0:00:02.319,0:00:04.322
Food is all about connection.

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

0:00:06.762,0:00:09.287
always reminds me of comfort[br]and security of home.

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And, you know, particularly [br]when we feel disconnected,

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that taste can mean everything.

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However, there are some people [br]who simply cannot go home.

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People like the Uyghurs,

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a Muslim minority group[br]from Western China.

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Isobel Yeung went there undercover [br]last year to report on camps

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where China has imprisoned[br]more than a million Uyghurs

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To quote unquote re-educate[br]them away from their traditions.

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One of these traditions is [br]their distinctly unique cuisine

0:00:32.289,0:00:33.339
and style of cooking.

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

0:00:35.991,0:00:37.576
it's never been more important.

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PRESERVING CULTURE

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So what's the secret[br]to making good laghman?

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The dough has to be prepared right.

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Who taught you how to do this?

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My mom.

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We grow up eating laghman,[br]making laghman.

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In my country, I was a nurse.

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[After] coming to America,[br][I became] a restaurant chef.

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(Ysobel) Oh, my god.

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Wow, perfect.

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Oh, my God, that texture is amazing,[br]they're like the perfect consistency.

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Uyghur food is really interesting[br]because it does seem

0:01:36.103,0:01:39.579
like a mix of different types of foods.

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Yes.

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There's definitely [br]some Chinese elements in there

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with noodles, and garlic, and ginger,

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

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

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<i>They come from Northwest China[br]in a region called Xinjian.</i>

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<i>Unlike the majority of China's[br]population who are Han Chinese,</i>

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<i>The Uyghurs are mostly[br]Muslim Turkic ethnicity</i>

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<i>who have their own language and[br]traditions much closer to Central Asia.</i>

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<i>My favorite Uyghur dish[br]is laghman or lamian,</i>

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<i>hand-pulled noodles served with meat,[br]pepper, scallions, cumin, and spices.</i>

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What does the laghman mean to you?

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Laghman is a traditional dish[br]passed down from the ancestors.

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

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"Don't forget Uyghur culture.

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Remember us when you are making laghman."

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Thank you, bye. [br]Have a good one. Thank you.

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

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<i>almost a decade later,</i>

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

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<i>with dishes based on her mom's recipes.</i>

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

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

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<i>the Chinese government[br]has sent over one million Uyghurs</i>

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<i>to sprawling prison-like camps [br]over the last three years.</i>

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<i>Here they're frequently [br]interrogated and tortured,</i>

0:03:18.713,0:03:20.723
<i>banned from practicing Islam,</i>

0:03:20.723,0:03:23.826
<i>and forced to recite [br]Chinese Communist Party ideology.</i>

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<i>Xinjian has been transformed[br]into a dystopian surveillance state.</i>

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

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

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<i>stopped answering their calls.</i>

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

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My family are on my mind[br]and in from of my eyes

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all the time when I'm working.

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

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The father of my children is in jail.

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

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

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This is my father, born in 1971.

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What did he tell you about [br]how the situation is changing in Xinjian?

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

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We always said, <i>cold</i> or <i>warm</i>.

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Because he's worried about [br]the Chinese government listening?

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Yeah.

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

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My father always call me[br][the favorite tree.]

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(Adila's father)[br]<i>Adi hun. Adi hun. Adi hun.</i>

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<i>I miss you, Adi hun.</i>

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<i>Adi hun, my child.</i>

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I like it a lot.

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

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<i>wearing a long beard[br]or having relatives abroad.</i>

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

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

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

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I get scared, you know.

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He can't eat proper food meal.

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My mom cooked for him every day.

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I can't think about what he's eating now.

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

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<i>called #MetooUyghur.</i>

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<i>She's also given testimony [br]about her missing relatives</i>

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<i>and lobbied Senators, like, Elizabeth Warren,</i>

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<i>but speaking out has exposed her [br]on Chinese social media.</i>

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I was dragged in a WeChat group [br]with 500 Chinese there.

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They were like seeing me [br]like I'm a terrorist,

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and they post all the information [br]about the restaurant,

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my personal information,

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

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Wow, that must've been scary.

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I was so scared.

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

0:06:23.337,0:06:27.010
<i>The work that Adila, Maria, and [br]chef Arkin are doing at the restaurant</i>

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<i>feels more important now than ever.</i>

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Wow, that's one massive noodle!

0:06:32.313,0:06:35.465
<i>Just having a restaurant like this [br]advertising Halal food</i>

0:06:35.465,0:06:37.868
<i>is no longer allowed in Xinjiang.</i>

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It seems like for all of you,

0:06:39.913,0:06:41.686
you know, having this Uyghur restaurant,

0:06:41.686,0:06:45.430
is so much more than just[br]about selling the food.

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It's about introducing a culture[br]and making sure it stays alive.

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There are many many jobs [br]we can make money, like easier jobs.

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A restaurant is really hard, [br]every day, a year long.

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If you like my food,

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if you like me,

0:07:01.483,0:07:05.533
this is the way you get[br][to know] Uyghur people now.