Thursday, January 17, 2013

Sunday, July 15, 2012

my fullest self

My most memorable shared meal was with my family, on my mom's side, at my uncle's house in Viet Nam when I was 12 years old 13 years ago.  My uncle's a farmer/fisherfolk.  It was important to me because it was the first time that my uncle, grandparents, and family shared the kitchen and table together - preparing, cooking, and eating.  It was the first time I remember watching my grandfather make nuoc mam giam (fish sauce dipping sauce), my aunt prepare ca kho (claypot stewed fish) and rau xao (stir-fried vegetables), and my uncle crack open a coconut.  My senses awoken for the first time in the kitchen.  It was the first time in my life that I started learning by seeing, doing, and sensing.  I was surrounded by my closest kin, my family relatives, and reconnecting with my fullest self.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

vietnamese hyena

some e-mails deserve to be status updates:


"if i was in elementary school again and i had the choice between a bowl of phở or a "western" school lunch, you'd see me slurpin' that noodle soup broth like a hyena!"