Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! The History of Japanese Food in America

Gil Asakawa will guide us through Japanese-American history through food and his book, Tabemasho! Let's Eat! Get a tasty look at how Japanese food has evolved in America from an exotic and mysterious—even "gross"—cuisine to the peak of culinary popularity, with sushi sold in supermarkets across the country and ramen available in hipster restaurants everywhere. Join us for a lecture and a book signing. This lecture is part of the 2025-2026 Rosenberry Lecture Series.

About the Speaker: Gil Asakawa is a cultural consultant, journalist, author, and blogger who covers Japan, Japanese American, and Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) culture and identity in blogs, articles, and social media. His blog is at www.nikkeiview.com. He is a nationally known speaker, panelist, and expert on Japanese American and Asian American history and identity. He’s the author of Being Japanese American (Stone Bridge Press), a history of Japanese in America originally published in 2004 and revised in 2014, and co-author of The Toy Book (Alfred Knopf, 1991), a history of the toys of the Baby Boom generation. His latest book is Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! (Stone Bridge Press), a history of Japanese food in America. His career as a journalist began with Denver’s weekly alternative newspaper, Westword, where he served as music editor and investigative reporter, then as entertainment editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette, online editor for the Denver Post, and a pioneering leader in digital media sites and startup companies. He is a member of the board of Colorado Asian Pacific United (CAPU) and the current Chair of the Denver-Takayama Sister City Committee. Asakawa served twice as president of the Mile High chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), and has written a column called “Nikkei Voice” for the JACL’s national “Pacific Citizen” newspaper since the early 2000s. The author was born in Japan and raised in the U.S. and has eaten his way through this amazing food revolution.

A hearing loop assistive listening system is available for this program to assist guests with hearing loss. Please see our accessibility information for more details.

Commemorating America's 250 - Colorado's 150 Anniversary.