San Francisco-based Vietnamese-American writer Andrew Lam observes cultural trends and socio-political movements. He's an editor with New American Media, the first and largest collaboration of ethnic news organizations in America, and author of Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora, a great collection of intimate, compelling essays on Vietnamese-American identity.
Whenever I read Andrew's work and it includes his insights on food and culture, I'm extra tickled. This month, he's written a piece on the diverse evolution of California cuisine.
When refugees like Andrew and I arrived in the U.S. over 30 years ago, there wasn't a single bottle of fish sauce on mainstream grocery store shelves. Nowadays, it's a regular item, thanks to the popularity of Thai cooking. Yesterday, bottles of nuoc mam were prominently displayed at a seafood market at the Ferry Plaza, the uber-foodie Mecca in San Francisco. People are loving rice paper for its healthfulness and tastiness. My local butcher shop, a nearly 70-year-old establishment, is lining its seafood case with fresh banana leaves. Asian markets are stocking tortillas too, so the multi-ethnic trends are multi-directional.
I can go on and on but Andrew sums things up nicely in a recent piece published in the UC Berkeley alumni magazine's food and farming issue, California. (Yes, the university has such an issue; it is Berkeley!) You may have also seen Andrew's piece on the Nation website and in San Jose Mercury News too. Don't be surprised by his lead. After all, Andrew is Vietnamese!
Simon Bao says
Andrea, thanks for Andrew Lam's article.
I don't know how you feel about mixing and stirring up different cuisines, but if you would ever like to try something a unusual, something both different and familiar, consider trying some Pho Couscous. I don't want to call this "fusion" but I'll accept "off-beat."
I imagine that every time you make Pho Bo or Pho Ga, you also put away some containers of broth into the freezer. That broth is the key to a delightful platter of Couscous or other grain suc
Andrea Nguyen says
Simon, Thanks for the recipes. Your so Vietnamese with the inventiveness. Love it. Very good instructions too. Ooh, crispy shallots to boot! Excellent twist.
Yes, I normally freeze leftover pho broth and the cooked beef. In fact, I have some in the freezer now and have been thinking of making up a few bowls this weekend. It's good hangover food and I'm having a small dinner party on Saturday so pho would be great on Sunday.
I've often thought that broken rice (com tam) was texturally like Vietna
Simon Bao says
Andrea, the inspiration for the couscous was to get at a whole-grain side-dish that non-Viet housemates demanded, but that Viet buddies would also be happy to eat. (Usually they want only mashed potatoes, "And make it taste like Boston Market...") Once I did couscous I realized I can do this with a bulgar pilaf as well, or brown rice & wild rice combos.
If I had to name one shortcoming in the typical Vietnamese diet, it would be the absence of any whole grains. Which makes me wince even more,
Andrea Nguyen says
Simon, Just last week, I bought some great brown jasmine rice at the Chinese market. It was a new crop and cooked up very well. The Thai grower blended the rice, 80% brown jasmine, 20% red brown rice.
I know what you mean with the lack of whole grains in the diet. Admittedly, my hubby and I found that the brown jasmine wasn't great with Asian food. We had it with a Thai curry I'd made and the brown rice made things really leaden. Suffice it to say, we didn't eat so much rice since we were expend
Simon Bao says
Andrea, I do know exactly what you mean and brown rice just can't be substituted for polished white rice - at least, not for my tastes, not in Vietnamese cuisine. The closest I came to success with brown rice was using it for some Com Tam platters made up at home. It wasn't *bad* but it wasn't worth ever repeating. And certainly none of my friends asked me to make it with brown rice again. 🙂
That said, they have no problems eating brown rice as a side dish when it's flavorful, and offered
Andrea Nguyen says
Brown rice is no white canvas for food. No sirree. I've been grossed out by the healthful practice of covering it with cheese sauce. Korean people enjoy lots of brown rice with beans. I can see eating a lean macrobiotic plate of brown rice, grilled fish and vegetables. Afterwards, you can smoke a cigarette to balance the yin with the yang, I suppose.
Not exactly Boston Market, which is now firmly ensconced in a chain supermarket, no? I could have sworn I experienced one at an Albertson's a few
Business Coach says
You may believe these four proverbs:
The noble soul has reverence for itself.
The principal thing in this world is to keep one's soul aloft.
What is a man's first duty? The answer is brief ; to be himself.
The horizon of life is broadened chiefly by the enlargement of the heart.