#ThisIsAppalachia: Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
In recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we are celebrating the work of two folks that are making a difference in East Tennessee. A special thank you to our grantee partner Asian Culture Center of TN for introducing us to Miki Nolin, who went to Japan to learn how to make authentic ramen noodles and then opened Ramen Bones, and LayKoon Huang, who opened the first urgent care clinic in Knoxville.Unfortunately, were not able to publish this edition of #ThisIsAppalachian in time to adequately promote their annual festival, but you can get more information about the Center and the festival here. www.knoxasianfestival.comWe asked both Miki and LaKoon a few questions. Here is what they said.
Miki Nolin
Q: What was your favorite age growing up?
I enjoyed elementary and middle school age. I would visit my dad and family in Japan every summer with my brother, and that was always a good time. We also moved around a lot growing up, so I got to see a lot of America, and it was fun interacting with different cultures and different people. Although it was difficult leaving friends, I still keep in touch with some of them, and it's nice to have lifelong friends around the country and world.
Q: What are your hobbies, and how did you get into them?
I work a lot, so I don't get too much time off, but when I do, I enjoy spending time with my friends, family, and dogs.
Q: Would you rather go swimming or camping?
Probably camping, but both sound great.
Q: What do you like most about living here?
For me, it's another place to call home besides Hiroshima. I moved around a lot, so I never really had a community until Knoxville. I've lived here for over 10 years now, and I've come to love the friendships I've made here. I like having my usual spots - like my coffee spot, my bar night spot, my dog walking spot, etc. It's nice walking around town or running errands and seeing familiar faces.
Q: What would you like to see changed in our region?
I would love to see all of the small businesses in Knoxville thrive. I've come to know or know about a lot of makers, artists, and creators in Knoxville, and there's so much talent here. It's a very diverse group of people doing amazing things.
Q: We were told that you went to Japan to learn how to make authentic ramen noodles and then you opened Ramen Bones. Please tell us a little more about this. What made you want to do this? What was rewarding? What were some of the challenges? Would you do it all over again?
I grew up eating ramen in Japan, and I often would seek out ramen when traveling in Japan and around the US. I was thinking about what I would like to see in Knoxville, and there're a lot of places to get ramen, but there wasn't a spot dedicated specifically to ramen. There's an appreciation of craftsmanship in Japan and also in East Tennessee, so I was very much inspired by that to learn more about the craft of ramen in Japan and share it with Knoxville. There's been many challenges opening and maintaining Ramen Bones food truck. I'm very much new to business, so it's been a lot of trial and error figuring out all of the logistics of running a business. My mom and I really love our customers and seeing them every week. I also love making the ramen and the process of it all. Yes, I would do it all over again.Here is a link to Ramen Bones website: https://www.ramenbones.net
Q: Is there something you would like to share about your experience?
Everyone in Knoxville - especially the food truck community and small business community - has been so encouraging and supportive. It's definitely a lot of work, but I appreciate all the support from our customers and community.
LayKoon Huang
Q: What was your favorite age growing up?
High school
Q: What are your hobbies, and how did you get into them?
Travelling - Always interested in how people in other parts of the world live - their culture, what makes them happy, the family structure, their foods, beliefs.
Cooking - I love to eat good foods. My mother was the best cook I have ever known, I would love to be respected for my cooking as much as she was.
Q: Would you rather go swimming or camping?
Swimming
Q: What do you like most about living here?
I love the weather - four seasons, but not extreme. I love the green outdoors.
Q: What would you like to see changed in our region?
More diversity in race and ethnicity.
Q: We were told that you opened the first urgent care in Knoxville. Please tell us a little more about this. What made you want to do this? What was rewarding? What were some of the challenges? Would you do it all over again?
I was working as an emergency physician in Cookeville, TN, when the concept of urgent care clinics became popular. It made sense to me that if a person gets sick, he/she should be able to walk in and see a doctor right away, rather than make an appointment or go to the emergency room. So, I decided to open an urgent care clinic and at the same time get training in this new field. My 6 years as an emergency physician was perfect training for this new field.
Initially, the challenges did not come from the public, they loved it! On my first day, I saw 33 patients! But ER physicians were upset - they challenged me to public debate on radio and TV, because they thought that I would take the easy patients from the ER and leave them only the critically ill ones. Of course, it turned out that ER doctors got to see the patients they were trained to treat and urgent care doctors saw the patients who needed care, but could not get in to see their primary care doctor right away.
The name of the urgent care center was First Care located in North Knoxville.Q: Is there something you would like to share about your experience?
I cannot imagine a better, happier and more satisfying work experience than I have had for 30 years as a primary care physician in Knoxville, TN.
Asians live and work throughout Appalachia and the Southeastern U.S. region but the percentage of total population while growing is small. Some communities have significant Asian communities (2.24% of Charleston, WV; 4.9% of Collegedale, TN; 6.3% of Farragut, TN; 3.1% of Loudon County, TN were born in Asia and include Nepalese and Filipinos). There are communities where Asians are the fourth largest percentage of population after Caucasians, African-Americans and Hispanics. Asian businesses range from small to sizeable enterprises in auto parts, health care, manufacturing, transportation, and aviation. Companies with Asian-based headquarters provide a wider range of employment opportunities.
