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2O2 4 – 2O2 5 GU I D E to Y E L LOW S P R I NG S 45 YSEQUITY, now a YSCF sub - sidiary. The program currently serves 30 families in the village and township who are at or below 300% of the federal poverty threshold by guaran- teeing a monthly income of $300 for two years. YSEQUITY, Hsu said, outside of its stated goal of supporting residents who are struggling financially, has also had the effect of bringing visibility to a sometimes underexplored facet of village life. The people who struggle financially in what is an otherwise wealthy community, she said, are nei- ther theoretical nor peripheral, and their contributions are essential to the fabric of Yellow Springs. “These people are part of our community — they work here, and they contribute to community life,” she said. “There’s something very human about wanting to be seen as a full person — not just the con- venient side or the side that’s easily understandable.” That sentiment — of being seen completely, without concession — also translates into Hsu’s current work as a restaurateur. In 2023, she and Mazursky, along with local resident Kumar Jensen, opened MAZU, a downtown vegan eatery that offers dishes influ - enced by the cultural identities of its three owners: Taiwanese, Israeli and South Indian. Hsu said she, Jensen and Mazur- sky wanted to present the dishes they serve with respect for the cultural communi- ties that inspired them, and in a way, connect the people who eat their food with those communities. “We could have called it a ‘tofu steamed bun’ instead of gua bao,” Hsu said, refer - ring to a popular Taiwanese menu item at MAZU, “but that would be for the convenience of people who don’t speak Mandarin. It’s an opportunity to learn how to say this dish in its own language.” She added: “There’s a community of people — bil- lions of people — who speak Mandarin and eat this food that, to them, is as normative as eating cereal. We have this opportunity to connect to that community — and from my perspective, to share some - thing that’s meaningful to me with a community of people who don’t know about it.” Running the restaurant has also presented Hsu, Mazursky and Jensen with the opportu- nity to create physical space for community to gather and con- nect — something Hsu said the three of them saw as a boon from the day they first started dreaming up MAZU. She recalled speaking with a mother and daughter who ate together at The Veganry, the vegan restaurant that previously occupied the space MAZU would go on to fill; the two said that, because of their vegan diets, it was often difficult to find a place to eat together. “The menu shouldn’t be the reason people can’t sit down and share an experi- ence together,” Hsu said. “And we have internationals who come into MAZU, and they’re so excited because the food reminds them of home, or we have people who have traveled who come in and this is a way for them to connect with those travels.” She added: “[Running a restaurant] isn’t the same as community organizing or social justice work, but there is still a component of bringing people together within a space that says, ‘You are valued and your uniqueness is exciting and adds to the fabric of this place.’” Hsu considered the variety of routes she’s taken through understanding and building community — as an artist, an advocate, a translator, a cook, a business owner, a board member, even a goat farmer. For a while before she moved to the village, she said, she was worried that all her different ventures communicated some- thing negative about her. “Instead of thinking, ‘Wow, look at all the ways in which I’m helping to build com- munity and manifesting my own goals for growth and learning and creativity,’ I really struggled with thinking, ‘What is wrong with me?’” she said, noting that, at the time, she often compared herself to friends her age, who by then had chosen just one path or another. These days, however, she said she understands and celebrates that her passion for both people and the many ways they can connect is just who she is — and there’s noth- ing wrong with that. “I have a lot of interests and ideas, and I’m lucky to be in a space with a lot of collabora- tion and support for that,” she said. “I have a community here and I’m able to engage with the community in all the different ways that feel whole to me.” ♦ Master teachers with small class sizes Empowering community Children’s autonomy and identity are respected Oldest democratic school in the country, est. 1921 Program focuses on: • Developing conflict resolution skills • Inspiring creativity through art • Taking risks and building grit • Exploring science and nature • Learning through play The way a school should be. 937-767-7642 • P.O. Box 242, Yellow Springs www.antiochschool.org • nathan@antiochschool.org • Over 250 selections of domestic, imported and micro brew beers • Expanded selection of wines including a wide variety of organics • Natural flavors of coffee & cappuccino • Sunday beer all day & wine sales after 11 a.m. • Lottery /ATM machine 937-767-1349 4 Xenia Ave. Monday–Sunday 7a.m.–10 p.m. Nipper ’ s Corner Market