Good salads should never be hard find. But its increasingly becoming more and more difficult to find a salad at any fast casual restaurant that isn’t at some ridiculous price for a few leaves, a few nuts, a protein, and dressing. I should never have to chose between being able to get two hamburgers for the price of one salad. The current meteoric rise of inflation hasn’t helped. Because of the Great Salad Dilemma™, we tend to make our own salads at home and at camp.
Read MoreOn our month long trip in Baja, improvisation was key. We couldn’t depend on our usual “things to buy” whenever we’re in the States. We were at the whim of what the markets had to offer. We lived the gentrified millennial dream: eating locally and seasonally. We travel with a fairly wide selection of spices and seasoning so we can whip together basically anything we want. We can throw together American, Indian, Korean, Mexican, or Vietnamese pretty easily. This salad was inspired a traditional Vietnamese chicken salad, gỏi ga, then fused with our love of grill seafood from the streets of Vietnam.
Read MoreHot pot. It’s a phrase that is synonymous with parties, get togethers, celebrations, and good times for many people around the world. Ever wonder how to feed a bunch of people delicious food without breaking the bank? Hot pot is the answer. Growing up, the lẩu thái (thai-inspired) variant of Vietnamese hot pot, was the go-to dish for my mom to serve whenever we knew that the rest of the massive Nguyen clan was coming.
Read MoreIt’s a well known fact that camping and coffee go hand-in-hand. The fact that we make the choice all leave our day-to-day grind to slow down and appreciate what’s around us for a few days, a week, a month, or indefinitely. That very cup filled with that black soul nourishing liquid is the exact catalyst for many of us to take a step back, breathe in a little deeper, and turn down the go-go-go clock.
Read MoreThe most American I ever felt as an immigrant kid growing up in America was when I was 18 and I ordered my first French dip at Applebee’s. Nothing felt as far removed from home-cooked Vietnamese food than, to me, a decadent meat filled sandwich where you dip the whole contraption into its own juices. In those few moments of enjoying the sandwich, the feeling of being included and accepted as just another American kid, and not an immigrant kid with strange cultural traditions and stinky food, was incredibly powerful.
Read More
