HELLO THERE!
Thanks for checking out Pass the Fish Sauce. If you don’t know me, I’m Andrea Nguyen, the cookbook author. I’ve had an Asian food and cooking newsletter for years via my blog, Viet World Kitchen. It was for folks who wanted a little extra beyond the site. They wanted to hear directly from me, about my family, what’s going on in my kitchen and other musings about Asian cooking and life.
Trouble is, there was little opportunity to really engage. It was often a one-way communication. There was no archive for the newsletters. In November 2022, after newsletter subscribers chimed in via email, I looked for ways to do things differently and return to some fundamentals.
I launched Pass the Fish Sauce (PTFS), which was the working title for my first cookbook (my first book was published in 2006 as Into the Vietnamese Kitchen). I never got to use that feisty PTFS name so I saved it all these years! Now that fish sauce isn’t scary to many cooks, it’s the perfect time to realize something meaningful with the name.
“I absolutely love this newsletter. You just made Monday morning palatable.” — Marilyn N.
Why subscribe?
Because you’re interested in Asian food. If you’ve been a long-time subscriber to the Viet World Kitchen newsletter, consider PTFS as a refreshing iteration. If you’re new to getting a newsletter from me, expect the following from Pass the Fish Sauce, which is usually sent on Sundays, with content such as:
Recipes for exploring, demystifying, and normalizing Asian foodways
Useful food news that you may have missed
Tips on Asian food products, ingredients, cookware, and restaurants
Essays and insights on Asian family life, identity, and enclaves
Communication not on social media or my website
As a subscriber, you have a dedicated home to review past newsletters. I can post special videos, podcasts and other cool things that functionally work on Substack. We can have chats on various culinary topics too!
Substack’s technology allows more creativity, communication, and community building than a regular newsletter. Ironically, it’s how blogs used to be way back when I launched Viet World Kitchen in 2002. Decades ago, I aimed to create an information hub for Asian food nerds. I researched and wrote on topics that were important to demystifying Asian food and cooking. We shared tips, people regularly posed questions and suggested content. I responded and we had a grand time.
Nowadays, it’s hard to have that level of focus and intimacy on social media and blogs. There are many distractions, including the pressure of chasing trends, and algorithms.
However, I think we can have meaningful interactions via Pass the Fish Sauce. I’m thrilled you’re here and hope you’ll subscribe to join up.
What are PTFS subscription options?
Choose a subscription option to match your interest and situation. There will always be a free subscription option. If you can, please consider chipping in to further support my work and receive extra, exclusive content. Either way, thank you kindly for your thoughtful support.
Free Subscriber — Stay in touch via:
Ongoing (usually Sunday) dispatches on Asian cooking, culture and recipes
Paid Subscriber — Upgrade to $5 monthly or $50 annually (get 2 months free) to receive:
All free subscription dispatches
Monthly deep-dive recipes, video techniques, and more
Occasional virtual get-togethers and giveaways
Cooking class discounts
Suggest topics to shape PTFS
Access to the full archives
Founding Member — Contribute $150 annually to boost me big time and receive:
All paid subscription benefits
One signed copy of my new book, Ever-Green Vietnamese
What will happen to Viet World Kitchen?
The website will not go away. It can’t go away because lots of people (including my mother and myself) rely upon it for recipes and cooking. Unless I create exclusive, private PTFS newsletter content for folks, recipe content will continue living on VWK as public information. As needed, Pass the Fish Sauce will link to VWK.
Stay up-to-date
As a subscriber, you won’t have to worry about missing anything. New dispatches typically go out on Sunday, directly to your inbox. You may not open every single issue but you can always return to Substack to review archived issues. There’s a nifty Substack app too so you can stay in touch on your own terms. Note that paid subscribers have full access to the archive.
Join the crew
Be part of a community of people of similar culinary and cultural interests. Comment, share, and engage with others folks who are also interested about Asian food and culture, such as:
“I've learned so much from your cookbooks and blog and social media, I appreciate all the delicious flavors and better knowledge of the world of food I have gained from you.” — Emily B.
“Andrea Nguyen, I LOVE your posts. They are so real and honestly friendly - and inspiring. Thank you always.” — Erica 😊
You don’t have to be Vietnamese or Asian to cook the food that I cook. You just have be curious. DIVE IN!
Subscribe and hang out for a spell. I hope you’ll stay with me so we can chat about fun things and build culinary bridges together. Who knows where PTFS will lead us all!
