My Journey to America – An Introduction

on 12.12.2017 / by haroda / 2 comments in Journey to America

It is a long story so I am going to break into different blogs. I have been writing about this on and off for the past ten years and having trouble finishing it. I am breaking them down into sections or chapters. Sharing my story through a blog form will hopefully give me the inspiration to re-organize my thoughts and my writing into a book form.

The story may bounce back and forth from the past to the present. More answers will unfold in the later sections / chapters. I hope I do not confuse everyone. I also got a little patriotic at the end of this section during my writing at that time. =)

There are 7 pages to this blog. Click on the page number or the arrows (<< / >>) to previous / advance to the next page. I will continue with the next section next week. In the mean time, I love to hear your thoughts and/or questions on this section. Please leave them in the comments below.


Betel Nut Tradition and Vietnamese Love Story Folklore

on 29.08.2017 / by haroda / 0 comments in Vietnam

What is a betel nut? It is a combination of betel leaves, areca nuts, and lime offered during Vietnamese traditional wedding ceremonies. It is known as “Trầu Cau” in Vietnamese. Trầu is the betel leaves with a heart shape. It has a stingy and spicy flavor. Cau is the areca nuts which has a bitterly pungent taste. It is a fruit that resembles a smaller version of coconuts or large nuts. The lime is vôi (not lime / lemon). According to google translation, “vôi is a white caustic alkaline substance consisting of calcium oxide, obtained by heating limestone.” It is white with a consistency of thick wet flour.

When they are being chewed together, they produced red color to the lips which is considered very attractive in Northern Vietnam. Also, the three items combined reduce the pungent and stingy taste that occur when they are chewed separately.

 

Origin of betel leaves and areca nuts (Sự Tích Trầu Cau)

The origin of betel leaves and areca (Sự Tích Trầu Cau) was based off a folklore which was passed on from one generation to the next. It was a love story between the twin brothers and a woman.

Once upon a time there lived two brothers who were twins. Their parents died when they were young. They were cared by an old teacher. He raised them as his own children. As they grew older living under the same roof, they both fell in love with the teacher’s daughter. She loved them both.

One of Vietnamese customary tradition was the elder marry first. The teacher granted the older brother his daughter’s hand in marriage. The younger brother pushed away his emotion for the daughter and accepted her as his sister-in-law.

One day, the younger brother was ill. The newly married wife was mistakenly showed affection to the younger brother thinking he was the older brother. The younger brother realized her mistake and felt ashamed for still having feelings for her.

Freshwater limestone, Budakalász

The younger brother left home and walked for miles until he reached a river. He fell and died out of exhaustion and a broken heart. At the location where he died, a large limestone appeared.

Back at home, the older brother was concerned for his missing brother. He left the house in search of his brother. The older brother took the same path as the younger brother and came upon the side of a river. He rested next to the limestone.  From fatigue, the older brother thought he heard his brother’s voice whistling in the wind. The older brother also died of exhaustion and sadness. Right next to the limestone, sprung a slender tree bearing nuts called areca plant.

The wife waited and waited but no one returned. She then started walking the same path. She came upon the side of the river. The wife thought she heard her husband voice whispering in the wind. She sat down and rested against the limestone and received shade from the tall areca plant.

Trầu (betel leaves) intertwine with cây cau (areca tree)

The wife died of exhaustion and sadness. From her same spot, a vine of betel grew and intertwined itself around the areca plant.

From then on, the love between the two brothers and the wife symbolized unity and loyalty. The product of their love were the betel leaves (trầu), areca nuts (cau), and the powder from the limestone (vôi). They are a special mix that is generally used as gifts for the bride and groom during their wedding ceremony wishing for long lasting marriage and unity. The three items became popular as betel nut tradition (trầu cau và vôi).

At my own wedding which seemed like yesterday but yet almost 25 years ago, my husband had to purchase the three items to complete our Vietnamese traditional wedding ceremony. My mom proudly packaged them as gifts for friends and families as an announcement that my daughter had entered an engagement agreement.

 

 

The Use of Betel Nuts

Betel nut is a mild stimulant. It is widely grown in Asia such as India, Japan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and other Asian countries. According to drugs.com article regarding betel nut, the Sankrit medical writings claimed that betel nuts expel wind, kill worms, remove phlegm, subdue bad odors, beautify the mouth, induce purification, and kindle passion.

