Current:Home > MyFood blogging reminds me of what I'm capable of and how my heritage is my own-LoTradeCoin
Food blogging reminds me of what I'm capable of and how my heritage is my own
View Date:2024-12-24 00:42:45
I love to eat, but feeding others is my love language.
When I graduated from college and moved to Washington, D.C., in 2017, I left all of my friends behind. Plying new acquaintances with lavish, home-cooked meals was my best attempt at making new friends and curing my loneliness. I don't want to brag, but my food is pretty good. Soon enough, everyone was asking me for the recipes, which is how Bun Bo Bae, my Vietnamese cooking blog, came to be in 2019.
In hindsight, I've probably been destined to start a food blog. I spent most of my childhood in the kitchen with my mom. As a toddler, I'd sit and watch her cook. My sous chef duties started with just passing her the ingredients. Soon, I was measuring, steaming and stir-frying my way toward kitchen mastery. I left for college before I could learn my mom's best dishes.
In 2015 I went abroad to study in France. I was living alone — truly alone — for the first time in my life. There were no roommates, dorms or dining halls. I was on my own and I was desperately homesick. So, I started calling my mom and asking for the recipes for my favorite dishes.
It turns out, my mom doesn't have any recipes. She couldn't give me a single measurement for any dish — that wasn't the way she learned how to cook. She grew up in the kitchen with her mom too, and my grandma passed on her knowledge orally. Now it was my turn. My mom taught me how to cook intuitively and "measure with my heart." Instead of following rigid measurements, I learned to cook by tasting and feeling my food.
Bun Bo Bae was initially a space for me to put what I learned into writing. I didn't want all of the secret knowledge behind dishes like my mom's bún bò huế (a spicy beef and pork noodle soup that inspired the blog's name) or my dad's thịt băm sốt cà chua (a versatile, pork-based tomato sauce) to disappear one day if the oral tradition ended. I wanted to write down every piece of advice I was given in detail, to make sure people could keep creating these dishes as authentically as possible.
These days, I experiment more. I'm not as strict with myself about preserving and re-creating Vietnamese dishes exactly as I remember eating them. I use seasonal ingredients and substitute items when I can't find them. Some recipes, like my bò lúc lắc, or shaking beef, feel entirely my own. As my food blog and follower count grew, so did my confidence in the kitchen.
Bun Bo Bae also grew my confidence at work. I knew I was a great cook, but I had no idea how to make a website, photograph my meals or even how to arrange them to look appetizing. I taught myself social media and web building, and the skills helped me land my job at NPR, where one of my recipes was served in Sound Bites, the cafeteria. I even hosted a cooking class for my colleagues to celebrate AAPI Heritage Month.
My blog has given me a space to write about what I love on days when the news feels too depressing. It's connected me to countless new internet friends. Most importantly, writing for Bun Bo Bae has taught me that celebrating my Vietnamese American culture doesn't have to be about perfectly re-creating my parents' traditions. It's about mixing what I've been taught with my own experiences, and cooking up something entirely new.
What are you really into? Fill out this form or leave us a voice note at 800-329-4273, and part of your submission may be featured online or on the radio.
veryGood! (415)
Related
- MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
- Shooting on a Cheyenne, Wyoming, street kills one, injures two
- Public utilities regulator joins race for North Dakota’s single U.S. House seat
- Texas man killed in gunfight with police at central Michigan café
- Footage shows Oklahoma officer throwing 70-year-old to the ground after traffic ticket
- Mystery Behind Pregnant Stingray With No Male Companion Will Have You Hooked
- Eyes on the road: Automated speed cameras get a fresh look as traffic deaths mount
- Gwen Stefani Reveals Luxurious Valentine's Day Gift From Blake Shelton
- Police capture Tennessee murder suspect accused of faking his own death on scenic highway
- US Justice Department sues over Tennessee law targeting HIV-positive people convicted of sex work
Ranking
- DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
- Wyoming standoff ends over 24 hours later with authorities killing suspect in officer’s death
- Kansas City shooting survivor says daughter saw Chiefs parade gunman firing and spinning in a circle
- Godzilla, Oscar newbie, stomps into the Academy Awards
- Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
- Chiefs players comfort frightened children during Super Bowl parade mass shooting
- Montana’s Malmstrom air base put on lockdown after active shooter report
- Championship parades likely to change in wake of shooting at Chiefs Super Bowl celebration
Recommendation
-
Panel advises Illinois commemorate its role in helping slaves escape the South
-
Pennsylvania man accused of beheading father charged with terrorism
-
Outer Banks Star Austin North Speaks Out After Arrest Over Alleged Hospital Attack
-
Calling history: Meet Peacock's play-by-play broadcaster for Caitlin Clark's historic game
-
FSU football fires offensive, defensive coordinators, wide receivers coach
-
2023's surprise NBA dunk contest champ reaped many rewards. But not the one he wanted most
-
Why banks are fighting changes to an anti-redlining program
-
GMA3's T.J. Holmes Reveals When He First Knew He Loved Amy Robach