Meet artist Thien Pham at Menlo Park Library on April 24

On Wednesday, April 24, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm meet artist Thien Pham at the Menlo Park Library (800 Alma St.), and learn about his immigrant experience and his graphic memoir, told through the lens of food.

Thien’s first memory isn’t a sight or a sound. It’s the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It’s the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam.

After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don’t get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien’s mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity.

Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search — for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.

This event is a part of Peninsula Libraries Comic Arts Fest (PLCAF), an annual collaboration between Menlo Park and other city and county libraries throughout San Mateo County. We’re celebrating the importance of comics, both as an art form and as valid literature, and enabling aspiring artists and readers of all ages through author visits, workshops, and comics-related programs.

This free event received funding support from the Friends of the Menlo Park Library.