THE WRITER
I'm a twenty-something living in Brooklyn, NY, who loves to play with food–and very occasionally gets paid for it. I'm the youngest of two, with immigrant parents from China and Vietnam who settled in Washington, D.C. My childhood can pretty much be summed up by marrying Joy Luck Club and Fresh Off the Boat. Oh yeah, my name is Vilina Phan. Yes, my initials are VP—it's pretty great.
THE WHAT
It’s simple. I’m going to recreate mom and dad’s dishes—from the traditional to the Chinese-ized American.
THE WHY
I grew up with some amazing food and I have no idea how to make any of it, so I'm creating a space to experiment, have fun, and connect with my family. Join us and you'll learn how to make provincial dishes from China, Vietnam, and some mixture of the two. I'll take you on a journey across the world that won't have you stepping further than your local market...with the occasional visit to Chinatown...or Amazon.com. Also, you may learn a thing or two from mom's quirky -isms*.
THE NAME
Salt and pepper–quintessentially Western. From clean and simple flavor to laying the groundwork for more complicated dishes, S&P will be there for you like a good co-worker: you may see them often, but their presence will surely be missed if they were to leave. The equivalent in Chinese cuisine? Soy + ginger.
*i.e. don't sleep with you hair wet or you'll get early onset grey hair.