Betel nut is used similarly to the use of chewing tobacco. The combination of the betel leaves, areca nut, and lime mixture placed inside the mouth between the cheek and the jaw and chew it once in a while. The mixture can remain in the mouth for an hour or longer. The saliva produced by the mouth can be swallow but do not swallow the the betel nut. The stimulant effect can be felt immediately when chew and it lasts for three to four hours. It is also known for an appetite suppressing effect.

During the winter months in northern Vietnam, it was bitter cold and especially there was no central heat system in every households. The Vietnamese found chewing betel nut stimulated the heat within themselves to keep warm. Traditionally as well as in wedding ceremony, chewing betel nuts was an important and popular social activity in Northern Vietnam. They were used as a conversation starter similar to a pipe and/or green tea.

Trầu cau in traditional wedding ceremony

The betel nut chewing went back as far as three thousand years ago. Preparing the traditional betel is a form of art all on its own. As I learned through my research from the article discover-nhatrang.com, “the way of preparing the betel leaves reflect the social class, education level, temperament as well as the sense of aesthetics. It was judged through the way the fold of the betel leaves and husk, and split the areca nuts along with smaller details tray with full fresh makings.”

There were many forms and ways of folding the leaves. Here are a few examples I extracted from the discover-nhatrang.com article: “The Phoenix-Winged Form is usually used for weddings while “Scimitar Form” (Trầu têm Mũi Mác) is used when the wives see off their husbands to the battlefield, along with the “Sword Form” (Tàu têm Cánh Kiếm) always cherish the hope of victory.”

Even though trầu cau social chewing tradition is slowly fading during my generation, it is still a symbolism of unity and exists during Vietnamese traditional wedding ceremony today.

 

References

https://www.italki.com/entry/75600?hl=en-us

https://www.drugs.com/npc/betel-nut.html

http://www.vietnam-beauty.com/vietnamese-culture/vietnam-culture-value/13-vietnam-culture-value/183-vietnamese-custom-of-betel-chewing.html

Betel Leaf Chewing in Vietamese Culture

Beautiful women of Vietnam – blackened teeth tradition

on 29.08.2017 / by haroda / 2 comments in Vietnam

There is a Vietnamese old traditional phrase that said “Cái Răng Cái Tóc Là Góc Con Người” which means “your teeth, your hair is your origin” according to Google Translation. To me, it also means “the teeth, the hair are the foundation of a person.”

Nhuộm răng đen (blacken teeth tradition)

This phrase resonates with me. When smile, the teeth shines brightly that illuminates the face and a full head of hair translates vibrant and youth. When lack of teeth and/or hair the person appears to be older or less attractive.

In old Vietnamese tradition before 1945, blackened teeth in Northern Vietnamese villages and other mountain tribal villages were considered to be beautiful. Young unmarried women from the age of 16 to 20 were highly encouraged to dye their teeth black. If you have black teeth you will find a husband sooner for black teeth was the key to a beautiful smile. It was also believed that black teeth was much stronger and created less teeth issues. My grandmother had black teeth and lost only a few teeth during her life time. She died with an almost full set of teeth at the age of 94.

Betel Nuts

Betel Nuts mix

It was a misnomer that the chewing of combination of betel leave, areca nut and lime called “betel nuts” or “trầu cau” created the black teeth among Vietnamese women. The betel nuts created yellow / brown teeth stain instead. This was another reason why women wanted to dye their teeth black so that they can chew betel nuts freely without fear of their teeth turning yellow or brown. I myself thought the blacken teeth process was also done by the betel nut chewing until I did the research to write this article.

Betel Nut chewing was yet another Vietnamese tradition art form that was thousand year old tradition in Vietnam which required yet another article. The betel nut origin was based up on a love story folklore that transcend in tradition in Vietnamese wedding. Please click on “Betel Nut” to read more.

Blackening Teeth Processes

The technique of blackening teeth was much lengthier and laborious process than just chewing betel nuts. There were two processes. The first process was to stain the teeth red. After the teeth absorbed and kept the red stain, the second process was then to stain the teeth black.

During my mom’s generation, her two oldest sisters were required to have black teeth. My mom’s oldest sister completed the staining process. My mom second older sister who was at the prime age to be married almost blackened her teeth because of the peer pressure during her time. She waited until she was 20. My aunt bought two dyes, the red dye and the black dye. She did not remember or know exactly the chemicals behind the dye that stained the teeth.

