They Colonized Us

Southeast Asians are mutts.  From Cambodia to the Philippines we as a race are a blended bunch.  My grandfather on my mother's side was a French professor before the French War.  He was born and raised in North Viet Nam and spoke/taught French with a Vietnamese accent.  Growing up in Salt Lake City, Utah (in the 80's) I never questioned the practicality of taking French as a 3rd language.   And after 4 years of French classes, I eventually dropped out once I stopped denying that I really was not that good at it, really it's not practical if no one around you speaks it fluently.  I can read french menus okay and can fake a good accent but conjugating verbs was not my forte.

My cooking style is often 'blended".  Tonight's meal:  Braised pork chops with shiitake mushrooms. "This is exactly what it would have tasted like, the New World wanting to also capture tastes of the Old World that they just conquered... " Peter said about the flavor of this dish.  Franco-Vietnamese:  Vietnamese spices, prepared with European cooking tools techniques.

I start by searing the meat in a heavy pan, I like using an enamel cast iron pan for braising because it can go from stove top and into the oven.  Remove, then add the onions and mushrooms to caramelize.  Throw the meat back in, add some stock, and braise at low heat in the oven for a couple of hours. 



I use one of the chops for stock and any vegetable works, tonight it'sa chayote squash.  Garnish with scallions, cilantro, and fresh ground black pepper.


Vietnamese people tend to serve a simple, clear-broth soup at almost every meal. To cleanse the palate, help with digestion, and simply because it's an economical way to stretch out a meal when meat is scarce in the Old Country.  We honor the tradition because it tastes great, and sometimes when my pork chops comes out a little on the dry side, the soup is necessary.

Food Rookie Note:  To spoil my kids further, I slice the meat before serving.  Also, after dinner clean-up goes a lot faster.  You've never seen the way my Monkeys spread their food around when they cut their own meat...we are talking rice on the table, in their laps, in their hair, on the chair, and sticky on the ground.  No joke.  When that does happen, I wait until the next morning after the rice has dried and hardened over the night to wipe/sweep it up, otherwise you're making glue by smearing the rice around while it's wet.  I promise I was never this type of person, my Monkeys have modified me and I've become a little 'slobby', for practical reasons of survival.