Lee Tran Lam
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leetranlam.bsky.social
Lee Tran Lam
@leetranlam.bsky.social
320 followers 330 following 65 posts
Freelance journalist, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry podcast, New Voices On Food book editor, Should You Really Eat That podcast, Diversity In Food Media Australia and more. Yes, there once was a sandwich named after me!
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leetranlam.bsky.social
Over the last few days, I've seen a lot of posts on social media about how you don't have to watch the video, about how it's okay to protect yourself from it, because we don't need to watch another public execution. But when an Associated Press journalist called his parents after their son was shot, they hadn't heard the news. The journalist sent them the video, and they said it looked like their son. There is something destabilizing about having known someone only as a child and then hearing they were gunned down in the street. The person you see in your mind lying in that street is still a child. I'm sure his mother feels that way, too, or she sees him at every age all at once, including those he did not live to see.
January 27, 2026 at 8:48 PM
leetranlam.bsky.social
“To plant is to believe in tomorrow,” my father said, as he pressed them gently into the soil.

Taqwa Ahmed al-Wawi on gardening in Gaza as bombs fall. Corn is a highlight: "30 kernels, bought as popcorn seeds, grew into proud green stalks up to my chest"
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As the Israeli bombs fell, my family committed an act of rebellion: we planted a garden in Gaza | Taqwa Ahmed al-Wai
Amid constant danger, each planted seed was a tiny act of resistance. As they grew, they offered us food – and a sense of achievement amid the devastation, says Taqwa Ahmed al-Wai, a writer, poet and ...
www.theguardian.com
January 17, 2026 at 12:43 AM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
diversityartsau.bsky.social
We stand in solidarity with all those who are calling for accountability, transparency, and the reinstatement of Dr Abdel-Fattah to the Adelaide Writers’ Week program: diversityarts.org.au/diversity-ar...
Diversity Arts Australia’s Statement on the Removal of Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers’ Week Festivals are a core part of our civic infrastructure, providing forums for exchange, disagreement, and critical public debate. The removal of Dr Abdel-Fattah from Adelaide Writers’ Week undermines these principles, and the widespread withdrawal of writers signals that this breach has been clearly understood by the cultural community. Diversity Arts Australia stands unequivocally with Dr Randa Abdel-Fattah. We also stand with the greatly respected Festival Director Louise Adler, the writers, First Nations authors, publishers, and cultural workers who have withdrawn in protest, and with all those who are calling for accountability, transparency, and the reinstatement of Dr Abdel-Fattah to the Adelaide Writers’ Week program. We call on the Adelaide Festival Board to urgently reinstate Dr Abdel-Fattah’s invitation. We call on the Adelaide Festival Board to affirm its commitment to freedom of artistic, political, and cultural expression, genuine cultural equity, and the protection of those freedoms within publicly funded cultural institutions.
January 12, 2026 at 1:01 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
Even during a heatwave, the first Australian outpost for a Kyoto vegan ramen restaurant is attracting queues. I wrote about Sydney's Towzen noodle joint (which I liked better than the original in Japan). www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...
Review: Japanese vegan ramen restaurant Towzen opens first Australian outlet in Sydney
Japanese vegan restaurant Towzen is pushing boundaries at its third international offshoot, with ramen that incorporates Thai- and Sichuan-style flavours.
www.smh.com.au
January 2, 2026 at 11:58 PM
leetranlam.bsky.social
What is it about movies that turns everyone into number-crunching accountants? We don’t talk about books or other art forms this way. This year, I wrote about how box office talk is ruining movies (via @sydmorningherald.bsky.social's Spectrum) www.smh.com.au/culture/movi...
Putting the gross in ‘gross earnings’: Box office talk is ruining the movies
When did we all become voluntary bean-counters for Hollywood studios?
www.smh.com.au
December 30, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
kkarapanagiotidis.bsky.social
If you have a moment I’d be very grateful if you read this.
December 21, 2025 at 1:14 AM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
shaneanderson.bsky.social
"This promise of an AI future, is really just a collective anxiety that wealthy people have about how well they're gonna be able to control us in the future."

- @tressiemcphd.bsky.social with an absolute mic drop moment about AI bullshit.

Incredible words.
Listen to all of it!
December 19, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
jonkk.bsky.social
Here’s my Spotify Wrapped 🎵✨
December 3, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
prisonculture.bsky.social
"The cyclists arrive at sunrise, rolling through Chicago’s Latino neighborhoods and stopping at tamale carts, elote stands & candy stalls. They buy out every last item — every tamale, every corn cob, every bundle of sweets. Then they load up the food and deliver it to shelters and families in need."
wgntv.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:31 PM
leetranlam.bsky.social
According to @usc.edu data reported on @james.crid.land's @podnews.net, 64% of the most popular US podcasts were hosted by men. Such shows are far less diverse than the top movies, TV or music. Worst gender gap? Business & tech shows: men host 92% of 'em! More stats here:
podnews.net/update/woefu...
Podcast diversity is ‘woeful’, says new report
We are much worse for diversity than film, TV, or music.
podnews.net
November 15, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
samadams.bsky.social
Six people died from tampered Tylenol and the company pulled 30 million bottles off the market. ChatGPT is accused of urging seven people towards suicide, and OpenAI just assures us they’re still working out the kinks. Billions in investment, zero accountability.
OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide, delusions
OpenAI is facing seven lawsuits claiming ChatGPT drove people to suicide and harmful delusions even when they had no prior mental health issues.
apnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM
leetranlam.bsky.social
At Sydney's only full-time Mexican bakery, you'll find coffee spiked with horchata (it's creamy, cinnamon-sweet & delicious!), an ancient hot chocolate that predates Euro-style cocoa by thousands of years and other rarities. Here's my write-up on Pancho Bakery:
www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...
Review: Sydney’s only bricks-and-mortar Mexican bakery specialises in hard-to-find treats
Pancho Bakery’s busy location means it’s easy to overlook, but its conchas, coyotas and molletes mean this one-of-a-kind shop deserves to be noticed.
www.smh.com.au
October 13, 2025 at 2:47 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
Taylor Swift releasing (needing?) 30+ variants of her new album in 1 WEEK to knock off Adele’s sales record feels cynical. Should a billionaire really squeeze her fans this way? @defector.com on how ‘good art doesn’t come from greed’ is the BEST piece I’ve seen on TLOAS
defector.com/taylor-swift...
October 10, 2025 at 11:26 PM
leetranlam.bsky.social
If you have a ‘difficult ethnic name’, you might know this feeling. Do you give your real name for your takeaway order - only for it to be misspelt or butchered? Or do you give a fake name for convenience: a “coffee name”?

