By Loan-Anh Pham, AsAmNews Associate Editor
We’re back with even more suggestions to brighten your holiday season. With a range of products from apparel to books, we’re celebrating our badass Asian American community every step of the way. If you’re looking for more ideas, check out our other list of 12 AAPI-inspired holiday gifts.
FOOD
A Vietnamese-owned small business based in San Francisco, Sôcôla Chocolatier pays homage to Asian flavors in its popular Little Saigon Box ($39 for a box of 12). With chocolate truffles in flavors such as phở, Vietnamese coffee, durian and sriracha, this gift is perfect for the adventurous foodie in your life.
OMSOM’s line of sauce packets promises to provide shortcuts to authentic Asian flavors for hapless chefs everywhere. OMSOM’s products are a collaboration between AsAm New York City chefs, coming in bold flavors such as Thai Larb, Filipino Sisig and Vietnamese Lemongrass BBQ (starting at $12).
LATEST STORIES
Nguyen Coffee Supply is all about keeping Vietnamese coffee traditional. The Brooklyn-based business imports coffee beans straight from Vietnam, and sells kits with a variety of blends and phin filters, such as Original Phin Kit (starting at $27), which comes with a stainless steel filter and a bag of coffee — perfect for the caffeine-addicts on your gift list.
HOME & APPAREL
Nothing says 2020 like a face mask. Each WhereYouAreCo face mask ($28 each) features fabrics in stunning patterns, and is named after an Asian American activist, from Grace Lee Boggs to Lily Chin, mother of the late Vincent Chin.
A South Asian-owned business, Scrumptious Wick makes vegan, hand-poured soy wax candles that are the perfect gift to warm those wintry nights. Their Nostalgia Collection (starting at $12) hosts a variety of unique scents, including Mango Lassi and Nag Champa Incense.
BOOKS
A 2020 National Book Award Winner, Charles Yu’s satirical Interior Chinatown ($15 for paperback) dives into the intersections between race, assimilation and pop culture, with a large heaping of humor.
The debut collection by Laotian Canadian author Souvankham Thammavongsa, How to Pronounce Knife: Stories is a deeply personal look into the tragedies and joys of the immigrant experience. The critically acclaimed How to Pronounce Knife was named one of Time Magazine‘s Must-Read Books of 2020.
A tale of a homeless ghost who haunts a busy Tokyo train station, Tokyo Ueno Station explores marginalization and urbanization. This 2020 National Book Award winner is perfect for the avid reader on your gift list.
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