Fast Food

Food is a focal point in many cultures, as it is in ours. Peter and I grew up eating a wide array of foods that were then very much considered “ethnic.” Though we still enjoy much of that today, our actual intake day to day is completely different. Our days now consist largely of under-seasoned chicken breast alongside some steamed vegetables, but we find occasion to indulge.

Growing up, and despite her very hectic work schedule, my mom always made sure we had home-cooked meals at least for dinner. My brother and I routinely had quick Americanized breakfasts and school lunches for the sake of convenience. Dinner and weekends would be full of traditional Vietnamese dishes. In my youth, my favorite foods consisted of pepperoni pizza and ice cream (probably contributing to my childhood obesity).

Peter similarly holds fond memories from childhood. He often tells me of his favorite dish growing up prepared by his grandmother. It involves toasted white bread topped with condensed milk—a truly diabetic delight. His penchant for fish sauce also began at a very young age, and has endured even into old age. He grew up almost entirely on Asian cuisine which is unsurprising between the homemade meals and living in SGV.

In our adulthoods, we’ve pivoted from these more traditional foods. Much of this was driven by us becoming more conscientious about our health and macro counting. There is also the time crunch that consistent home cooking requires. Though we have opted for bland, convenient meals for most of the week, we still make room for more of our favorite cuisines.

We revisit many of our favorite dishes, particularly those which may be a little less time or effort intensive. This usually means simple soups or stir fries. By simply having on hand a few core ingredients, we make these dishes fairly accessible. Granted, our level of cooking beyond mass-prepped chicken breast fluctuates heavily between weeks depending on how busy or tired we are.

Food carries more importance in my life than it does in Peter’s. We’ve known for a long time that Peter can eat the same, simple meals repeatedly. Though, it brings me a lot of happiness to see him also enjoy other foods. He may not necessarily find the effort worthwhile on his part, but he is happy to indulge if offered to him. As we’ve talked about family rearing, he has opened up more to the idea of consuming culturally diverse foods on a more consistent basis.

We wouldn’t ever think of raising kids on the same sort of diet that we adhere to (despite it being fairly robust in whole foods). We’d want for the diets to be diverse and for their palates to be well-accustomed to worldly flavors. We just need to overcome the lack of skill and consistency for ourselves first.

For Peter’s own personal tastes, he does not care too much. However, he is understands that other people can deeply appreciate different foods and flavors. I think that at his core, food is still a big part of his cultural background, heritage, and identity. These connections are hard to let go, even as we have strayed further from them in our daily lives. Both of our parents jest about the unsustainable nature of our diets. That is why we find ourselves returning time after time to delight in nostalgic flavors.

Funnily, as we’ve grown into adulthood, our favorite foods are cemented in our Asian heritage, despite not having them very often. For myself, it has been (and may always be) canh chua—a Vietnamese sour soup, flavored with tomatoes, tamarind, vegetables, and seafood. For Peter, it is bun rieu—also a Vietnamese dish with a tomato-based broth. He is also a fanatic for canh chua, as I am for bun rieu.

My mom has been having us over for dinner on a weekly basis. Though she has always cooked, she has been showcasing many more traditional dishes from across Vietnam when Peter is joining us. I think it’s her way of celebrating my parents’ Vietnamese heritage, while also making my dad very happy. When they became empty nesters, my dad was left eating leftovers for half the week as my parents’ appetites have declined over the years. Now with two ravenous boys visiting on a weekly basis, there is a newly rekindled energy to make more elaborate dishes.

From these weekly visitations, we always leave with plenty of leftovers. I also leave with a sense inspiration. My mom actually cooked very little when she first met my dad. It was only thereafter that she buckled down and diversified her skills to support my dad, me, and my brother. She’s has always been a picture of resilience and inspiration for me, especially as I find ways to support my own loved ones. Peter’s mom similarly grew into the role of cooking for family, albeit on a much larger scale. She also endured and became a bedrock for Peter’s successful family upbringing.

In these ways, I think food can be so much more than just excitement for our palates. They tug at our feelings of connectedness, sacrifice, and kinship. Growing up, I did not always appreciate these qualities represented in the food I was eating. Even as we have Americanized and simplified our diets, Peter and I want to pass along at least part of the legacy we’ve inherited. It’s unimaginable that every generation will look the same as the one that came prior. Our goal is to carry forth and honor from our parents what we can, as it gets blended with our own experiences.