Is food the language of love or horror? Director Lulu Wang has thoughts

"Many in the audience were admirers of Wang's work as the director of "The Farewell," which won the 2020 Independent Spirit Award for best feature, and as the creator of last year's Amazon Prime series "Expats." She was onstage with Sana Javeri Kadri, founder of Diaspora Spice Co.; cookbook author and L.A. Taco editor in chief Javier Cabral, and her brother, the chef Anthony Wang of the Chinatown restaurant Firstborn, which presents his personal vision of modern Chinese American cuisine."

"The group had been assembled for an L.A. edition of MAD Mondays, the public talk series hosted by the Melina Shannon-DiPietro-led nonprofit started by Copenhagen chef Rene Redzepi, who is preparing for a 2026 Los Angeles residency of his restaurant Noma (exact dates and ticket info are yet to be announced). The conversation, moderated by Cabral, centered on the idea of borders and how the exchange of ingredients and cooking traditions shape the food we eat."

""People have been moving around and sharing food and culture for a very long time," said Javeri Kadri, who pointed out that the Romans and South India's Tamils first began trading black pepper and silver 3500 years ago. (Restaurant critic Bill Addison, by the way, called Javeri Kadri's Aranya black pepper "an epiphany," with surprising notes of red wine and nutmeg.)"

Lulu Wang appeared at Hauser & Wirth alongside Sana Javeri Kadri, Javier Cabral and chef Anthony Wang to explore cultural borders and culinary exchange. The gathering formed part of an L.A. edition of MAD Mondays, connected to Rene Redzepi's upcoming 2026 Noma residency. Conversation focused on how ingredient movement and shared cooking traditions shape food across regions. Historical trade examples included early commerce in black pepper and silver between Romans and South India's Tamils 3,500 years ago. Anthony Wang's Firstborn offers a personal vision of modern Chinese American cuisine. Diaspora Spice's Aranya black pepper received praise for epiphanic flavors.

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