Giao Chau

CultureMagazin® • September 3, 2020

How the Vietnamese Diaspora Keeps the Phở Spirit Alive

For more than 20 years, Tuấn Võ arrives at his restaurant at 8 a.m. and gets everything ready before the first guest comes at around 11 a.m. When service ends and all the staff have gone, he stays behind and continues preparing for the next day.

CultureMagazin® • July 27, 2020

Culinary Frank: “There Are No Boundaries Between Cuisines”

You’re in bed at 10 PM, watching a knife mincing garlic and slicing pork while listening to the echo of the metallic blade hitting the wooden board. A moment later, the meat glistens in a viscous amber sauce on the stove, its sizzle amplified by the...

CultureMagazin® • June 30, 2020

A Look into Vietnamese Restaurants in Ontario During COVID-19

In the near future, your neighbourhood’s favourite Vietnamese restaurants may look different, with two-meter markers on the floor and hand sanitizer prominent on the table next to the condiment set. The dining room may be half-empty, with less...

My Joyous Lab • October 14, 2020

My Joyous Lab

This is my personal blog, where I document everything related to food and cooking.

Food52 • March 17, 2016

Burmese Salads: Lacking in Greens, Huge in Flavor

It was during university in Singapore that my concept of salad was completely uprooted. Coming from Vietnam, where salad is usually served as a side, I found my concept of the dish limited to a mixture of greens tossed in tangy dressing. But my job at...

CultureMagazin® • August 6, 2020

Not Pho Me Please – Vietnam’s 1001 Noodle Soups

Everybody knows phở is the touchstone of Vietnamese cuisine for the uninitiated. But the country offers a myriad of other noodle soups, as diverse and complex as the plot of One Thousand and One Nights, the renowned Middle Eastern folk tales. Make...

CultureMagazin® • June 24, 2020

A Brief History of Phở

While most scholars agree on when phở first came about (in the early 20th century), its history remains debatable, due to the complex cultural interaction between Vietnam, China and France during the French colonial times.

CultureMagazin® • September 16, 2020

You’re Be Pleasantly Surprised with Fast Food in Vietnam

Bin is a nine-year-old boy living in Saigon. Like other kids, he is excited about his coming birthday, when he will be showered with presents and play with his friends with limited parental supervision. Last year, his mom cooked a feast with his...

CultureMagazin® • August 4, 2020

Are You Ready To Try A Fertilized Duck Egg?

Trứng vịt lộn are duck eggs that have been fertilized and incubated for 16 to 19 days. As a result, when you break one open, you’ll be likely to see an embryo with all the parts of a duckling. Many people are squeamish at eating a fetal duck, and it’s...

CultureMagazin® • August 7, 2020

Follow These Steps For The Best Phở Experience

Every bowl of phở offers a multisensory experience. Aromatic spices perfume the savoury complex broth, while tender meat and soft noodle contrast with crunchy fresh herbs and vegetables. If you’re a newbie to phở, let’s go through its different...

CultureMagazin® • August 19, 2020

Vietnam’s Unique Contribution to the Global Pantry

Two main cultural forces influenced the development of Vietnamese cuisine over history. Centuries of Chinese occupation brought in noodles, roast meats and steamed buns, among others. Decades of French colonialization led to the perfection of the...

CultureMagazin® • August 19, 2020

How To Enjoy Vietnamese Meals With Grace And Confidence

Learning table manners is the first lesson for many Vietnamese children. The country’s standard for consuming food with grace is one of the basic principles for human development. As time progresses, ancient complicated traditions die out. But some...

CultureMagazin® • September 15, 2020

A Primer to Vietnamese Coffee

Coffee was deeply ingrained in the Vietnamese culture after its introduction to the country by French missionaries in 1857. “To get coffee” in Vietnam is “to talk” or “to discuss”.

CultureMagazin® • September 17, 2020

Eating Bánh Xèo (Sizzling Crepe) is a Multisensory Experience

There are few Vietnamese dishes that can evoke as many of our senses as bánh xèo (sizzling cake or sizzling crepe), a bright yellow crepe stuffed with an explosion of protein goodness, served alongside a platter of multi-colored herbs and vegetables.