Meet Annie R U Ok To Nom | Content Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Annie R U Ok To Nom and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annie R U Ok To Nom, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I was born and raised in Dallas! I am a child of immigrants, so I also grew up in the diaspora. It’s interesting to notice the parallel between my parents’ lives and mine. We are ethnically Chinese, and my parents grew up in Vietnam. So in a sense,they were also caught between cultures.

My parents’ dream was to make it in America and be able to provide a comfortable life for my brother and me. This required an incredible amount of discipline, often at the expense of their well-being. There was a strong mentality of, “Keep your head down and work. Don’t rock the boat.”It was a survival tactic. As a result, I witnessed them be at the mercy of racism from a very young age. At the time, I didn’t understand the concept of racism, but I knew that it felt like injustice.

During my childhood, I too experienced overt racism, from other kids in school and even my teachers. My mom used to bring warm, home cooked noodles to school and eat with me. I loved it! But the other kids would make fun of me and say that it looked like worms, and smelled bad. My mom didn’t need to fully understand what they were saying to sense their hostility – so she started bringing me Happy Meals.

Now as an adult, I’ve inherited their discipline in order to develop my passions, and I have tools in my arsenal to battle against injustice.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a Product Manager by day and a Content Creator by night. One of the first lessons I learned as a Product Manager was that ideas are worthless if they can’t be brought to life. As a photographer and videographer, I am able to weave together the passions and ideas of chefs and restaurant owners into a story that I tell through my content. I love and appreciate the artistry behind good food, and I specialize in highlighting that with my work.

My strength lies in my curiosity. I am someone who wants to try a million different things. As a result, I am constantly trying new photography and videography techniques to improve my skills. Because I am constantly experimenting, I notice minute details in my subjects that others may skim by.

As a child of the Asian American diaspora, I used to be shamed for my culture. Now, I can proudly advocate for small immigrant-owned establishments, many of whom are surprised anyone would want to photograph their food. So it’s nice to shine a light on their dishes and receive the feedback, “I never thought my food could look so pretty.” followed with, “Please help get the word out on the internet.”

I am still a growing content creator with a modest size following but I can guarantee I put a lot of heart in my work.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
On my not so short, short list (if they have an IG handle, I will include it):

•The French Room in the Adolphus hotel for tea time. (@thefrenchroom_)

•Doma Seolleongtang for the best Korean bone broth. (@domaseolleong)

•Taste of Peking in Plano for some hand pulled noodles from the charismatic Chef Charlie.

•Bangkok Dee Thai for some phenomenal Thai food. (@bangkokdethaicuisine)

•Fowling DFW for some fun football+bowling but be sure to warm up that throwing arm! (@fowlingdfw)

•China Queen in Carrollton for some delicious Chinese food.

•Meet Fresh for some Taiwanese desserts. (@meetfreshdfw)

•Mitsuwa Marketplace to get some fresh sashimi grade fish to make sushi at home. (@mitsuwa_plano)

•Waya Ramen for some of the best Japanese ramen in Dallas. (@waya_dallas)

•The Charles for some delicious, Italian-ish dishes. (@thecharlesdallas)

•Blackbird Society for a beautiful speakeasy with fun cocktails. (@blackbirdsocietydallas)

•Koryo for consistently delicious Korean food. (@koryobbq)

•Soju101 for one of my beloved late night bites: the takoyaki pizza. (@soju101.dallastx)

•Round 1 for crane games and rhythm games. (@round1usa)

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Growing up, my mom always let me try new interests despite knowing that I’d likely grow bored easily. This taught me 3 important lessons: stay curious to pursue interests, pick up skills quickly, and learn when something is/is not a good fit for me.

So definitely a huge thank you to my family!

I have to give my Soju Squad, Dj Thi Rex, and Avucado shoutouts and gratitude. They are my biggest supporters. They are so patient, encouraging, and generous with sharing their experience to help my efforts in growing as a photographer and videographer.

And huge thanks and gratitude to my partner. She is so supportive of my food blogging. Not only does she hold lighting for me to capture the shot, she’s really such a light in my life.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/annieruoktonom?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Other: TikTok: @annieruoktonom

Image Credits
Vu Tuan (Portrait of Annie) Amy Zhang (Portrait of Annie) Annie R U Ok To Nom (food and beverage photos)