Before the start of the staining process, my aunt had to clean and sanitize her teeth. She remembered applying the dye two or three times a week. During the process of staining the teeth, she could not eat any solids in order to keep the teeth stained. My mom mentioned that my aunt would eat only “Cháo” mostly liquid, a Vietnamese rice porridge.

While my aunt waited for the teeth to take on the red stain, there was rumor in the village passed on that black teeth was no longer considered to be beautiful. This was during the French regime. Words and rumor of white teeth being beautiful from the cities finally reached my aunt’s village. My aunt terminated the process and worked on scrapping out the red stain from her teeth. Luckily the red stain was much easier to remove than the black stain.

My aunt told me that she did not chew on betel nuts any how so she did not want black teeth. The rumor was a great opportunity for my aunt to stop the process.

Dye Chemicals

Shellac flakes

Through my research I found an article written by thanhniennews.com describing the chemical ingredients used to blacken the teeth in Vietnam. The first dye was made of “bột cánh kiến” or shellac (a resin secreted by a lac bug that sucks the sap of a tree in the forest of India and Thailand) and extracted lemon juice. This mixture was applied to the teeth with a piece of cloth or silk after dinner for two to three times a week for up to ten days. In the morning, the mixture was generally washed out of the mouth with fish sauce and saline solution.

Phyllanthus reticulatus

The blackening solution was a mixture of phèn đen (potato plant or phyllanthus reticulatus poir) and shellac. During the last stage, the final color of the teeth was fixed with a sap made from coconut shells burned on live coals. This last process stained the teeth and made them black.

Annually reapplying the dye and the constant chewing betel nuts were the processes of maintenance to keep the teeth vibrantly black.

The blacken teeth tradition slowly phased out after my mom’s generation. One positive aspect of the dyed teeth is that my mom’s oldest sister who is now in her 90s has strong black teeth through out her life. It appears to protect the teeth from cavities and dental problems.

 

Would I have gone through the teeth blackening process if I was born before 1945? That is a great question. I can easily say “no” now but I do not know what it would be like and how I would I react to the culture and peer pressure back then…  Would you?

Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

 

References

Thanks to the great references from the articles below. I collected most of my information through the articles for the process of the blackening teeth procedures. I interviewed my aunt and mom for their personal experiences.

http://www.traveldudes.org/travel-tips/tooth-blackening-forgotten-tradition/14811

http://www.visiontimes.com/2016/03/21/blackened-teeth-the-traditional-japanese-sign-of-beauty.html

http://www.thanhniennews.com/travel/a-dyeing-tradition-12709.html

Black Teeth Women of Vietnam

Vietnamese Religions

on 31.07.2017 / by haroda / 0 comments in Vietnam

Notre Dame Cathedral in Ho Chi Minh City

For the first ten years of my life growing up in Vietnam, I was most familiar with Buddhism (Đạo Phật). During those times, there was this distant bell ringing in my ears every Sunday morning down several blocks.  I always wondered what that was. One December morning, I remembered following the bell chime and came upon what I learned later was a church. I sneaked a peek through a window of where the bell chime originated. There was beautiful singing and music ringing through out the corridor. That was when I learned that there was another religion other than Buddhism call Christianity (Đạo Chúa).

The great Buddha statue in Nha Trang

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2010 45.3% practice folk religions, 16.4% practice Buddhism, 8.2% practice Christianity (mostly Catholics), and the remaining 30% are not affiliated to any religion.  The folk religion is historically structured by Confucianism and Taoism from China. Traditional folk religions worship Gods, Goddesses, and Ancestors.

The most common practice among the Vietnamese regardless of religious affiliation is the celebration of the ancestors. In generally, many Vietnamese households or businesses have an altar where we honored our ancestors. We also celebrate the day of our ancestor’s death. This celebration is called “Giỗ” in memory of our loved ones. My father passed away ten years ago. Every year since then, I visited my mother and my siblings to celebrate his death anniversary. His death date changes every year because we use the date according to the moon calendar.

Altars to disciples of Confucius at the Temple of Literature of Hanoi

My family follows the Buddhism tradition. Even though I do not attend the Buddhist temple often, I follow the philosophy and belief in my every day life. I find the honor of our ancestor tradition near and dear to my heart. Now that I live in America it takes an effort to remember and honor the tradition. I hope to carry on the tradition until I die and pass it on to my children. However being so far away from our homeland, the tradition may slowly fade away as time passes from one generation to the next. I guess it is as expected. Every day life moves forward for all but tradition and culture will always live on in our hearts and souls.