I've wanted to write this for YEARS!
www.theguardian.com/food/2025/oc...
Strong flat white for Batman: should I use a ‘coffee name’?
Some people go undercover when ordering takeaway – here’s what baristas think of the practice
www.theguardian.com
October 8, 2025 at 9:41 PM
leetranlam.bsky.social
The NSW edition of Good Food Guide comes out next week. This is a pretty big development.
www.smh.com.au/business/wor...
Merivale dropped from Good Food Guide
Australia’s largest hospitality company has been excluded from the Good Food Guide following claims it exploited workers and prioritised VIP treatment over staff safety.
www.smh.com.au
October 8, 2025 at 8:49 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
I once read just 4 books in a year. In 2025, I’ve read more than 60 – a lifetime record for me!

Recreational reading has declined throughout Australia, but I hope this story might inspire people to turn some pages. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...
I've read 63 books so far this year. Here's how I did it
Research shows Australians are reading fewer books than ever before. One writer shares her advice on how to make reading a daily habit.
www.abc.net.au
October 8, 2025 at 7:19 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
FYI, FBi radio's supporter drive ends soon – if you can support it, that'd be amazing. It's been showcasing Sydney's music, arts & culture scence for 20+ years (it played The Kid Laroi and Flume when they teens; I recall playing Flume's demo as Harley when he was 15)!
www.fbi.radio/support
Support Us | fbi.radio
The beating heart of Sydney music.
www.fbi.radio
September 26, 2025 at 6:01 AM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
anniehariharan.bsky.social
I'll never understand how companies who use AI tools in recruitment to 'streamline the process and increase efficiency' are complaining that applicants are also doing the same
www.theage.com.au/national/nsw...
Strange behaviour is being observed in job interviews. It’s a sign of the times
The explosion of AI has turned recruitment into a minefield, where it is difficult to assess if candidates have the skills they might appear to be able to demonstrate.
www.theage.com.au
September 1, 2025 at 8:16 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
I wonder how many protesters at the recent anti-immigration rallies knew that the colony was saved by Indian food?

This is from a story I wrote for Gourmet Traveller in 2022. Even from the earliest days of settlement, Australian food wasn’t as bland or monocultural as you’d first think.
September 8, 2025 at 7:16 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
The tahini at Al Amara is freshly milled and "could be measured in ripples: it drips rapidly and is always in escape mode". It's spectacularly nutty and "has more complexity and character than entire bookshelves". I wrote about this Iraqi bakery for Good Food:
www.smh.com.au/goodfood/syd...
Review: This condiment is ‘one of the best things I’ve tasted this year’
Al Amara grinds its own fresh tahini from pure sesame on site every day – but there’s much more to this bakery.
www.smh.com.au
August 22, 2025 at 7:51 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
"Maybe you will build those toxic – emotionally, spiritually, environmentally – simulacra engines and suck up all the water and tank the energy grid w/ the demand for the worst art ever made." @squigglyrick.bsky.social takes on AI slop (unlike AI slop, it's ace) rick-morton.ghost.io/crumbs-at-th...
Crumbs at the Slophouse
There was a man at the ice creamery the other day and I cannot stop thinking about him. He looked about 50. No family in tow, indeed no other travelling friends or acquaintances in sight. From his pe...
rick-morton.ghost.io
August 22, 2025 at 6:47 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
83% of people killed by Israel in Gaza are civilians, according to the Israeli military's own data. This "is extremely high for modern warfare, even compared with conflicts notorious for indiscriminate killing, including the Syrian and Sudanese civil wars"
www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...
Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war
Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000
www.theguardian.com
August 22, 2025 at 6:11 AM
leetranlam.bsky.social
From Engadine Maccas and beyond: I talked to Gary He about his acclaimed McAtlas book. He's visited McDonald's in 50+ countries, including Australia (home to Melbourne's Art Deco Maccas, the McCafe, the infamous Engadine site & the worst thing he ate on his trip, LOL) www.smh.com.au/goodfood/eat...
Does Australia’s biggest contribution to global dining come from ... McDonald’s?
Here’s what makes our Macca’s stores stand out among 50 global outlets.
www.smh.com.au
August 4, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
clarebraven.bsky.social
Returning on the train from the Sydney March for Humanity, Free Palestine protest and they are still turning people back on the bridge
August 3, 2025 at 5:55 AM
Reposted by Lee Tran Lam
mehdirhasan.bsky.social
Me: "So which country should @aoc.bsky.social go back to?"
Mick Mulvaney: "She's an American citizen."
Me: "So why did Trump tell her to go back to her country?"

I asked former Trump WH chief of staff Mulvaney if he ever challenged his then boss on his racist tweets.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wolq...
August 2, 2025 at 11:17 PM