A little bit about me and how “Nourishing Pursuit” came to be.
Up until I was seven years old, my family lived in a small town west of Saigon in the Southern parts of Vietnam. Many of my favorite childhood memories are from this period. They are definitely 99% food related. I have always love food since my first bite.
Then my gastronomical days of glory with all things Vietnamese food came to an abrupt interruption when my family moved to America. We did not go to where all the Viet people lived. We moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Yeap and back then, you can count the number of Vietnamese families there on both your hands. Not the case at all nowadays.
Displaced and kind of isolated, even the sound of dogs barking at night in our new neighborhood would make us missed our previous life so much. My resourceful mom got creative in the kitchen. She brought familiarity to the dinning table using whatever ingredients available to us. Nuoc mam made everything all right. We at least we had that! And it wasn’t long before we learned to adjust and tried to assimilate.
The art of life lies in a constant readjustment to our surroundings.
Okakura Kakuzō – The book of tea
Growing up, I struggled to fit in. I was convinced that if I was less Vietnamese and was more American in my mannerisms, I would be better accepted. I even trained my palette to reject the comfort Vietnamese foods that brought me so much joy as a kid.
Fast forward, I went to college, studied food, met my sweetheart and started a family. The foodie in me celebrated so many different new cultures and cuisines along the way. Happy to say, I have come full circle in my food journey. Nourishing Pursuit is where I share my love for the science of nutrition and the art of providing nourishments for the whole family. The foods I cook reflect my upbringing and experience growing up in America. It leans heavily towards Vietnamese foods as I am rediscovering and introducing them to my daughters.
Cooking is love made visible.
anonymous
