Postcard from Rockport - “Blessed Egg Rolls by the Bay”
Saint Peter’s Catholic Church, Rockport, Texas
The third most spoken language in Texas behind English and Spanish is Vietnamese. This is especially evident in Houston, a metropolis that's home to more than 120,000 residents of Indo Chinese descent where restaurant menus tout such Texas-Asian dishes as Viet-Cajun crawfish, brisket pho and Vietnamese beef fajitas. Considering that prior to 1975 the city's population claimed fewer than 100 Vietnamese, this community's growth and visibility is remarkable. Yet the mass migration that followed the fall of Saigon not only reshaped the politics and foodscapes of urban centers like Houston, Dallas and New Orleans, but smaller towns along the Gulf Coast. In this episode, we'll explore this impact through a visit with the congregants of Saint Peter's Catholic Church, in the town of Rockport, Texas. Founded by Vietnamese arrivals in the early 1980s, they have long raised funds through a monthly Saturday cook off. While sampling egg rolls, bun and shrimp, we'll hear stories that reveal not only the history and challenges of resettlement, but hope of the American promise, and how coastal Texas and Vietnam share more in common than one might initially realize.
Diane Wilson’s successful lawsuit against Formosa Plastics violations of the Clean Water Act are at the center of the “Point Comfort” episode of the Netflix documentary series, Dirty Money. For more information on the ongoing campaign to clean the waters of Lavaca and San Antonio Bays near Seadrift, click here.
