May 2007

Stealing Buddha’s Dinner – Bich Minh Nguyen

About: A vivid, funny, and viscerally powerful memoir about childhood, assimilation, food, and growing up in the 1980s.

As a Vietnamese girl coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bich Nguyen is filled with a rapacious hunger for American identity. In the pre-PC era Midwest, where the devoutly Christian blond-haired, blue-eyed Jennifers and Tiffanys reign supreme, Nguyen’s barely conscious desire to belong transmutes into a passion for American food. More exotic seeming than her Buddhist grandmother’s traditional specialties — spring rolls, delicate pancakes stuffed with meats, fried shrimp cakes—the campy, preservative-filled “delicacies” of mainstream America capture her imagination. And in this remarkable book, the glossy branded allure of such American foods as Pringles, Kit Kats, and Toll House cookies become an ingenious metaphor for her struggle to fit in, to become a “real” American. Beginning with Nguyen’s family’s harrowing migration from Saigon in 1975, Stealing Buddha’s Dinner is nostalgic and candid, deeply satisfying and minutely observed, and stands as a unique vision of the immigrant experience and a lyrical ode to how identity is often shaped by the things we long for.

My thoughts: Stealing Buddha’s Dinner is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Nguyen earnestly explores and ties together some of my favorite topics: food (!), marketing, adolescence, family, and identity. I haven’t read much literature about the Vietnamese-American experience, but this memoir has definitely piqued my interest in the genre. Growing up I’ve always wondered whether my family’s traditions were our own or an all encompassing Vietnamese way. Comparing and contrasting my experiences with the author’s, I’ve concluded that all Vietnamese grandmothers cut up fresh fruit for their grandchildren after school, every kid wanted the Kool-Aid guy to burst through their kitchen wall, and balancing assimilation with cultural traditions will always be difficult. I highly recommend this book to everyone regardless of background because figuring out the world and where we fit in it is a universal theme.

May 2007

Wok & Roll – Minneapolis

May 11, 2007
Cuisine: Chinese, Japanese

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport
4300 Glumack Drive
St. Paul, MN 55111

Phone: 612-726-1999
Website: none

Unagi Nigiri ($9.62)

Inari Sushi ($5.73)

I enjoyed some unexpectedly terrific sushi during my layover in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport coming back from Boise. Chances are slim that I’ll ever have a layover in this airport again, but perhaps some gas•tron•o•my readers travel through this hub more often and can give Wok & Roll a whirl. Regardless, it never hurts to share good eats.

Wok & Roll dishes up Chinese food (hence, wok) and sushi (hence, roll) in terminals C, E, and the main food court. While I generally steer clear of sushi found in malls, airports, or sold next to General Tso’s Chicken, I have a soft spot for Inari and decided to take a chance.

The Inari sushi was just as good as the ones served in full-service Japanese restaurants. The fried bean curd was sweet and the rice was moist and fragrant of vinegar. The Unagi Nigiri was delectable as well. A generous portion of eel sat atop a lightly packed mound of rice. I asked for extra Kabayaki Sauce because the eel looked a touch too dry. Low-end sushi can usually be saved with plenty of soy sauce, but the Inari and Unagi Nigiri were both satisfying on their own.

The prices at Wok & Roll are a bit steep, but the quality is high. It’s good to know palatable sushi can be found in unlikely places such as airport food courts in the Midwest.

Wok & Roll on Urbanspoon

May 2007

Cottonwood Grille – Boise

May 10, 2007
Cuisine: New American

913 W River St Ste 913
Boise, ID 83702

Phone: 208-333-9800
Website: www.cottonwoodgrille.com/

Bread and butter (complimentary)

Appetizer: Mixed Greens with Cottonwood Grille Vinaigrette

Entree: Salmon in a Cage – Fresh farm raised salmon filet wrapped in crispy Idaho potato and finished with a lemon beurre blanc ($17.95)

Dessert I: Crème Brûlée – Creamy fresh vanilla bean custard with a thin caramelized sugar crust ($6.95)

Dessert II: Raspberry Brûlée – Ripe raspberries mixed in a creamy fresh vanilla bean custard, topped with a thin caramelized sugar crust ($7.95)

Just three days in Boise and I’m totally infatuated with the place. It turns out I’m a sucker for cities with great running terrain, dry heat, and friendly people.

For my final meal in The City of Trees, my colleagues and I dined at The Cottonwood Grille—a local restaurant serving up “Contemporary Northwest Cuisine.” The bill of fare includes pastas, vegetarian options, prime beef, chicken, pork, and fish, but due to our large group (30+), we were limited to a smaller menu.

For appetizers, we had a choice between a Caesar salad and mixed greens; I went with the mixed greens. The salad was composed mainly of Romain lettuce with a few spinach leaves, julienned carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The vegetables were fresh and the vinaigrette achieved a perfect balance of acidity and oily, which is more difficult than it sounds.

Our main course choices were steak, seafood linguine, salmon, chicken, and a vegetarian stir fry with tofu and seitan. After many days on the road, palate fatigue set in and none of the options sounded particularly appetizing. I was initially leaning toward the stir fry because faux meats are fabulous, but was suspicious of the singular Asian-esque dish in a sea of American fare. What is most bothersome about Cottonwood’s menu is their lack of mentioning side dishes. Oftentimes when I’m deciding between different entrees, I take accompaniments into account. I eventually settled on the salmon after much internal debate.

The salmon was better than I expected due to the buttery hash browns seared into its flesh. The tastiest bites included potatoes and lemon beurre blanc, while the bites of plain fish were bland. The salmon was served with green beans, rice pilaf, and butternut squash. The green beans were sauteed in garlic and shallots and were delicious. The rice was unadorned and good. My favorite side dish was the cinnamon-y butternut squash; its sweetness contrasted well with the other elements on my plate.

For dessert, we had a choice between raspberry brûlée and hazelnut cheesecake. I ordered the raspberry brûlée, but was brought a regular brûlée by mistake. I did not realize the error until I could not find any raspberries in my dessert. The regular crème brûlée was excellent. The sugary crust was evenly golden and the crème was luxuriously smooth and contained tiny flecks of vanilla bean. The raspberry brûlée was stellar as well. Wonderfully ripe raspberries were placed into the custard post-baking, but pre-torching. The berries paired amazingly with the crème brûlée.

Cottonwood Grille on Urbanspoon