Ngon Lắm: Flavors of Home

JUNE 1, 2021 | ISSUE 1

NGON LẮM: FLAVORS OF HOME A newsletter highlighting the stories of undergraduate students from the Vietnamese-American community

A SPECIAL THANKS TO: Neelanjana Banerjee: Instructor Hannah Pham: Contributor Ryan Du: Contributor Stella Pham: Contributor Duyen Nguyen: Contributor

A COLLABORATION WITH KAYA PRESS

JUNE 1, 2021 | ISSUE 1

Editor's Note: Hello everyone!

My name is Eric Au and I'm currently a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA. This is my first ever publication and I wanted to create this newsletter in response to the rise in anti-Asian sentiment throughout this past year, This past year has been extremely difficult on all of us and the prevalence of hate crimes on elderly from the Asian community makes matters even worse for those who have parents or grandparents around the same age. My own mother is around the same age as the elderly women I see on the news and it gives my great anxiety to see these women who resemble my mother.

All of this terrible news made me realize how disconnected I've been from my family and ethnic culture since I left for college almost four years ago. I wanted to create this publication to help other Vietnamese college students reconnect and reclaim their ethnic culture, and to pay respect to the adults in our lives that helped raise us. Even though I've felt disconnected from my ethnic culture, my love for Vietnamese food has kept me close to my ethnic roots. This is the same for many other Vietnamese students at UCLA. I hope this publication serves as a reminder to always keep your family and ethnic culture close even as we get older and become more busy with our own lives. I cannot even begin to imagine the sacrifices that my family made for me. I owe it to them to keep them and my ethnic culture close to me. Even though I will be spending less time with my family as I pursue higher education, I'll always remember the comfort that Vietnamese food gives me and the love that my family has for me.

With Gratitude, Eric Au

A COLLABORATION WITH KAYA PRESS

JUNE 1, 2021 | ISSUE 1

Hannah Pham

Year: 3 // Hometown: San Diego, CA

+ What dish reminds you most of home?

Cá Kho is my favorite dish that reminds me of home. It's a big occasion for my family when I return home from college. Being able to eat this dish reminds me of dinner nights when I was a child where my mom and dad would work together to perfect the dish for me and my siblings. These small moments help remind me of the sense of home and comfort that I miss out on during my time at college.

+ How has being away at college affected your connection with your family and Vietnamese culture?

Every time I come home from college nowadays, we always go out to eat.

Even though so much has changed in my life, I am comforted by the fact that our dining routine will remain the same. Although it is not explicitly said, I know it is a special occasion to my parents when I dedicate the time to come back home. Although it is not explicitly said, I know my parents have missed me while I was gone. Although it is not explicitly said, I know my parents love me.

+ Favorite Memory of Cá Kho? My siblings and I set up the table as the food is almost ready. I spread and cover the table with the old local Vietnamese newspapers. My brothers grab the bowls and chopsticks. As we all gather and sit down, my mom scoops out the fluffy white rice from the rice cooker— making sure to scoop a little extra into my bowl. My dad picks out all the bones in the fish and warns us to chew carefully, so that we do not accidentally swallow one. We all devour the food quietly as my dad puts more meat into our bowls.

+ How has your experience with Vietnamese food impacted your understanding of your ethnic culture and your individual identity?

Food is the universal love language in my household. A full belly means a full heart. It is never “how are you feeling?” It is always “have you eaten yet?”

Gathered around the table, we often eat in silence. A silence that may appear cold or lonely to some. But to me, those moments of silence are filled with the biggest gestures of love.

A COLLABORATION WITH KAYA PRESS

JUNE 1, 2021 | ISSUE 1

Ryan Du

Year: 4 // Hometown: El Monte, CA + What dish reminds you most of home?

One Vietnamese dish that reminds me most of home is Cơm Tấm because I have eaten it since I was a kid. It's simple to make because it just includes vegetables, fish sauce, pork shreds, rice, meat, and eggs. My parents were always busy so making Cơm Tấm played a huge role in my childhood.

The variety that the dish offered was loved by everyone in our family— myself, my parents, and my little brother.

+ How has being away at college affected your connection with your family and Vietnamese culture?

I don't get the heartwarming meals that my parents make anymore. Instead, I eat takeout and American food because there is no Vietnamese food present around Westwood. Although I am grateful for the various dishes that I have tried, I definitely miss the smile that my mother provides whenever I say that I love her food. The connection was definitely affected, but whenever I go back home, I know that those dishes will bring me back the fond memories. My taste buds have changed, but I still remember my roots.

