Do you have or know elementary school kids? If you do, you may have come into contact with Flat Stanley, a children's book by Jeff Brown. The plot low-down is that Stanley gets crushed by a falling bulletin board while he's asleep. In his flattened state, Stanley goes on many adventures, the best one being that his parents mail him in an envelope from New York to California. He meets new friends and connects with family, eventually returning home where his little bro helps to turn Stanley back to his 3-D self.
One of the common elementary school projects in America is to have each student send a flat version of themselves to adults in their lives. The adults then take the flat child around and report back in the child's passport book. Eventually, the flat child is mailed home, full of wonderful stories to share with his/her classmates.
I have eleven (11) nieces and nephews. Over the years, Rory and I have hosted Flat Cynthia and her brother Flat Michael in our home. Over the weekend, Flat Colin arrived via FedEx from New York City. He'd already ventured from his house in Los Angeles to his Japanese grandma's place in San Gabriel then to my parents' home in San Clemente. My folks took Flat Colin to a local clam chowder cookoff and took snapshots. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season, Flat Colin went to New York, Milan, and then back to New York. My sister says that he overextended his European and Big Apple sojourn and needs to get back home. Flat Colin can't go home till his passport is full. (Read: My nephew is behind on his assignment!) He needs help.
To rescue Colin and his worrisome mom, I'm putting my flattened nephew on the fast track by giving him a virtual trip. Colin in his 3-D self is a little rascal -- always teasing his mom and giving her grief. He loves to poke fun at others, like his cousin Peter in the photo above.
After being at our home for just a couple days, he got himself into trouble. During the raging winter storm on Tuesday, a giant tree branch fell on our roof and ripped off part of our new gutter. Flat Colin tried to survey the damage but got tangled up in the branches. He's flat, after all. Then he messed around with the few remaining hot chiles in the yard, thinking that they were Christmas ornaments. Back in the house for lunch, he tried to get in on the Viet food
action, whether it was messing with my banh gio steamed rice pyramid dumplings or beef pho noodle soup. Flat Colin and I had a minor struggle with the
hot pho broth and I got some on his hand. Now his hand is blackened and looks like gangrene
or frostbite. Ouch! Sorry for the travel-related injuries.
I'm going to have Flat Colin around for a few more days. Would you like to help him have the BEST TRIP EVER? Simple give a quick shout-out in the comment section of this post so that he knows that he has virtually traveled to you! Tell Flat Colin your location, and maybe your favorite Vietnamese food to eat or make. Let's make him a flattened armchair traveler. Thanks for pitching in!
1/26/10 Update: Colin and his mom posted a comment to say thanks to everyone for helping out! Click through the comments below or on this short post.
Jai says
Hey Flat Collin. What'ssssssss Uuuuuuuuuuup!
Here in Dallas enjoying the 70 degree winter day.
Good luck in your travels and eat some of your Aunt great food. You look a little skinny. 🙂
ivoryhut says
Flat Colin, I live in New Jersey, and although I'm close to New York City, there are more deer, foxes and bears around here than huge buildings. But don't worry, I don't think flat boys with passports are part of their diet. Which is a good thing, because if you were here, you'd be outside a lot, marveling at all the different plants and trees. Maybe we can even trace your genealogy and find out what kind of tree runs in your family. I'm guessing pine.
I used to say my favorite Vietnamese food is Lasa Tom, but I just found out that it's not Vietnamese after all. So my new answer is Bo Luc Lac, and of course, any kind of dumpling. You must be getting a lot of that there now. I saw the photos of you in the kitchen, so I know you must be eating well. Just make sure to be careful around the tortilla press, okay?
Miko Miko says
Flat Collin- welcome to San Diego via Seattle. I want some of that soup- will you share it?
Miko Miko says
Oops- I mean Colin with one "l"
Judy Guffey says
Aloha, Flst Colin. You can visit me in Ewa Beach, Hawai'i. My favorite Vietnamese food is Imperial spring rolls from a riverside restaurant in the Nha Trang area.
giao says
Hi Flat Colin!
I'm here in Rancho Cucamonga at T.Austin Florist. It's raining outside, but in here, it's just sweet smelling roses and lilies! Your aunt's website is awesome, you are so lucky to be related! Hope you are having fun on your travels 🙂
Judy Guffey says
Ooops, me too. I meant Flat Colin.
