I am sure you have gathered that I am a Vietnamese American. My parents came over here in 1976 and I was born here 2 years later. The first language I spoke, was Vietnamese and my first utensil, yep, chopsticks. I take Vietnamese food for granted and always insisted that my mother learn to cook
American food. Naturally, when I went to Culinary school, I had no interest in learning Asian food since I though
t I was the ‘expert’. History tells us that France took over Vietnam in the early 1900’s and my family has always been influenced by their cooking and lifestyle. While most kids in the States grew up on Captain Crunch, I ate Pate, French butter, baguettes, and croissants for breakfast. And there’s nothing better than my first experience with smoked salmon at 9 years old. It was on a perfectly toasted triangular piece of bread with crème fraiche, slivers of red onion, capers, and a squeeze of lemon. I feel extremely lucky that my palette was educated very early.
I guess I have always had this opinion that I do not try to cook Vietnamese food because it just doesn’t taste as good as my moms or the food I eat at the restaurants in Northern VA. Ashamed again to say that living in Southern California I do not eat as much Vietnamese as I should. I think of my mom and just don’t’ have any desire to eat it without her. So, when I go back to VA, it’s Vietnamese food all the time! This weekend I had Pho (Beef or Chicken noodle soup), Banh Mi Ga (Chicken Sandwich, picture above), Gio Banh Mi (one of my favorites, Pork Sausage with French Bread), Goi Cuon (Summer Rolls, picture above).
I am finally beginning to realize that Vietnamese cuisine indeed is complex. With dishes that require rice paper, seriously, has anyone thought about how they mass produce these things, how do they turn rice into thin sheets of paper? Or what about fish sauce? What is the process in that? Then, there is that pork sausage, how does it get that light brown skin on the outside (see picture). And ruoc, the thinly shredded dried chicken, sort of jerky-esque, who came up with that one? As I continue to perfect my style of cooking French, Meditarrean, Italian foods, I get tempted to throw in a little fusion of coconut juice, fish sauce, cilantro, etc. Maybe in a few years, I’ll be able make a perfect bowl of Pho.
American food. Naturally, when I went to Culinary school, I had no interest in learning Asian food since I though
t I was the ‘expert’. History tells us that France took over Vietnam in the early 1900’s and my family has always been influenced by their cooking and lifestyle. While most kids in the States grew up on Captain Crunch, I ate Pate, French butter, baguettes, and croissants for breakfast. And there’s nothing better than my first experience with smoked salmon at 9 years old. It was on a perfectly toasted triangular piece of bread with crème fraiche, slivers of red onion, capers, and a squeeze of lemon. I feel extremely lucky that my palette was educated very early.I guess I have always had this opinion that I do not try to cook Vietnamese food because it just doesn’t taste as good as my moms or the food I eat at the restaurants in Northern VA. Ashamed again to say that living in Southern California I do not eat as much Vietnamese as I should. I think of my mom and just don’t’ have any desire to eat it without her. So, when I go back to VA, it’s Vietnamese food all the time! This weekend I had Pho (Beef or Chicken noodle soup), Banh Mi Ga (Chicken Sandwich, picture above), Gio Banh Mi (one of my favorites, Pork Sausage with French Bread), Goi Cuon (Summer Rolls, picture above).
I am finally beginning to realize that Vietnamese cuisine indeed is complex. With dishes that require rice paper, seriously, has anyone thought about how they mass produce these things, how do they turn rice into thin sheets of paper? Or what about fish sauce? What is the process in that? Then, there is that pork sausage, how does it get that light brown skin on the outside (see picture). And ruoc, the thinly shredded dried chicken, sort of jerky-esque, who came up with that one? As I continue to perfect my style of cooking French, Meditarrean, Italian foods, I get tempted to throw in a little fusion of coconut juice, fish sauce, cilantro, etc. Maybe in a few years, I’ll be able make a perfect bowl of Pho.
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