May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month and FDR Park is home to Southeast Asian Market vendors. Strolling the stalls, customers can find traditional street barbecue, spicy tropical salads, sweet drinks and so much more. Additionally, for this refugee community, finding belonging took many years.The crowds gather around the hot smoke of the grills, and, nearby, fresh green papaya is found for salads.Freshly pressed sugar cane is found in the market.
"They are so used to living back at home that, you know, vending is basically their way to go. You see it all in the street. Street food is like the real thing, back home," Business Service Manager Jennie Nam said. "I look back just two years ago. We were still hiding in the bushes," Nam added. "We were still unofficial, but now, since we made the partnership and everything is growing, it’s like you look around and you see it’s not just for the Southeast Asian community. You can see it’s obviously for the common public."