She is a teacher who always loves her
students very much. She is a person who is dedicated to scientific research.
The two studies on which she has worked very hard are, “special dishes of three
regions in Vietnam” and “standards used to classify the level of cooking
techniques in Vietnam”. These have contributed to building the foundation a
university program, as well as throughout the culinary industry. In addition,
she has also participated in activities promoting Vietnamese cuisine abroad, so
people also call her a "Cultural Ambassador to Vietnamese cuisine”
What do you remember about cooking with
your mother and grandmother that has most fueled your passion for cooking?
I still remember the first dish that I made
by myself when I was six years old. My mother wasn’t at home at that time and
left a fish that she has bought in the morning. I went to the garden and picked
some tomato, then I fried the fish and stuffed it with chopped tomato. I
remember that my brothers enjoyed it a lot. When my mother came back home my
grandmother told her that I have a knack for cooking.
Every time there is an event in the village
my grandmother will be invited to taste the food, divide the food proportion
and suggest ideas for the menu. During the festival, my mother will bake cakes,
cook sticky rice and sweet soup and bring them to the temple for offering. I
usually followed her. My grandmother and my mother are not only good at
cooking, but also sewing. Everything in my family was also hand-woven by my
mother. These traditionally feminine skills have been handed down from my
grandmother and mother to me and my sisters. They usually asked us to make many
dishes, and although it was hard, we felt very happy and excited because the
dishes were very creative. In the years when the whole country faced a shortage
of rice, everyone had to cook rice mixed with pearl barley. It isn’t easy to
eat, but we all enjoyed our meals because my mum rejuvenated the dishes with
different vegetables to try and create variety. I often tell my students about
the unique dishes that my mom used to cook before and they open their eyes
widely and ask me, “Why you don’t write a book about this?”
What is your most favorite lesson learned
from your mother?
My mother often said, “If you share your
meal with others then something will remain, but if you eat with only yourself
then everything runs out.” It means that if you share what you have with
others, you will in turn receive the same kindness one day. If you take care of
only yourself then the future will not return the favor. At that time all
families struggled with hunger. Whenever my mother made pancakes my sisters and
brothers were happy, but we were told to share with our neighbors and that
upset us. We didn’t want to share at the time, but when we grew older we
understood our mother’s intentions.
Do you find it sad that such thoughts are
lost nowadays?
When life improves with more convenient
living conditions, people forgot how to care for one another. People stop
having regular family meals like before where everyone shared the family
values. I always feel sad every time I remember about my mother. My mother
always cooked good dishes and wanted everyone to gather around the table and
enjoy it while she was still cooking in the kitchen. Our family is big, so my
mother usually saved the food for us and my father. She felt such happiness
watching us enjoy the food, but we never realized just how tired and hungry she
was.
When you teach, what is the most important
lesson you impart? Have you ever had to repay anything in your research?
As a person who loves conducting research
and coaching students on their graduation thesis, I also set challenges for
myself. It has become a part of my personality, and whenever I go somewhere or
experience something new I learn more about cuisine. I always feel curious and
surprised about what I’ve seen as a child. It is just a pity that life is
limited, but knowledge is unlimited. I respect inspiring and teaching other
people.
When I switched from engineering to
training chefs, it was a great challenge for me. In training chefs in the
tourism sector, they need to focus on practice more than theory - which is the
opposite from being an engineer. They have to stay current with new food trends
or the demands of diners to design a suitable menu. I had very limited
financial resources, but needed to conduct research on standards used to
classify levels of cooking techniques. For this, I needed to travel to many
places, and after two years the research had spent VND 17 million. We all had
to use our own money to compensate the budget. At that time it was a large
amount of money. The research was presented successfully and the thesis was excellently
evaluated, but I was crying right there because I thought of the amount of
money that I would have to compensate later. I know that I should be the one
who compensates the amount and not the other team members. I was lucky that our
Principal understood about this, and they offered their help to cover expenses.
Do you get upset when Vietnam is considered
as one of the countries with a high rate of cancer - blamed on poor diet?
It is true. Our policy is studying cuisine,
but it should go together with environmental protection. There was one time I
couldn’t answer the questions from foreign friends when I took them to have “com nieu”- rice baked in a small
earthenware pot. When you eat “com nieu”
you have to break the pot to take out the rice. They asked me why would we
break such a handmade pot for only one usage? Why wouldn’t we recycle it and
refused to eat the dish because of its wasteful nature. In recent years, game
has become a favorite for many people, especially men who love drinking or rich
people. There are some people who even eat animals on the endangered species
list. It is obvious that there is a gap in education of cuisine and
sustainability.
Besides that, our products use so many
additives and fake foods. Even some professional chefs find it difficult to
identify clean vegetables when they go to the market. All standards of fresh,
tasty and safe foods have been broken. The truth sometimes has to be understood
in the opposite way. Therefore consumers have been cheated and everything is out
of control.
What do you think about the quote said by
Mr Philip Kotler, marketing expert “Vietnam can become a kitchen of the world?”
He mentioned this a few years ago. Yes, it
is possible, but there isn’t yet any response from anyone. Vietnamese cuisine
is diverse because there are 50 groups of people. This treasure can be even
more enriched because of the country’s geography, typical climate, long coast
and our abundant and diverse food. All these make for unique and interesting
variations.
Recipes transferred from our ancestors are
also very smart as they have addressed traditional Vietnamese foods, such as “Banh chung” – a square sticky rice cake
always present during Tet holiday; “Banh gio”- a sticky rice dumpling with pork
and mushroom; “Banh cuon”- fresh rice
paper rolled with pork and mushroom. There are all four groups of foods in
each small cake. The soup is very delicious with beautiful and clear broth
which requires a refined cooking technique. Boiled dishes are also made with a
sense of art. Especially the cuisine of the North is always prepared precisely
with detailed and accurate recipes.
We also have the same desire and
expectation with Minh Long I, as they always have a concern of how to draw a
culinary map of Vietnam, or how to honor talented chefs as well as explore the
hidden cuisine of the country. They endeavor to enhance our own culture, not
just to sell products.
Does writing books help you to maintain
your passion?
I have a database and information, but to
be able to write you need a moment of emotion and inspiration. If you are under
pressure you won’t be able to write well. I wouldn’t have all this knowledge if
wasn’t lucky enough to meet so many great teachers from whom I learned skills,
pedagogical methodology and inspiration. Fan page is a tool that I used to
systemize my knowledge about cuisine and share with my students new, unique,
delicious and beautifully presented dishes.
Food is like a gem hidden within a rock.
When you find it somewhere in folklore you must invest your time and energy to
polish it and make it become a product that can be sold in the tourism
industry. In order to do this it requires the support of many people. I thought
our State should have a research department to study and develop this valuable
treasure for our future generation as well as keep a parallel development
between traditional and modern cuisine.
Followed by Kim Yen
(conducted)
Hoang Tuong (portrait drawing)
The Gioi Tiep Thi magazine