My post last Friday about Asian elders dissuading younger people from mastering the food of their heritage prompted many emotional and humorous responses, including this email from a man in North Carolina:
I would like to send my gratitude on finding this website. You have made my home life incredible exciting. How you ask, well, my wife and soul mate is Vietnamese. She is from Ha Noi! Ever since I met her, she always had one over me by cooking up some incredible Vietnamese dishes.
Over the past few years since we got married (7) the cooking has become less and less of a traditional meal in our home setting. My wife has returned to school here to further her education and becoming an Licensed Aesthesia. She does work long hours sometimes 6 days a week.
So, as you could see, her time when she arrives home is taken up by our beautiful little 1 and 5 year olds. We mostly go eating out at our local PHO shops. My career situation has allowed me to work from home so I am home 2 -3 days a week. I love to cook myself. When I do conjure up some normal dishes, she loves it only because she did not make it and appreciates my help after a long day at the salon.
I see her look on her face that tells me “Why can I not put the effort into creating a Vietnamese dish?” Well, present day, I found your web site!!!! I have gone through just but some recipes, and have taken up the wok and started to get right into it.
I surprised my wife 2 weeks ago with a traditional dish “Bo Luc Lac” [wok seared shaking beef]. She was very surprised and speechless. She even made a comment “Were did I go to get this”! Well, I had to inform her differently. I have even tried and succeeded in make Ca Co Tho [fish simmered in caramel sauce]! Her favorite.
Again, thanks for the Spice in your recipes and added spice to our marriage. She still raves to her Vietnamese girl friends on how a “Canadian White Guy” has been able to accept the Vietnamese culture whole heartedly.
Thanks.
You don't have to be Vietnamese to identify with the sentiments here. I'd have to add that this gentleman is quite the model for anyone who wants to romance a significant other, whether you're starting out or have been together for a long time . It's an old-fashioned saying, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach." In the 21st century, it's great to see the reverse too!
Have similar experiences of your own?
ravenouscouple says
what a great and encouraging email. It shows you're making a difference through food. Cooking has definitely brought us closer and we love cooking for each other.
Andrea Nguyen says
Now we know your secret to romance! Cheers to you both.
N. says
My experience has been very similar. My fiancée is Vietnamese-American, and her mother is like the mothers you reference in your previous post and has dissuaded her from even attempting to cook Vietnamese dishes. As a result, I am going to marry a girl who can barely fry an egg. Thankfully, I love to cook.
We recently moved to a different town because of my work, so we are further from her family, and she doesn't go home as often as she used to. I knew she had been wanting some Vietnamese home cooking and was tired of the limited menus at local Vietnamese restaurants, so I bought your book (and often look at your website for new ideas). I wish I could describe how excited she gets now when I tell her that I am making something from your book for dinner. The best thing, however, is that she has become interested in learning how to cook herself and in rediscovering her culinary heritage, and she often helps me in the kitchen.
Her mother seems completely surprised A) that I'm a guy and I know how to cook and B) that a white guy from the Midwest could ever learn to cook anything Vietnamese. My fiancée wants me to cook for her mother some day to prove that it really can happen, but I am not ready yet to endure the criticism.
In short, thank you for the book and the blog. It has enriched our lives tremendously.
Andrea Nguyen says
N. -- WOW, you sure do know how to make a girl feel appreciated. Thank you so much for relating your personal experiences. You've got a ripple effect going and I'm honored to be part of that.
Vannak says
Just wanted to thank you for this website,My girlfriend and I have just moved out of the parents' house at the ripe age of 21 and I happened to stumble upon your website. I check this site daily to learn the in's and out's of your cooking.I am Khmer/viet and My girlfriend is Viet/Thai.
I mostly cook alot of pasta,salads,alot of grilling and it has helped my girlfriend and I bond dramatically trying to figure out recipes and spending quality time in the kitchen trying to cook food of our ancestors.
good food at that.
thanks wholeheartedly
Vannak
Andrea Nguyen says
Vannak -- what a great story. Thank you. Between you and your girlfriend, you can basically cook the food of half of Southeast Asia! That's fantastic. Keep it up.
knorr philippines says
I love cooking,for me you are adorable for being sweet to your girl friend.
~Ashley~
Omega 3 says
Hi...
This is indeed a nice post. I love cooking. I loved reading it and I am going to bookmark it surely. Very good work! Keep it up.