Arnold Myint: Writer, Chef, Dad, Gorgeous Drag Queen
Food with Mark Bittman
Sweetness and Light
4.8 • 981 Ratings
🗓️ 5 March 2026
⏱️ 36 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Nashville-based chef talks to Kate and Mark about how and why he finally feels recognized, how his drag has served as both a crutch and a hindrance—in the food world and elsewhere, and the priceless support he grew up with from his hippie parents (and why so much of what he does comes from that).
Read an excerpt—and get some recipes—from Arnold's book, Family Thai, on The Bittman Project: https://bittmanproject.com/my-way-or-the-thai-way/
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Welcome to Food with Mark Bittman. I'm Kate Bittman. Thanks for being here. We know how many of you are loyal listeners and we appreciate that so much. |
| 0:12.4 | If you'd like to hear more from Mark and me and our small but mighty team, check us out on bitmanproject.com. |
| 0:19.4 | When you subscribe there, you'll get access to our recipe database, which now has thousands of recipes, with more added weekly. |
| 0:27.1 | If you prefer a substack experience, we're on there, too, bitmanproject.substack.com. |
| 0:34.1 | Reach out to us with any questions, comments, or stuff you think should be featured on the podcast or on our site, food at markbitman.com. |
| 1:12.3 | Thank you. Today's guest, Arnold Mint grew up in Nashville, the son of immigrants, a Thai mother and a Burmese father who, and looking through Arnold's book, Family Tie, and listening to him talk about them, |
| 1:18.0 | sound like just absolutely fantastic parents. They opened international market and restaurant in 1975. It was open for two years before Arnold was born, and both his parents and |
| 1:24.6 | the market served as so much of the inspiration for just about everything |
| 1:29.6 | Arnold went on to do. Arnold pursued figure skating for a while. He's a gorgeous drag queen. |
| 1:36.4 | He acted. He worked in restaurants, but he never thought he'd become a chef, as he says he faked |
| 1:42.4 | culinary school. And then it ended up serving as a big part of the |
| 1:46.7 | foundation of what he'd end up doing, cooking. And thankfully for us, he still does drag. Talking to |
| 1:53.7 | Arnold about his book, his family, Nashville, was such a joy for Mark and me. You're in for a real treat today. |
| 2:02.9 | Arnold, are you in Nashville right now? |
| 2:04.9 | I am. |
| 2:05.6 | I am in Nashville right now. |
| 2:07.1 | I just got back from two weeks in Santa Rosa. |
| 2:10.9 | Everybody's going to California, huh? |
| 2:12.6 | Well, I was working at the... |
| 2:13.7 | I took over a hotel for two weeks. |
| 2:15.6 | Like, I didn't meet you. |
| 2:16.8 | And then I'm going to tell your ride tomorrow. |
... |
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