Millennial Brewing Company hosted its eighth annual Asian Street Food Festival on Friday, Feb. 13, drawing folks from across Southwest Florida to celebrate different cultures.
The smell of grilled adobo traveled throughout the downtown Fort Myers crowd as attendees sampled dishes from across Asia and watched traditional dance performances.
Near the dance floor, Melinda Nguyen watched her daughter twirl in a traditional Hmong dress, honoring her heritage and an ethnic group whose history is closely tied to the United States.
During the CIA-led “Secret War” in Laos, thousands of Hmong men were recruited to fight alongside American forces during the Vietnam War. After the war ended, many Hmong families fled Laos and eventually resettled in the United States. Nguyen said many Americans are unaware of that history.
“The Hmong is spelled H-M-O-N-G, Hmong,” Nguyen said. “During the Vietnam War, we helped with the CIA. So, a lot of people don’t know that, but we helped the Americans, and that’s how we got to the United States.”
Decades later, Nguyen said preserving cultural identity remains important, even as younger generations grow up speaking English and assimilating into American life.
“Even though we don’t speak the native tongue anymore, we just have to remember where we came from and what we are, because we’re a minority,” she said.
Maey Jarin traveled from Orlando to showcase Filipino food at the festival. She said events like the Asian Street Food Festival create opportunities for cultural exchange and understanding.
“Embrace and learn other cultures too,” Jarin said. “It’s diversity.”
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