Mary says
Hi Flat Colin! We've hosted a few Flats in our house as well. We live in the mountains of western North Carolina, where we saw deer in our frozen garden today! My kids (Maggie and Mickey) just *love* simple garlicy chicken. They like me to make the chicken with "Maggi noodles," though now that Mickey is 2.5, we have to call them "Mickey noodles" sometimes, too.
Amy says
HI Flat Colin! We're in Spokane, WA in the beautiful Northwest! We have lots of deer, moose, coyotes & even porcupines here!
We love to eat baby bok choy, and bahn mi.
Your pal,
Amy
Nikki says
Hi Flat Colin! - How about we take you through three far-flung places... I've never had the pleasure of meeting you or your Flat family, but I'm sure my nieces and nephew know about them... The three of them are in Barrow, Alaska, where it's brrr cold up there - all three are in elementary school. My nieces Sheridan and Harmony love to read, so I'll have to ask them about your family... and my nephew Keoni loves to play hockey. I'll have to ask them what kind of Vietnamese food they like, but I'm sure my brother (their father) has already introduced them to pho. 🙂
They just returned after New Year's from a village called Faga'itua in American Samoa, where they were visiting their grandparents, who no doubt would be honored to have a visit from you someday...
And perhaps you can find time to visit me here in Warner Robins, Georgia... I'll be happy to share a plate of bun thit nuong (pork!) with you, and some tea. 🙂
Happy travels!
Mcs3000 says
Hi Flat Colin!
I live in San Francisco and it feels more like Seattle this week. Rain, rain, rain. Boy, do we need it - but not all at once!
Make sure Flat Colin always carries a bottle of your Aunt Andrea's homemade Sriracha sauce - there's nothing flat about it. It's da bomb and will ensure every meal is a winner.
Hope you fill-up your passport soon. Go Flat Colin! - Mary
Mary says
Hi Flat Colin - I live in Somers, NY, which is about 50 miles north of NYC. The weather has just gotten a bit warmer - you're lucky you weren't here a week or 2 ago - it was FREEZING! When we were in Hanoi 2 years ago adopting our daughter, our favorite foods to eat were the spring rolls, pho and bun cha. We ate lots of other great dishes that I cannot remember the names of as well-sorry! Hope you get to Hanoi on your travels - Vietnam is one of our favorite places in the world! Bon voyage!
Mary & family
Nancie McDermott says
Hey there, Flat Collin! Welcome to Chapel Hill, NC, home of the University of North Carolina and a lot of basketball fans who love the Tar Heels. They hang up the team jerseys in the rafters of the Dean Dome, and they are all flat, just like you. You could jump up into the rafters, don a flat jersey from a championship team, and be a temporary Tar Heel team member. Or you could go to Franklin Street, our main drag through town, and try out the pho and com dia at Lime and Basil. Around here we would call com dia a plate lunch. We have had such cold weather lately you will need to borrow a flat parka or flat UNC hoodie, which they sell at Rose's at University Mall. No snow yet, and the trees don't have a single leaf on them. You might want to fly out from RDU Raleigh Durham Airport, and if you did that, you could stop off on Miami Boulevard en route to the airport, to pick up a sack full of banh mi from 9N9, a Vietnamese cafe which sells multiple versions of pho; goi cuon; cafe sua da; and big bowls of bun bo hue. I am getting hungry just telling you this. We may need to flatten your banh mi to get them into your flat pockets; then they will be Viet panini, right? Happy travels, Flat Colin. Come back to the Piedmont (foothills, because it's down the hill from the Blue Ridge Mountains, which lead into the Great Smoky Mountains, but why am I telling you this, because none of those mountains are flat!
Stephanie says
Colin - I'm in a southern state called Alabama. We have lots of NASA space rockets and such. We're a technologically savvy town in Huntsville.
My very favorite Vietnamese food is Bun Thit Nuon (I hope I spelled it right) - especially when you eat it with the crispy spring noodles. Sometimes, I can just snack on some Nam when I get it at our local Vietnamese grocery store.
Tell all of your classmates we said hi, and thanks for stopping by, flat Colin!
