In some ways, I was destined to become a francophile: I was born in post-French-colonial Saigon and then grew up in Canada, where I took French classes from the fourth grade on. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t longing to go France itself — it was somehow a part of my very constitution. In high school, I had a wonderful French teacher who turned me into a full-fledged francophile, and by the time …
Monthly Archives: May 2012
Food Matchmaking: Gravy Loves Coffee
I’ve become a bit of a coffee lover the last few years (thanks to a friend who gave me my first bag of Stumptown coffee beans… which was also my introduction to freshly ground beans and, later, the French press), but I still don’t often find myself cooking with it. Not long ago, I came across a recipe for roast beef–another classic dish I’ve never made and keep meaning to try–that is served with a …
Food Matchmaking: Guava Loves Chili Salt
I love the fruit stands in SE Asia where you can buy cut fruit that often comes with a little package of chili salt. In my family, guava is one of those fruits we always eat with chili salt. But chili salt is basically great with any fruit that’s a bit tart, like green mango, pineapple, or grapefruit. My mom always told me that adding a bit of salt to any fruit that’s sour would …
Vietnamese Sugarcane Shrimp (Chao Tom)
Whenever we go to Vietnamese restaurants, this is one of my Dad’s favorite dishes to order. He doesn’t make it too often at home, and I think part of it has to do with the lack of fresh sugarcane in the grocery stores. Granted, you could probably make it without the sugarcane or even substitute it with something else, but I think munching on the sweet sugarcane at the end is my favorite part of …
Connect with us