Patty Loew:
It's estimated that more than 47,000 Hmong live in Wisconsin and some are recent immigrants. A clash of cultures for elders raised in Laos can make the transition to a new homeland difficult. On that note, Bao Thao Vang came up with a recipe for success involving good food that's good for you in Appleton.

Liz Koerner:
Bao Thao Vang has a job that keeps her on the move. She covers three counties in the Fox Valley teaching nutrition to the large Hmong community in this area.

Bao Thao Vang :
A lot of the Hmong people now have high blood pressure and diabetes.

Liz Koerner:
One place where she teaches is Appleton North High School. Here she lets teens know not only how to make healthy meals, but how to make connections with their elders.

Bao Thao Vang :
What I teach the younger Hmong, I told them that this is what you are eating in this country but your in-laws or your parents, they like their own food so you can make this into Hmong food, too.

Liz Koerner:
One of the recipes they're learning to make is from Hmong rice cake, what most of  them eat at home.

Girl:
This is my first time to make it.

Liz Koerner:
Thao-Bang also goes out to educate the elder Hmong. They gather for classes sponsored by Lutheran Social Services at the Thompson Community Center in Appleton. She gives this group the same advice as the teens but in reverse.

Bao Thao Vang :
For example, for the elders I will make some American food and say, this is your children, what your grandchildren, when they go to school, this is the food that they eat.

Liz Koerner:
Bao Thao Vang is in a good position to understand the elders in her community from Laos and the generations of Hmong growing up here because she was born in Laos and at the age of eight came to America.

Bao Thao Vang :
My first day in school when the teacher talked you just hear the s sound. So it's really difficult. I thought how am I going to learn this language?

Liz Koerner:
It's her memories of learning a new language and culture that she calls on when teaching the elders about good nutrition. For them even shopping for groceries is a challenge.

Bao Thao Vang :
For Hmong people when they go there they don't take canned or boxed food. Because it's not that they don't like it. It is that they don't know how to cook.

Liz Koerner:
In addition to her in-person education efforts Bao Thao Vang hosts a Hmong language show on television. It is called “Bridging Hmong American” and presents a wide range of helpful ideas. The most popular show so far tackles the topic of turkeys.

Bao Thao Vang :
I had people come to me and say oh, we saw your show on the turkey and it is good.

Liz Koerner:
She says the turkey show came about because new immigrants were confused when offered a gift basket with a raw Thanksgiving turkey.

Bao Thao Vang :
And they go, well, this chicken is so big. How do we cook this chicken? Sometimes they cut it up and boil it like a chicken.

Liz Koerner:
With her media exposure and many nutrition classes, Thao Vang continues to spread the word about the health benefits that come from eating nutritious foods. That and a sympathetic ear make her a valuable resource to young and old in the Hmong community.

Bao Thao Vang :
I listen to them and try to be a person that they can go to if they have any questions on anything.

Patty Loew:
Repeats of the show “Bridging Hmong American” still air in the Fox Valley, but new production has been canceled by Time Warner cable. An extensive list of programs in the Hmong language is available through the Appleton public library. To find a link log onto our website at wpt.org and then scroll down and click on "In Wisconsin." Topics include health, safety and culture.