When most people hear the term “vegan,” they immediately think of hippies eating nothing but tasteless raw vegetables. That is not the case when it comes to Vietnamese vegan foods at all or—do an chay. Most Vietnamese who are vegans, whether completely or just on special days, are so for religious reasons. Before continuing on, there may be a need to establish the difference … [Read more...] about Vegan Dishes You Wouldn’t Believe
Falling Short of the Stereotype
Stereotypes have always had a negative connotation. Assuming something about someone because he or she just fits a skeleton media has created is harmful to the group as a whole. There are the bad stereotypes such as Asians being bad drivers, Asian men being addicted to gambling and drinking “with the guys,” while picking at food for hours commonly known as “nha^.u,”, Vietnamese … [Read more...] about Falling Short of the Stereotype
My Native Tongue
Vietnamese is my second language. I was raised as an American with my grandfather’s culture sparsely scattered upon my childhood. I was fed Vietnamese food, mainly by my paternal grandmother, ba noi, who had a natural talent for cooking but mostly everything else was either completely American or a mixture of Vietnamese and American and so the term “Vietnamese-American” really … [Read more...] about My Native Tongue
A Wedding of All Traditions
Young Vietnamese-Americans today have an expectation from their parents and grandparents to embrace their Vietnamese culture and pass it on to their own children. There are many traditions which may never die out such as passing out red envelopes for good luck during Tet every year. On the April 29, 2010 OneVietnam published the article “What’s the Big Deal with Vietnamese … [Read more...] about A Wedding of All Traditions
Cause of Death: Consumption of Basa Fish
Is it possible that the after-school fish stick snacks you have been feeding your child could possibly be contaminated with deadly metals such as mercury?! Unfortunately, the answer is YES. The dangers of consuming too much fish are usually paired with the not-so-rare disease hydrargyria (better known as mercury poisoning) but now it seems that there’s a new danger to … [Read more...] about Cause of Death: Consumption of Basa Fish