Sunisa Nardone

Sunisa is the voice behind the curtain saying STREAT this and STREAT that on social media. She joins us from California, where she moved recently, and will blog for us about other social enterprise, homeless, and food group. 

Why do you have street credibility?

My shot at STREAT credibility (ha ha) is because I am completely into food, and the role it plays in our community cohesion.  Working and travelling in Southeast Asia for the last few years re-kindled my appreciation for eats on the street and small-size tastings. I couldn’t live without my wok for making som tam and an oven for baking real American chocolate chip cookies.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve eaten?

The strangest thing I’ve eaten was an unexpected dish I came to like very much. When I started work in Thailand I wasn’t so good at eating spicy food (despite my Thai heritage... a travesty, I know). In my first week on the job I found myself up on the Thai-Burma border being offered nam prik ong, a spicy pork and tomato dip that’s eaten with vegetables and sticky rice. Our team was in the middle of an all-day forest walk, and had been picking leaves off trees to eat with lunch. By the time we sat down for a rest, I was so hot and sweaty and hungry that I would eat anything. So I took the nam prik and the veg and rice, and had the most satisfying, delicious, tasty meal to date. Nothing beats food snobbery like a hearty appetite. Since then I’ve steadily improved my spice tolerance, and have a special place in my heart for Northern Thai dishes.

Why do you care about homelessness?

It’s the kind of issue that affects all of us. It’s only by very good fortune that I have a roof over my head, a community of caring people around me, and an education that gives me the chance to get ahead. Everyone deserves that same chance.