Viet World Kitchen

Five Food Faves from My Father

I may have learned to cook from my mother but I learned to eat from my father. He adores good food and when I was growing up, we spent a lot of time together. Before my family fled Vietnam in 1975, my dad was a busy business man struggling to stay afloat in a country that was on the verge of falling apart. When Saigon fell to the communists in April 1975, we were lucky to leave by plane. My parents had to start over in America, forty-somethings with five kids in tow.

Needless to say, Dad had more time hanging with me, in between teaching ESL at the local junior high in the day and adult school in the evening. We drove around Southern California a lot in our Ford Mercury to explore, and we went fishing together too. At home, he’d tell me stories of his life in Vietnam, though I was too young to appreciate them all.

The lasting memories of our time together were frankly, all about food. Does that surprise you? Bo Gia (“Old Daddy” in Vietnamese) and I shared many foods over time and these five are particularly special:

Dad’s Other Holy Trinity: Tiger Balm, Eucalyptus Oil, and Toothpicks

My father’s birthday is this coming Sunday. He’ll be 81 years old. Bo Gia (“Boe Zaah,” Old Daddy in Vietnamese) has been through much in his life, having been forced to migrate repeatedly and weather Vietnam’s turbulent history through the 20^th century.

As a young man, he pondered becoming a priest but went into the military instead, taking on the role of provincial governor by the time he was in his late 20s. After the Diem assassination in 1963, Bo Gia switched careers to become a business development consultant (today’s equivalent of a start-up pro). My dad had always wanted to study and live in the United States; in his youth, he even applied for a scholarship abroad. In the end, it was the Fall of Saigon in 1975 that brought him and our family here.

If you asked Bo Gia about his eventual good fortune of living in America, he’d respond that it was mostly because of his religious conviction. My dad attends mass every morning at his local Catholic church. He can lead a rosary in Vietnamese – which resembles a light chant – like no one else can in our clan. Religious statues are displayed in various prominent spots at my parents’ home.

My dad’s devotion to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is combined with his belief in three material things that have helped him get out of many tough jams: tiger balm, eucalyptus oil, and toothpicks.  Those are his fix-it tools. Seriously.

Mother’s Day Tribute: Who’s My Mama?

I went to Rite Aid this afternoon to purchase a Mother’s Day card for Me Gia (old mommy in Vietnamese). We are an Asian family that displays little affection so finding an appropriate card took about 30 minutes.  Other Mother’s Day card shoppers came and went as I scanned practically every single card. The funny ones with animals turned out to be for kids to give their moms. The cards with music had American songs that my Vietnamese mother wouldn’t identify with. I finally found a simple one that spoke to her willingness to sacrifice and support her children – martyrdom is her motherly mantra.

As I drove home, I thought why not drag out some of her old photos and share them? Most of these are neat shots from Vietnam. My mom, Tuyet Thi Nguyen (Nguyen Thi Tuyet for purists who like to see the correct Viet ordering of a person’s name) was a real babe born in 1935 in Hai Duong, a town near Hanoi.

She and her most of her siblings migrated to Saigon in 1954 after the country split into North and South Vietnam. That’s her (on the right) in the above photo walking with her older sister in 1955 Saigon. They looked like they had a bit of attitude.

1990s Viet Food Film: Anatomy of a Springroll

 

“Food is everyone’s first language,” Paul Kwan says in the opening of Anatomy of a Springroll [SIC] (1994). Kwan made the documentary with partner Paul Iger to explore issues of personal identity, food memories, and cultural adaptation. It’s a dreamlike movie with historic footage, staged segments, animation, and even puppets!

There is Vietnamese food from beginning to end. Kwan’s spring roll is the fried cha gio wrapped in rice paper. He uses it as a metaphor for rediscovering his past as he ventures from San Francisco (where his family had settled after coming from Vietnam) to Saigon. He is Vietnamese of Chinese descent.

If you’re into Asian American identity, Kwan and Iger give you lots to think about. If you’re into food, you’ll see some scenes that remain the same today in Vietnam. There was lots of information about Vietnamese folklore and foodways too. Film buffs will appreciate the artiness of the piece, which somewhat echoes the reactions of visiting or returning Vietnam for the first time. My first time back was strange. Am I Vietnamese? American? Both or neither? Kwan posed those question and more.

Anatomy of a Springroll has aired on PBS several times and in 2008, it was part of the national public television series called Global Voices. Simon Bao alerted me that the movie was now on Hulu. (As BFMartin pointed out, Hulu is only available in the US so I just reposted it from YouTube.) I watched the movie years ago and viewing it again was like visiting an old friend. I could practically taste the flavors of all the glorious dishes in the film.

“Food is not just a thing, but a way. In its preparation, it’s the essence of language, and a connection to a culture,” Kwan says.

Check out Anatomy of a Springroll, and share your thoughts on the good and bad. It’s an hour long so you can certainly skim through it, as needed.

More Viet food in the media:

• Luke Nguyen's Vietnam (SBS Australia; read about my friend Luke)
• Rick Stein's BBC Vietnam Travel Show

Mail Call: Easter with the Phams

A couple of weeks ago, Chaffee Pham sent a request to purchase signed copies of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen. She owned a copy and wanted to gift two books to her mother and aunt. (That's Chaffee and her mother above.) I don’t directly sell my work, but I do mail personalized notes as a way of “signing” their books.

After Chaffee received the notes, she sent this email:

Hi, Andrea-
I wanted to let you know that I received your personalized notes yesterday.  Thank you so much again.....they arrived at an opportune time. 

My mom made gio lua [Classic Silky Sausage] from your cookbook and invited my aunt over to try it.  They both loved it!  And when my aunt found out the recipe came from your book, she stole MY copy from my mom and is holding it hostage until she receives a copy for her birthday next week.  She wasn't willing to wait until Christmas.  :-)

My mom is basing Easter lunch this Sunday on recipes from your book.  So exciting!  It's so hard to find my mom a present that she'll really love and use, am so happy your cookbook fits the bill.