 

Vietnam Geography

on 29.06.2017 / by haroda / 0 comments in Vietnam

Vietnam has a loosely shape of an “S” with a distance from north to south of 1650 km (1025 miles) and 50 km (31 miles) wide at the narrowest point of the “S”. According to Wikipedia.org, Vietnam is approximately 331,212 square kilometers (127,8812 square miles).

To give us some visual reference on size and weather of Vietnam, I compared Vietnam to the United States. I found New Mexico closest in square kilometers or miles (121,598 miles). Central and southern California is almost similar to Northern Vietnam in weather except California is much dryer. Southern Florida is very similar to Vietnam in the humidity factor.

According to the Netstate.com and Worldometers.info, Vietnam is slightly smaller than California in size. California is approximately 423,999 square kilometers (163,707 square miles) with the distance from the north to south of 1674 kilometers (1040 miles) and the distance from east to west of 901 kilometers (560 miles.) However, Vietnam is much more densely populated than California. It has almost three times the people. California’s population in 2017 is estimated about 39.5 million while Vietnam is estimated to be about 95 million. Vietnam also has 3260 kilometers (2026 miles) of coastline and California has 1352 kilometers (840 miles) long of coastline. Vietnam is a great place for seafood lovers and beautiful beaches.

Bordering northern Vietnam is China. Laos is bordered to the north and central west while Cambodia is bordered to the southwest. The entire east side of Vietnam is coastline bordering the Gulf of Tonkin, South China Sea, and Gulf of Thailand.

The terrain of Vietnam is filled with tropical lowlands, hills, and densely forested highlands with less than 20% level land. That is probably one of the reasons why there is very little dairy such as milk and cheese in Vietnam. Because the lack of prairie flat land, cows are hard to raise. We see more water buffaloes which were used as tractors for farmland. No wonder I am lactose intolerant. I did not grow up with dairy products. For me the closest to drinking milk was powder milk or condense milk.

Vietnam is divided into four regions: the highlands and the Red River Delta in the north, the central mountains, the coastal lowlands, and the Mekong Delta in the south. Each of the region is rich in soil and natural resources. The rugged terrain and the flooded plains yield to the fertile rice paddy.

Terrace farming in Sapa

Ethnic people of Cao Sơn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tribal minority lives in the highlands in the north and northwest region. This region is also called Dãy Trường Sơn (Annamite Range). The terrain is rugged and narrow, nevertheless the soil is very fertile for rice and corn terrace farming.

The Red River Delta, also known as Sông Hồng, is smaller than the Mekong Delta but more densely populated. The Red River helps irrigate the rich rice-growing delta.

The central mountains, also called Tây Nguyên, has rugged mountain peaks, extensive forests, rich soil and natural resources. According to wikipedia.org, these central highlands are being served as areas for which people can relocate from the densely populated lowlands.

Coastal lowlands are narrow and flat extending from south of the Red River Delta to the Mekong River basin. Generally the coastal strip is fertile for rice cultivation.

The Mekong Delta is a low-level plain no more than three meters above sea level, criss-crossed by canals and rivers and three times larger in square kilometers than the Red River Delta.  About 10,000 square kilometers of the delta is under rice cultivation. It is one of the major rice-growing regions of the world. The southern tip of Vietnam, known as the Cà Mau Peninsula is covered by dense jungle and mangrove.

The climate of the north, the central, and the south is slightly different from each other throughout the year. Vietnam has summer monsoon and receives nearly 90% of rainfall with high humidity during the summer months from May to October. The winter season extending from November to April in most parts of the country is dry or less rain. The average temperature is generally higher in the plains than the mountains. The temperature range from the low of 41 °F  or 5 °C in December and January to more than 98.6 °F  or 37 °C in August. The north can experience cold winter which can drop down to 50 °F  or 10 °C. Central Vietnam can experience hot and dry winter while South Vietnam experience hot and humid throughout the year. Occasionally during the winter, snow may fall in the mountains with the highest elevation in the north in areas such as Sapa or Cao Sơn.

