Earlier this week, someone I follow on Instagram shared an episode of a podcast she had recently been invited to speak on. While I'm not here to advertise the podcast specifically (though it is well-worth a listen and I'm happy to recommend the ep I listened to), I wanted to share how I came to listen to it in the first place.
Candy Hom, aka @soupbelly_atl is an Atlanta-area blogger who I started following a few years ago when I discovered a network of very active ATL foodie accounts (I'm always looking for restaurant recs!). While I do not really know Candy -- we do not meet up for lunch, and I probably won't be invited to her daughters' birthday parties -- we have developed a sort of friendship through Instagram. That, to me, is what social media is about -- taking the opportunity to form meaningful connections with people you might not otherwise have an opportunity to meet IRL.
Anyway, this podcast episode came out last week, and I learned so much about Candy, her life, the purpose of her blog, and what she does on- and offline to support social causes she cares about. Specifically, she uses her platform to address two causes: using mutual aid (in the form of cooking meals and dropping them off around town as part of the free99fridge program) to support people experiencing homelessness, and uplifting the AAPI community in Atlanta through support of Asian-owned businesses and speaking out against Asian hate crimes. It was amazing to have the opportunity to actually hear how she got involved with both issues, as well as how she uses her platform to speak up.
Food is such a powerful symbol of our cultural and personal identities, and Candy is using her love of food and pride in her heritage to speak out against hate and support the local community.
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