen, I can try to recreate them! There’s a page in my journal where I draw and describe my most memorable meals abroad. And, of course, I take lots and lots of photos. But when I’m back in my kitchen, I love combining recipes I’m familiar with or grew up with, with these new food experiences that I gained while traveling. A recent (unposted) favorite has been pork tamales with Chinese-style seasoning!
What’s the most rewarding part of baking and cooking for you?
I always love sharing my food with others! I don’t get to cook or bake often in college (it’s just too time-consuming and I don’t always have access to a kitchen), but when I did, I loved going around to each of my friends’ dorms and dropping off some of my baked goods. But I would also say that I love the knowledge that I get from trying something new! I think there’s always something to learn from a recipe, whether that’s a new technique or mistakes that you know to avoid in your next attempt.
I could not agree more. What’s the most rewarding feedback you've received about your baked goods?
I love when my mom asks me to make something again! Her feedback means a lot to me, and though I know she’ll always be supportive, it feels like such an honor to hear those words!
Yes! I know I did a good job when my boyfriend asks me to make it again - it's such a rewarding feeling. Do you have any final advice for people interested in getting into the food world?
Savor your meals and take your time to figure out your favorite dishes, cuisines, flavors, textures, etc. I always say that there are only so many meals in a person’s lifetime, so make each one count. I don’t mean that it has to be the best meal of your life each time, but I do hope that each one teaches you something new about cooking/baking or about yourself! And enjoy the process of learning—document your progress and let yourself make mistakes, spill things, and burn dishes. These, rather than your most successful attempts, are the moments when you grow the most!
Thank you Jolin for diving into your world. We can't wait to see what you do! Keep up with Jolin through @jolinfromscratch, where she shares bits and bites of her food adventures.
Cheers,
Maya
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