The rugged terrain with mountains jetted irregularly in elevation and forms throughout the country yield a certain beauty and mystic to Vietnam. The monsoon season with high humidity contributes to spectacular water falls such as Bản Giốc Waterfall and blossoms plentiful of delicious tropical fruits such as rambuton (chôm chôm) or jackfruit (mít). Hạ Long Bay is only a small sample of northern Vietnam. Vietnam has so much to offer. I have been back to visit three times and there are still more to discover. I look forward to more adventure to come in the near future.

 

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Vietnam

http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/california-population/

http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/st_size.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

Vietnam Culture and Tradition

on 26.06.2017 / by haroda / 0 comments in Vietnam

There are many traditions in the Vietnamese culture. There are several traditions that Nguyễn Vӑn family partake. Some of those traditions are polygamy, Giỗ, and names.

Family Tree (Click for my Nguyễn Văn family tree)

Polygamy stood out the most in our past family tree. Polygamy no longer exists at this current time in Vietnam. However, it was a common practice during and before our grandfather’s time.

Polygamy existed primarily to support having sons. From 1945 and earlier, one old Vietnamese tradition in Northern Vietnam was that men were first class citizens. Men were more respected than women. The most respected person was the oldest son in the family because the oldest son had the sole responsibility to carry on the family’s name and tradition. The tradition then passed on to the son of the oldest son and so on. When the family had no boy, the family name stopped. According to old tradition, the family, especially the wife that had no boy, was shamed. So therefore, the wife would seek a second wife for her husband to conceive a son and carry on the family name.

It was common for well to do men or upper class men to have three to four wives. There was a Vietnamese expression “Trai nӑm thê bảy thiếp, gái chính chuyên chỉ một chồng” which translated to man with 5 to 7 women while a woman is dedicated to one husband. A great example of polygamy was my great grandfather who had four wives. My great grandfather was wealthy. He owned land and was a high official in his village. His first three wives had four boys and his fourth wife gave him three boys and seven girls. My grandfather and his two brothers were the sons of the fourth wife.

My grandfather also had two wives. This was my grandmother’s choice. She had five girls in the row and was worried that she cannot bear a boy to carry on the family’s name. She visited a palm reader to seek for advise.  Superstition was a typical way of life in the Vietnamese culture. The palm reader said in order for her to have a boy, my grandmother needed to marry my grandfather a second wife. My grandmother immediately found my grandfather a second wife. The second wife conceived a boy for her first child. After a few years later, my grandmother also had a boy. Was that a coincidence or did the palm reader really read the future?

Giỗ (pronounced “yo?” – yes, pronounce the word as if you are asking a question) is another common tradition celebrated by many Vietnamese. Giỗ is a death anniversary in honoring of our love ones on the day they died. We also celebrate Giỗ on specific days during the year in remembrance of our ancestors.

In the past, Vietnamese celebrated birthdays all at once. Everyone turned one year older on January 1st of the Lunar New Year. I digressed a little, however this topic is related. In Vietnamese culture, we celebrate the death date as Giỗ in honor and celebrate that person more than celebrating the birth date itself. Now we follow the western world tradition and celebrate birthdays also on the day that we are born as well as Giỗ.

The name tradition is slightly different from the western world. In America, it is considered to be honored to have the same name after a famous person or a name after a family member. However for Vietnamese, it is considered to be an omen to name your children after some one in the family of the same relation. Also, it was believed that if you scold the child with the same name, then it would be like you are scolding that relative too. For an example, my father named my oldest sister a name that was the same as one of my mom’s cousins. Immediately, my mom was scolded by my maternal grandfather and my dad had to rename my sister. Luckily the Vietnamese name had the accents so my dad kept the same spelling and changed the accents. The name then was changed because it took on a new meaning and became a new word.

Also, the naming convention was quite simplistic during my grandfather’s time. To avoid duplicating names, my grandfather would name his children after the first thing he saw while the child was born. My mom was named after a branch, her sisters were named after a torch, a light, and so on.

Another superstitious belief about names was a deciding factor between life and death. In the olden time, life was harsh for Vietnamese babies. Many children died at an early age because of many reasons such as diseases, malnutrition, etc. The Vietnamese did not understand the reasons for the infant deaths so it was believed that demons or ghosts would steal the baby’s souls, especially the cute and good looking ones. In order to save their babies, they named them as ugly as possible or nick named them something that is unpleasant such as “thằng Cu” for a boy or “con Cún” for a girl which means the private parts for the boy or the girl. Of course, the names would change as they became adults if they survived the infant stage.