+ Favorite Memory of Cơm Tấm?

I remember driving back from San Jose with my family, and it was already nighttime. The 6 hour drive back home was tiresome, and my parents, little brother, and I have not eaten a proper meal ever since we left San Jose. We were starving, but my mom packed Cơm Tấm because it was a hefty meal, and she knew that everyone would say yes to it. I remember stuffing myself with the meal, as memories of my childhood came back. I know that whenever my family and I are hungry, we can always count of Cơm Tấm to fill us up.

+ How has your experience with Vietnamese food impacted your understanding of your ethnic culture and your individual identity?

Vietnamese food has definitely impacted my ethnic culture and individual identity because these meals were what my parents ate ever since they were young. They introduced these meals to me as a young child to pass on Vietnamese culture. Being refugees, the one of the few things that my parents were able to bring back were stories and knowledge of their food. By sharing this food with me, they provided me a glimpse of the life they lived.

A COLLABORATION WITH KAYA PRESS

JUNE 1, 2021 | ISSUE 1

Stella Pham

Year: 4 // Hometown: San Jose, CA

+ What dish reminds you most of home?

Bún bò Huế is a dish that mom always makes and is honestly better than when I get it at the restaurant. Now that I am in LA, there are not a lot of Vietnamese restaurants nearby so every time I come back, my mom always makes Bún bò Huế for me in advance so I can eat it after a long drive home and it represents her love for me even though I'm not living at home.

+ How has being away at college affected your connection with your family and Vietnamese culture?

Being away at college, I no longer get the chance to eat as much Vietnamese cuisine as I did back home. Most of my home cooked meals have been very Americanized or whatever is convenient to make since Asian grocery stores are quite far. Also, now at college, I don’t really have the time to celebrate Vietnamese holidays or spend time with my family as much. It has definitely changed my connection with my family and culture but as soon as I am home, I am more appreciative of it after a long period without it.

+ Favorite Memory of Bún bò Huế?

A fond memory about Bún bò Huế is that I told my mom how I can’t find any good places down here that sells it without it being an hour or more away. So for my last weekend at home, she spent the whole day teaching me how to make it so I can make my own Bún bò Huế when I am back in LA. Even though I still have yet to make it, some of my college friends have been wanting to make it with me to eat!

+ How has your experience with Vietnamese food impacted your understanding of your ethnic culture and your individual identity?

I realized the importance of my culture and roots more now that I am not exposed to it on a daily basis like I did back home. Even something as simple as Vietnamese food has definitely made an impact on me and how I view my identity and culture.

A COLLABORATION WITH KAYA PRESS

JUNE 1, 2021 | ISSUE 1

Duyen Nguyen

Year: 4 // Hometown: San Jose, CA

+ What dish reminds you most of home?

Phở is the dish that represents home because my family usually makes it for me whenever I come home from college. The warmness of the broth is similar to the comfort I feel when I'm at home with my family even though I don't get to see them often since I'm away at college.

+ How has being away at college affected your connection with your family and Vietnamese culture?

I had the luxury of having my meals cooked for me everyday when I was back home, so when I moved away to college, I was only able to make easy dishes from online recipes. Though there were few Vietnamese dishes that I learned how to make before I left to college, it is definitely more time consuming than the typical college meals that people tend to make while away from home. As a college student bombarded with assignments and exams, I just gravitated towards Ralph's out of convenience and accessibility. I am still lucky that my mom packs side dishes for me to take back to UCLA whenever I visit home.

+ Favorite Memory of Phở?

I have a pretty big family since my mom has four siblings, each with families of their own. Every Sunday, we would all gather at my grandma's house and eat a meal cooked by one of the five siblings. Whenever it was my mom's turn to cook, she would always make Phở to feed our large family of 20, so I ate it very often as a child. There would be tons of meats and herbs on the table, and each person adds whatever they wanted into their bowl before pouring in the broth. To this day, I have yet to find a Phở restaurant that makes the dish as delicious as my mom's.

+ How has your experience with Vietnamese food impacted your understanding of your ethnic culture and your individual identity?

The different spices and condiments that are required to make these dishes demonstrate the uniqueness of Vietnamese culture. The time and effort being put into cultivating each dish also helped me appreciate the culture that raised me. I remember back in elementary school when my mom would pack me lunch, the other kids would always gather around my lunchbox with either curious or disgusted gazes. The meals that embarrassed me before have now become a staple in my life, and it makes me proud to be born from such a culturally-rich background.

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"When we say 'Asian American' we are talking about so much more than can be fit in a single stereotype" - Ijeoma Oluo