EXCLUSIVE: Children’s book ‘Mami King’ celebrates Filipino Chinese culinary heritage

With diverse roots and origins, Filipino food is steeped in history – and the Chinese played an important part in the concoction of some of the best dishes, like mami.

For every heaping bowl of mami lies a story of love, perseverance and culinary innovation, which come to life in the children’s book, “Mami King: How Ma Mon Luk Found Love, Riches, and the Perfect Bowl of Soup.”

Crafted by Filipino Chinese author Jacqueline Chio-Lauri, with the vivid illustrations of New York-based illustrator Kristin Sorra, this book offers readers of all ages a peek into the rich tapestry of Filipino Chinese cuisine.

Both the young and young-at-heart will love reading “Mami King” for its engaging and relatable storytelling. Set mostly in the Philippines, its vibrant graphics sumptuously serve up lessons on culture, family and the joys of food exploration. 

Mami King’s New York-based illustrator Kristin Sorra

If you’re intrigued by the interplay of food, history and culture, this Filipino Chinese book is for you — a narration of Ma Mon Luk’s odyssey in love and success leading to the birth of Mami noodle soup in the Philippines. 

Bringing this historical saga to life,  author Jacqueline, known for her treasure trove of immigrant food stories (with some recipes on the side) teams up with an award-winning illustrator and together they weave a Filipino Chinese children’s book that is engaging and visually captivating.

You may also like: LOOK: New book features swatches of 30 weaves and patterns from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao

A peek behind the curtain: Exclusive interview with Jacqueline Chio-Lauri

Mami King’s author Jacqueline Chio-Lauri

In my exclusive interview with the author herself, she delves into the core of “Mami King,” its connections to her previous pieces and the influence of her roots on her masterpiece.

Does your new book MAMI KING have similarities with the themes of your previous works?

My previous books (The New Filipino Kitchen & We Cook Filipino) are collections of short stories or mini-biographies, if you will, that revolve around Filipino food. Each story is followed by a recipe, just like Mami King. In Mami King, I share my fun-to-make, handmade and homemade mami noodle recipe that is easy enough for kids to follow with only a little help needed from an adult.  I’d say that MAMI KING is an extension of my previous work but geared towards a younger audience. Filipinos live in all corners of the world but not much is known about our culture and us as a people. I’d like to help change that by sharing our food culture, history and values.

How did your own roots, your food culture, history and values play a part in crafting this masterpiece?

I am the daughter of a Filipino mother and a Chinese immigrant father who met each other in Manila’s Chinatown, where most of the book’s story takes place.

I only came across the story of Ma Mon Luk in 2018 when I was preparing for a meeting with the executive producer of Street Food, a documentary series on Netflix. I fell madly in love with the story! In so many ways, it’s like a classic fairy tale and the fact that it’s a true story made it even more inspiring to me. Call me naive or excessively optimistic, but I thought it would make a wonderful Disney Pixar classic! At that time, there were no Pixar animated movies that showcased Filipino characters or the Philippines so I thought, wouldn’t it be so cool if…?

In 2020, I decided to write stories for kids about overlooked figures in not-so-known settings. Of course, Mami King is one of the first that came to mind.

Anyway, though Mami King has not become the Disney/Pixar movie I envisioned, with this book and Kristin Sorra’s illustrations, it’s almost as if I’m seeing the story on the big screen.

What cultural experiences influenced this book centered on Filipino Chinese culinary heritage?

I think one of the reasons I was drawn to Ma’s story is because my father, like Ma, was a Chinese immigrant in the Philippines. My father passed away when I was very little. We don’t know of any relatives on my father’s side so that part of my ancestry and heritage remains a big mystery to me. In a way, writing MAMI KING was like an attempt to fill this void that was formed from not having a chance to get to know my dad.

What motivated you to bring your story to a global audience?

I would like readers to get a glimpse of Filipino food and culture and how it intersects with Chinese food and culture through the retelling of a true story. MAMI KING touches on universal themes that could resonate to the global audience; themes such as discrimination on the basis of wealth, breaking class barriers, perseverance and love. I just couldn’t resist retelling it to the world.

How did your previous works influence the writing approach you used in MAMI KING? Are there any challenges you’ve encountered while working on it?

My previous works have helped me a lot with crafting stories based on real life. Most of the time, you don’t have all the details you need to complete a compelling piece. In addition, unlike with fiction, you don’t have the liberty to make up things and let your imagination run wild. With “Mami King,” I had to use logical assumptions that are historically befitting to fill in the gaps.

My previous works have also helped me with developing recipes.

What do you aim for readers, especially the younger generations, to discover and take away from Ma Mon Luk’s story?

Ultimately, I would like Mami King to serve as a gentle reminder to all readers, young and old, and myself too, that love— not money or material possessions—is our true fortune. Love fuels people to persist, to be kind, to be generous, to embrace each other’s differences and to make it against all odds.

 What’s next for you? Are there any new projects on the horizon?

I have a project in the pipeline with another publisher. We are still in the editing stages. It’s a picture book biography of an inspiring figure in Philippine history who saved thousands of lives during and before World War II. 

British author Emma Pearl describes the book as “an absolutely wonderful and inspiring story, beautifully illustrated,” with all its depth and hefty layers. If you’re a hopeless romantic, as Pearl sees it, you’ll find that it’s love that pushed Ma Mon Luk to achieve the impossible.

This Filipino Chinese book, which includes a kid-friendly recipe, also touches on Chinese immigration to the Philippines and reveals the simple devices Ma Mon Luk used when selling food on the streets.

Launched last April 2, 2024, the book is now available on Amazon.