These were a few traditions and superstitions that were common in the Vietnamese culture. Perhaps, some are still being used today and others are no longer in practice or even remembered. There are still many more that I have not mentioned yet. Either way, it is interesting and fun to learn about the traditions and superstitions of our own heritage. Sometimes in order to move forward, it is recommended to observe, acknowledge, and learn from our past.

References:

http://www.vietnam-culture.com/articles-106-3/Superstition-in-Vietnam.aspx

Vietnamese People and the Language

on 23.06.2017 / by haroda / 0 comments in Vietnam

The Vietnamese are rather small people in stature and round in facial features. On average, Vietnamese range from 4 feet to 5 feet 6 inches tall. We have distinctive almond shaped eyes with doubled eyelids,  wide face, dark skin and wide nose with low nose bridge. We are not well known as football players or sumo wrestlers. However, Vietnamese are agile, quick, and flexible. We would make great gymnasts and/or perhaps soccer players.

Vietnamese people are simple and hardy in nature. We are farmers at heart. Although my immediate family are city folks, as we grow older we have a tendency to lean toward tending to our garden. I love to watch the fruit of my labor grow into edible fruits or vegetable.

Vietnamese Super Hero

Vietnamese Super Hero

If a superhero exists in Vietnam, I envision a Vietnamese super hero as a man with a goatee holding a sickle in hand. He has broad shoulders with tone sinewy arms, legs, and abdomen.

Because of war migration, Vietnamese people became adaptable and versatile to the environment and the surroundings. Even though we have a distinctive flavor to Vietnamese food, some of our Vietnamese cuisines acquired other culture and flavor through out the ages.

The Vietnamese language is tonal and monosyllabic. The meaning of each word depends on the tone and every word is one syllable. Vietnamese is the official language in Vietnam. Similar to Vietnamese food, the language has been influenced by Chinese and French. Between 15th and 19th century and during my grandfather’s time, Vietnamese was written with Chinese characters called Chữ Nôm among the Vietnamese scholars and elite. After 1920 with the French influence, the Latin-based Vietnamese alphabet substituted Chữ Nôm as a preferred way to communicate and record Vietnamese. Chữ Nôm characters still exists today in historical and ceremonial symbols for good luck.

There are three main dialects of Vietnamese according to the different regions of Vietnam. They are the northern dialect (Hà Nội), the central dialect (Huế) and the southern dialect (Hồ Chí Minh City). The easiest dialect for me to understand is the northern dialect. However, when the language is spoken quickly in any dialect, I get lost in the slang and idioms.

As I grow older and hopefully wiser, I appreciate and embrace the Vietnamese language and the people. In doing so, I also learn to appreciate and embrace myself because after all, I am a proud Vietnamese American.

 

References:

  1. https://www.justlanded.com/english/Vietnam/Vietnam-Guide/Language/Language-and-dialects
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_alphabet
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%E1%BB%AF_N%C3%B4m

Nguyễn Văn Family Reunion

on 06.06.2017 / by haroda / 2 comments in Vietnam

Where to begin the Nguyễn Family’s epic journey to America so that we all can share our stories with families and friends? I’ve been starting, stopping, starting, stopping and procrastinating my writing for at least 10 years. The Nguyễn Văn Family Reunion will serve as an excellent beginning point for the start of my journal. The reunion initiated in 2009 in Pekin, Illinois. Our most current family reunion will be July 7 and 8, 2017 at Lake Fair Fax Park in Virginia.  My first goal is to get my story started, become a catalyst and trigger many more stories by our next family reunion. One great way of harnessing the memories of our ancestors, our culture, and our way of life is to pass down our stories from one generation to the next. My primary goal is to inspire the curiosity within everyone to want to learn more about their own heritage and connect with their inner self.

Who comes to The Nguyễn Văn Family Reunion? For the past 8 years, the siblings, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of the three Nguyễn Văn brothers: Ông Nguyễn Văn Nhã, Ông Nguyễn Văn Thuần, and Ông Nguyễn Văn Mậu.

Each families of the three brothers have their own epic adventures to share. They each left Vietnam at different time frames (from 1975-1990). They each encountered and overcame different obstacles throughout their journey of life. My hope is to share the collection of their stories including my own through this journal blog.

In order to understand our family, our culture, and our roots, I will share a little bit about Vietnam: the people, the culture and traditions, the geography, the food, and the religion.

