On Wednesday, the Clark County Commission approved a plan for Chinatown that's been years in the making: A 10-year glow-up that will include wider sidewalks, safety infrastructure, more greenery and shade, and (yes!) better parking. Co-host Sarah Lohman talks with Commissioner Justin Jones, one of the architects of this plan, and professor Mark Padoongpatt, Director of Asian and Asian-American studies at UNLV, about what's in store for Spring Mountain Road, why our Chinatown is unique, and how they're hoping to avoid gentrification.

May is AAPI Heritage Month, and concerns for upkeeping Chinatown remain in the Las Vegas community. The cultural hub started with a single mall in the mid-1990s. Today, its 3 miles contain more than 150 restaurants and countless other stores and shops.

Seven years in the making, a new grant has allowed Dr. Mark Padoongpatt to bring the Neon Pacific initiative to UNLV. As the director of Asian and American studies at UNLV, he said this is part of a new program that will expand Asian American education through classes, internships, and more. The funding is all thanks to the Mellon Foundation bringing in $800,000 over the next 3 years.

Romania's capital offers a variety of multicultural food options thanks to its diverse population and rich history. Romanian food itself is a mix of various influences, including from Turkish, Hungarian and German cuisine. Bucharest also has a growing Asian population, and as a result you can find Asian restaurants in the city, featuring cuisine from countries such as China, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand, India and Pakistan. We will briefly explore the cuisine of these countries, but also restaurants or shops where you can try them, in the following lines.

The third most popular type of Asian food in America

When Anajak Thai opened in 1981, most people who walked into the Los Angeles restaurant weren’t familiar with Thai cuisine. They just thought it was spicy Chinese food, said Justin Pichetrungsi, the restaurant’s current head chef and owner.

Las Vegas has some Thai food heavy hitters: Weera, Ocha, Archie’s, and of course, the James Beard Award-winning Lotus of Siam (which Saveur once called the “best Thai food in North America”). But how did we get here?

I don’t recognize a lot of the people on the wall of framed celebrities at Park’s BBQ. Though she doesn’t like to admit it, neither does Jenee Kim, the restaurant’s 69-year-old proprietor.