This Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we are pleased to highlight Christine Pham, deputy general counsel. Christine explains how sharing dishes from different Asian cultures led Christine to lifelong friendships.

“During law school, a few Asian classmates and I started the Joy Luck Club, named after the iconic bestselling novel and movie that explored multigenerational perspectives of immigrant families and cultural identity. We wanted to get to know each other and learn about each other’s cultures. We went to many, many different restaurants to sample food from our respective countries, (Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Vietnam) and talk about the similarities and differences in our cultures. 

“Over the years, the faces at the dinners have changed, and the name is now the Durian Club, after the unforgettable fruit known for its distinct odor. We did not purposely strive to create a community, but that is what grew and deepened, through our support of, and respect for, each other.  

“Through marriages, divorces, births, deaths, changes in careers and myriad issues that pop up in between, we have grown together from being floundering law students to successful lawyers, activists and judges.”