This blog will serve as a main central blog that has links to individual blogs that anyone can click on to read and learn further about Vietnam and The Nguyễn Văn Family’s epic journeys.

Tea Time

on 03.05.2016 / by haroda / 0 comments in Thoughts

Summer 2016 is upon us already. Have you taken some quality time for   yourself or with your love ones lately? “Life is short.” That is such a cliché but yet it is so true. Everything can change from one moment to the next while you are immersed in your own reality. Enjoy the moment as much as you can where ever you are.Fun_Facts_Main_Frog

Do you notice the slight breeze brushing against your face while you open the car door to walk toward the front door of your house? Do you hear the crickets chirping or the frogs croaking in the bushes nearby? Do you smell the fragrant from the flowers in your front yard or your neighbor’s yard? What does the grass feels like against your bare feet? Those are some simple experiences in life that reminds us of our amazing senses. Enjoy the moment by activating your senses.

We often are so busy rushing to one place to another that we forget to allow ourselves to feel and experience the environment around us. I am as guilty as the next person. Join Pho Queen for tea and a banh-bao-trongdemonstration of how to make Vietnamese Steamed Buns or “Bánh Bao”. Savior the moment with her in tasting the delicious Vietnamese pastry on May 8, 2016 at the Maitland Library at 3pm.
Please RSVP to 407-647-7700. There are multiple demonstrations in the month of May. Check for more demos at https://phoqueencooking.com/demo/.

Do you enjoy drinking tea? How about an herbal tea called “Turmeric Tea” that is chuck full of health benefits? Have you heard of turmeric? Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant. It has been used as anti-inflammatory in botumericth Chinese and Indian medicines. Turmeric has a peppery, warm, and bitter flavor. It is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry.

Here’s are a few articles that share different benefits from turmeric and a recipe on how to make “Turmeric Tea”:
• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=78
• http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-662-turmeric.aspx?activeingredientid=662
• http://www.meghantelpner.com/blog/tea-time-with-turmeric/

Happy Fire Monkey Year 2016!!

on 02.02.2016 / by haroda / 0 comments in Thoughts

Happy New Year 2016!!! January 1st, 2016 came and went. If you missed it, here’s another chance to celebrate the New Year with gusto and intentions. monkeyAccording to the Lunar Calendar, Monday, February 8, 2016 is the New Year for many Asian countries including Vietnam which is called “Tết”. This year is the year of the Fire Monkey. Here are some fun website to check out your horoscopes and other fun facts:

www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/chinese-zodiac/monkey.htm

www.vietnamonline.com/tet.html

Take charge and create 2016 a fantastic year for yourself. My intentions for 2016 is to be present in the “NOW” and follow my highest joy.

Start your New Year resolution with fresh and healthy food. Join Pho Queen for a springrollsFREE fun hands on spring roll / summer roll demonstration on February 7, 2016 at the Maitland Library. Meet new friends, learn Vietnamese, and have a fresh start on healthy food and lifestyle. Check out our website for more information www.haroda.com/phoqueen/demo/.

The fondest memory of my childhood in Vietnam during Tết is eating Watermelon seeds. The seeds are usually dyed red. Eating them is not an easy task. The watermelon seeds are smaller than pumpkin seeds so to split a seed open is quite an accomplishment. The idea is to de-shell the seeds. Eat the seed and throw away the hard red shell. Watermelon seedsIf you have eaten watermelon seeds, you know it is a challenge to crack open a seed with your teeth. Your fingers would get wet, sweaty, and slippery from your saliva making the opening process even harder. Not to mention your hands and mouth would be totally red from the watermelon red dye.

I made up 3 levels (beginner, intermediate, and advance) of eating the watermelon seeds. The beginner level is where you would use two hands, your teeth, and/or any form of utensils to open the seeds. The intermediate level is where you use only your teeth and both hands. The advance level is where you use only one hand and your teeth to open, remove the seed and eat it. With many years practicing the art of eating watermelon seeds, I am proud to announce that I have achieved the advance level. I enjoy the subtle flavor from the seeds and I enjoy the process of de-shelling. This can keep me busy and mindless for hours. Give it a try…

Even though watermelon seeds are the most common seeds served during Tết, they are not the only seeds eaten during Tết. Here’s a website sharing the five most popular roasted nuts and seeds for Tết:

www.vietnamonline.com/tet/5-most-popular-roasted-nuts-and-seeds-for-tet-holiday.html