Mamazita says
Hi Flat Colin!!! I am in the GREAT state of Texas - Fort Worth, that is. My favorite Vietnamese meal is pho bo (dac biet) with bo vien,goi cuon,chanh muoi to drink, and sinh to Bo for dessert. Enjoy your travel!!!
Diana (girlfeedsboy) says
Hi Flat Colin! I'm in Mount Prospect, IL (a northwest Chicago suburb). My favorite Vietnamese food includes banh bot loc (I am convinced I can eat 50 in one sitting although I haven't actually done it), canh chua ca and ca kho to. I'm a fan of starting my morning off with a cafe sua nong (in Chicago, the da would just be too much)!
Welcome to MP/Chicago!
Christine@ Fresh Local and Best says
Poor Flat Colin! He certainly seems to be having a lot of fun!
RobynNZ says
Hey Flat Colin,
Pop on down here, it's summer, the kids are on holiday, we'll take you to the beach, snorkel, play a bit of beach cricket & we'll see if the fish are biting. If not, we'll have some chilled Vietnamese noodles with all the trimmings, just the thing this time of year.
Happy Travels, Robyn, Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Trang says
Howdy Flat Colin! I wish I had your cool Sonic tshirt.
I'm getting ready for school too, but I bet your class is probably lots more fun than college. But anyway, you're looking a little flat, maybe you should have some bun bi thit nuong my grandma made. Sorry for the cold weather, bring a sweater next time you visit; you look awfully cold in only jeans and a tshirt. Though I must say, your Sonic tshirt is pretty cool.
Remember to tip your postman!
Trang from Milpitas, California.
Sally says
Hi Flat Colin,
Greetings from Cambridge, England! I love all sorts of Vietnamese food, but especially banh mi, cha ca and bun bo hue.
Happy travels!
Sally
Nhu says
Hi Flat Colin
Hello from rainy London, England. If you want to visit me I will be going to Venice, Singapore and Sydney over the next 3 weeks! But I am looking forward to visiting home in Sydney most where I can have some of my mum's delicious cooking. She makes awesome pho, bun bo hue, bun thit bo la lot, ca kho to and my aunty makes such yuummy bun rieu. awwww I am drooling just thinking about these dishes.
Safe travelling!
Nhu
Jessica Lee Binder says
Hi Flat Colin,
I'm in NYC so I don't know if I can be of help, but if you want to come over and play with my dog, you're welcome to. She's a very friendly Jack Russell that loves to lick you all over. She's great at posing for pictures too!
Best,
Jessica
Sebastian says
Hi Flat Colin!
Hello from New York! I get the best of both worlds and enjoy food from El Salvador with my Dad and Vietnam with my mom. My grandma, Ba, made two of my favorite dishes, banh xeo and banh cuon, which are not as flat as you, but close enough..
Happy travels! Sebastian
Valerie says
Hi Flat Colin!
Hello from Montreal, Canada! It's pretty cold here right now, perfect weather for a nice big bowl of homemade pho bo! Maybe with a couple of cha gio as an appetizer - especially if we use my grandmother's recipe! 🙂
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Valerie
Jennifer says
Hi Flat Colin,
We live in Bellevue, Washington with Maia, Lea, Flat Stephanie, two gerbils, two cats and two frogs. Around our home are lots of lakes and mountains so it's a good place to go hiking and swimming. It rains here a lot, but it's very green and beautiful too. Have fun on your journeys!
Jennifer
bret says
Hey Flat Colin,
Chao from Albuquerque, NM. Lots of good viet food here. My favorite is either Banh Bao or Beef Pho.
Those look like some nice chiles you got there.
Bret
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks for sending international greetings to Flat Colin. Shazam, from Santa Cruz, he's ventured to North Carolina, back to New York, up to Montreal, over to Washington, traversed the oceans to New Zealand, and then to London and Cambridge -- with layovers in between. This is shaping up to be quite the virtual trip! If only we could rack up some frequent flier points . . .
