9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Food is all about connection.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I know for me, the taste [br]of a piping hot Earl Grey

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
always reminds me of comfort[br]and security of home.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And, you know, particularly [br]when we feel disconnected,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that taste can mean everything.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
However, there are some people [br]who simply cannot go home.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
People like the Uyghurs,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a Muslim minority group[br]from Western China.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Isobel Yeung went there undercover [br]last year to report on camps

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where China has imprisoned[br]more than a million Uyghurs

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
To quote unquote re-educate[br]them away from their traditions.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
One of these traditions is [br]their distinctly unique cuisine

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and style of cooking.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And for the more than 1 million[br]Uyghurs now living outside of China,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's never been more important.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
PRESERVING CULTURE

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So what's the secret[br]to making good laghman?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The dough has to be prepared right.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Who taught you how to do this?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My mom.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We grow up eating laghman,[br]making laghman.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In my country, I was a nurse.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
[After] coming to America,[br][I became] a restaurant chef.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) Oh, my god.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Wow, perfect.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Oh, my god, that texture is amazing,[br]they're like the perfect consistency.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Uyghur food is really interesting[br]because it does seem

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like a mix of different types of foods.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There's definitely [br]some Chinese elements in there

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with noodles, and garlic, and ginger,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but then there's also a lot of like [br]Central Asian flavors, right?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) <i>Adila and her mom, [br]Maria, are Uyghurs.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They come from Northwest China[br]in a region called Xinjian.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Unlike the majority of China's[br]population who are Han Chinese,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Uyghurs are mostly[br]Muslim Turkic ethnicity

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who have their own language and[br]traditions much closer to Central Asia.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My favorite Uyghur dish[br]is laghmen or lamian,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hand-pulled noodles served with meat,[br]pepper, scallions, cumin, and spices.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What does the laghmen mean to you?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Laghmen is a traditional dish[br]passed down from the ancestors.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That is also why we teach our children[br]how to make laghmen and tell them,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Don't forget Uyghur culture.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Remember us when you are making laghmen."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you, bye. [br]Have a good one. Thank you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) <i>Adhila moved from China to[br]Boston to study when she was 17,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>almost a decade later,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>she opened the only Uyghur restaurant[br]in Massachusetts at the time,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>with dishes based on her mom's recipes.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>During that time, Uyghur lives in China [br]have deteriorated dramatically.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>In an effort to, in their words, [br]"combat terrorism,"</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>The Chinese government[br]has sent over 1 million Uyghurs</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>to sprawling prison like camps [br]over the last three years.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Here they're frequently interrogated[br]and tortured, banned from practicing Islam,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>and forced to recite [br]Chinese Communist Party ideology.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Xinjian has been transformed[br]into a dystopian surveillance state.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Maria and Adila's own family [br]have been swept up in the crackdown.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>In 2018, Adila's father-- [br]Maria's husband,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>stopped answering their calls.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Eventually, they learned [br]he too had been taken to the camps.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My family are on my mind[br]and in from of my eyes

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
all the time when I'm working.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If I don't think about them,[br]I might lose my motivation.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The father of my children is in jail.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) <i>When Adila is not working [br]in her restaurant six days a week,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>She's searching for any information[br]she can find about her dad.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is my father, born in 1971.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What did he tell you about [br]how the situation is changing in Xinjian?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He's like, you know,[br]we can't talk directly.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We always said, <i>cold</i> or <i>warm</i>.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Because he's worried about [br]the Chinese government listening?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yeah.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And if anyone get detained,[br]they would say, "He left."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My father always call me[br][the favorite tree.]

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Adila's father)[br]<i>Adi hun. Adi hun. Adi hun.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>I miss you, Adi hun.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Adi hun, my child.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I like it a lot.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) <i>Uyghurs is China can be [br]locked away for anything from praying,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>wearing a long beard[br]or having relatives abroad.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>In our dealers father's case,[br]it was for fasting during Ramadan.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What do you think[br]your dad's life is like, right now?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Oh, I don't want to think about this,[br]it's very hard.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I get scared, you know.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He can't eat proper food meal.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
My mom cooked for him every day.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I can't think about what he's eating now.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) <i>Last year, Adila took part[br]in a social media campaign</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>called #MetooUyghur.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>She's also given testimony [br]about her missing relatives</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>and lobbied Senators, like, Elizabeth Warren,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>but speaking out has exposed her [br]on Chinese social media.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I was dragged in a WeChat group [br]with 500 Chinese there.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They were like seeing me [br]like I'm a terrorist,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they post all the information [br]about the restaurant,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
my personal information,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where did I go to school,[br]where do I live, my car, everything.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Wow, that must've been scary.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I was so scared.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Ysobel) <i>In spite of the threats,[br]or maybe because of them,</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>The work that Adila, Maria, and [br]chef Arkin are doing at the restaurant</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>feels more important now than ever.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Wow, that's one massive noodle!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>Just having a restaurant like this [br]advertising halal food</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
<i>is no longer allowed in Xinjiang.</i>

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It seems like for all of you,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you know, having this Uyghur restaurant,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is so much more than just[br]about selling the food.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's about introducing a culture[br]and making sure it stays alive.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There are many many jobs [br]we can make money, like easier jobs.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A restaurant is really hard, [br]every day, a year long.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If you like my food, if you like me,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is the way you get[br][to know] Uyghur people now.