If you don't already know, there's a new way for us to stay connected -- through my just-launched newsletter, Pass the Fish Sauce! I’ve had an Asian food and cooking newsletter for years and folks subscribed to it because they wanted a little extra beyond the content at Viet World Kitchen. They wanted to hear directly from me, about my family, what’s going on in my kitchen and other musings about Asian cooking and life.
Trouble is, there was little opportunity to really engage. It was often a one-way communication. Ugh -- there was no archive for the newsletters. In November 2022, after newsletter subscribers chimed in via email, I looked for ways to do things differently and return to some fundamentals.
I launched Pass the Fish Sauce (PTFS), which was the working title for my first cookbook (my first book was published in 2006 as Into the Vietnamese Kitchen). I never got to use that feisty PTFS name so I saved it all these years! Now that fish sauce isn’t scary to many cooks, it’s the perfect time to realize something meaningful with the name.
Why subscribe?
Because you’re interested in Asian food. If you’ve been a long-time subscriber to the Viet World Kitchen newsletter, consider PTFS as a refreshing iteration. If you’re new to getting a newsletter from me, expect the following from Pass the Fish Sauce:
- Recipes for exploring, demystifying, and normalizing Asian foodways
- Useful food news that you may have missed
- Tips on Asian food products, ingredients, cookware, and restaurants
- Essays and insights on Asian family life, identity, and enclaves
- Communication not on social media or Viet World Kitchen
Pass the Fish Sauce exists on Substack.com because there are functions here that don’t exist many other places. As a subscriber, you have a dedicated home to review past newsletters. I can post special videos, podcasts and other cool things that functionally works on Substack. We can have chats on various culinary topics too!
Substack’s technology allows more creativity, communication, and community building than a regular newsletter. Ironically, it’s how blogs used to be way back when I launched Viet World Kitchen in 2002. Decades ago, I aimed to create an information hub for Asian food nerds. I researched and wrote on topics that were important to demystifying Asian food and cooking. We shared tips, people regularly posed questions and suggested content. I responded and we had a grand time.
Nowadays, it’s hard to have that level of focus and intimacy on social media and blogs. There are many distractions, including the pressure of chasing trends, and algorithms. However, I think we can have meaningful interactions via Pass the Fish Sauce. I’m thrilled you’re reading this and hope you’ll subscribe to join up.
Is your PTFS subscription free?
Yes, subscribing to Pass the Fish Sauce is free. In the future, as I further get the hang of Substack and what subscribers are interested in, there will be an option for folks to chip in to further support the newsletter and to receive extra, exclusive content. The free option will always be available.
What will happen to Viet World Kitchen?
This website will not go away. It can’t go away because lots of people (including my mother and myself) rely upon it for recipes and cooking. Unless I create exclusive, private PTFS newsletter content for folks, recipe content will continue living on VWK as public information. As needed, Pass the Fish Sauce will link to VWK.
Stay up-to-date
As a subscriber, you won’t have to worry about missing anything. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox. You may not open every single issue but you can always return to Substack to review archived issues of the newsletter. There’s a nifty Substack app too so you can stay in touch on your own terms. I occasionally do little freewheeling chats on the app.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of people of similar culinary and cultural interests. Comment, share, and engage with others folks who are also interested about Asian food and culture. You don’t have to be Vietnamese or Asian to cook the food that I cook. You just have be curious. DIVE IN!
Subscribe and hang out for a spell. I hope you’ll stay with me so we can chat about fun things and build culinary bridges together. Who knows where PTFS will lead us all!
P.S. Concerned about personal information relating to subscribing to Pass the Fish Sauce? Pass the Fish Sauce operates under Substack's Privacy Policy.
Kathleen Paton
I signed up for a free trial and now I would like to cancel but I can't figure out how to cancel, can you help? Thanks
Andrea Nguyen
You should be able to do it in your account at Substack but I took care of it for you. Will email you.
Ellen Rigsby
Andrea, I love your writing, and have been a passive reader of your blog for years. I’m ready to have a paid subscription, but can’t find how to do it. I am subscribed under the free version.