Alice says
Hi Flat Colin,
Many greetings from Mannheim, Germany! Seems you are a very nice boy (although you aunt says you are a rascal...) Let your aunt know that her Blog is great and I enjoy reading it so far away. Ah, not to forget... in Germany it is cold and snowy but thinking of Bun thit nuong, cha gio, Pho bo, ca phe sua da and nuoc cam makes everthing warm and shiny 😉
Best wishes to you,
Alice
Rick Ludlam says
Hey there Flat Colin,
Uncle Rick here from San Diego CA, just finished dinner tonight it was Pho Ga sooo yummy is a cold rainy day here today good day to stay inside and have a nice bowl of Pho right? Hope we can go back to Vietnam soon take care and have a great evening
Lynne says
Hi Flat Colin!
You have quite the life, it seems! Here in warm west-central Florida (Lithia/Plant City) we have the winter strawberry capital of the world and also recently the home of much sinkhole activity!
No strawberries tonight; we just returned from our favorite Vietnamese restaurant and a meal of fresh rolls and Bun Bo Xao (I think that's what it was called!).
Good luck on your journey!!
Thanh Hai says
Hi Flat Colin! Come to us to Bonn, Germany. The weather is cold right now, but the snow is melting down. You could come and taste the vietnamese food I make with the help of your aunt's recipes! My very big family would welcome you!
Safe trip!
Thanh Hai
Celina says
Hi Flat Colin,
Hello from Greeley ( 1.5 hrs driving from Denver), Colorado. Here we are between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. We are exploring all sorts of Viet food. To name a favorite one, it's difficult since there are so many nice things. I guess Pho is the answer and it never fails me.
Good luck for your journey!
Celina
Jerry says
Hello Flat Colin,
I live in the woods in NW Oregon, about 26 miles west of Portland, Oregon with 12 cats, 1 dog, two horses and a goat.
Whenever I can get into Portland, I like to visit the food carts, especially the Vietnamese ones where I can get a big bowl of Pho or Bahn Mi. Yum...
Laura says
HI Flat Colin,
Greetings from Tokyo, Japan! My husband and kids (ages 14 and 13) have lived here for two years and really LOVE it. It's a fast-paced but approachable place that has lots of interesting culture and history, and best of all....delicious food! My sister-in-law is Vietnamese, so we've had some amazing food over the years. We love the fresh spring rolls and banh mi sandwiches. I hope your Auntie Andrea makes you lots of delicious dumplings....boy, you're a lucky one to get those! Safe travels to you! Cheers, Laura
miriam says
bonjour Collin,
come and visite me here in paris , we will have banh mi
pho and café sua
bisous bisous miriam
Barbara Schmidt says
Hi Flat Colin,
Greetings from Frankfurt Germany! We have lots of bratwurst stands, but also a few good Vietnamese restaurants. My family's favorites are banh xeo, bun bo Hue, chao ga, pho bo, and of course Trung Nguyen coffee.
Tschüss!
Barbara
Virgnia Tadrzynski says
Hi Flat Colin, I'm in Coopersburg, PA, outside of Allentown, which is located between NYC and Philadelphia. We are not quite country and not quite city......hope this helps. Tell Auntie that I haven't found a fave Viet food yet, I'm still looking and her blog is helping.
Ellen Rigsby says
Hi Flat Colin!
Since you already visited folks above in SF, you must have hopped over the Bay Bridge to Berkeley, where you would play with my son, who would pull your hair and my daughter who would try to get you to play imagination games because they liked you. She would kick your butt at wii princess, though. We all eat a lot of varried types of Bun for lunch and dinner (and breakfast when there are leftovers. Thanks to your Aunt Andrea for the permission to try things like potatoes on it! But my favorite is always bbq pork.
Andrea Nguyen says
And from England, Flat Colin has gone to Germany and France for an EU experience, then to Pennsylvania and Oakland. Thank you ALL for joining in!
Lindsay says
Hi Flat Colin! Greetings from warm and sunny Cape Town, South Africa.
Vietnamese food is a bit hard to come by down here, especially if you want to make it yourself because some of the ingredients are very hard to find. What we may lack in some food varieties we make up for in the diversity of the country; we have people that speak Afrikaans, Zulu, English, isiXhosa, and many other languages. We have beautiful mountains, beaches, winelands, and, of course, the bush, where you can find animals like lions, leopard, elephants, hippo, zebra, and giraffes. South Africa is a beautiful country-- maybe you can make it down here for the FIFA World Cup in June?
Safe travels!
Lindsay
stella says
Hello Flat Colin,
Your aunt's pho looks mighty delicious!! Pho is one of my favorites, especially during the brutal winters here in Chicago, IL. It was slightly warmer over the weekend, but it's gloomy & snowing again today. I enjoyed pho, spring rolls, and a spicy chicken Vietnamese sandwich for lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in the city. My husband and I LOVE Vietnamese food SO MUCH, we need it at least once per week!!
Gayle says
Hi, Flat Colin! We're American, but because my husband is in the Foreign Service, right now we live in Manila, Philippines on the 41st floor of an apartment building. I am working my way through your aunt's wonderful first
book and making lots of Vietnamese recipes. My favorite right now is clay pot catfish with homemade caramel sauce. I'm learning Filipino dishes too, like shrimp sinigang, a sour soup, or lapu lapu escabeche, which is a whole fried grouper in sweet and sour sauce. Have fun on your travels, virtual and otherwise! Gayle
Leslie says
Hi Flat Colin,
My son Noah was born in Vietnam. Since he was a baby he has lived in Minnesota. It's very cold in the winter but hot and sunny in the summer. Not as hot as Vietnam though! Have fun on your travels.
Leslie
Hadley says
Hello, Flat Colin,
I live in Charlottesville, VA but travel often to see my family on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Here, I can climb to the top of very old mountains (it's easier because they're shorter) and at home with my parents, I can kayak from the dock into the Chesapeake bay, picking oysters from the bottom of the water and netting crabs to eat later.
I love pho, and will be making some of my own soon!
Colin & Tasha says
Hello all from 3-D Colin and his mother,
Thank you all for the virtual tour of the world. If Flat Colin ate all the foods you mentioned he would be the size of 3-D Colin, whose favorite VN food is bun nem nuong accompanied by some good nuoc dung for pho bo (broth for beef pho).
Flat Colin is in TX and after that Alaska and Washington. There are lots of good VN food in TX so we will see what he eats while there. Unfortunately Flat Colin won't make it to many of the places in his virtual tour, but then again it's not that easy to go to New Zealand.
Here's a shout out to auntie Andrea for her nifty idea, although from the pix she did scar Flat Colin for life...
Colin & Tasha says
Hello all from 3-D Colin and his mother,
Thank you all for the virtual tour of the world. If Flat Colin ate all the foods you mentioned he would be the size of 3-D Colin, whose favorite VN food is bun nem nuong accompanied by some good nuoc dung for pho bo (broth for beef pho).
Flat Colin is in TX and after that Alaska and Washington. There are lots of good VN food in TX so we will see what he eats while there. Unfortunately Flat Colin won't make it to many of the places in his virtual tour, but then again it's not that easy to go to New Zealand.
Here's a shout out to auntie Andrea for her nifty idea, although from the pix she did scar Flat Colin for life...
Elaine says
Hi Flat Colin! I'm probably too late but I live just outside of Tokyo, Japan. I'm close enough to Tokyo Disneyland that at night I can see the fireworks from my apartment. On the mornings I go past on the train and see them "warming up" the volcano that's part of the park. It's such a warm winter in Tokyo that the plum trees are already blooming. I like pho bo and can't forget the Vietnamese steamed "white rose" dumplings I ate in Hoi An, Vietnam, five years ago.
Elaine
Andrea Nguyen says
Elaine -- you're not too late. I think Flat Colin is working his way to Alaska. You are near Tokyo Disneyland? How crazy fun! And the blossoms are blooming too... that must be beautiful.
Shower Stall says
We live in Manhattan good luck on your journey.
e cig says
Thanks for the information.
Lora says
I hope its not too late to post! I'm from NJ and took a trip to London over Valentine's weekend with my son. Colin, I think we saw your cousin right there in fron to Big Ben! We came out of the underground and behold, in front of us was a couple taking shots of Flat Stanley! I hope you are enjoying your adventures!
Lori Lynn says
Hi Andrea! i found your blog while googling Flat Stanley. I have him as a house guest now. Great post, love Flat Colin and the Pho!
Lori LYnn
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks so much, Lori Lynn!
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Live and let live.
marlon says
you look awfully cold in only jeans and a tshirt. Though I must say, your Sonic tshirt is pretty cool.