You Always Return: Searching for Viet-Cajun in New Orleans (a podcast, part 1)

+ NOLA eats + EGV review with recipes + Woman's Day + Mekong Delta rice cultivation + event updates

Hello to everyone and welcome to new subscribers — many of whom signed up via the Ever-Green Vietnamese book mega sweepstakes (congrats to Doris in D.C. for winning all the goodies!).We’re close to being nearly 11,000 here at Pass the Fish Sauce. Thanks for your continued interest and support, especially paid and founding members who add extra wind to my sails.

In my midweek note to you, I’d mentioned something about MSG for this dispatch but a surprise arrived — a project that I’ve been working on for about 8 months was released into the world. It’s a podcast, the first of a two-part mini series about Vietnamese people and foodways in New Orleans. Here’s the backstory, podcast part 1, and dining tips! (There are other tidbits too.)

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Last September, the Oxford American Literary Project (OA), a quarterly journal and non-profit based at the University of Arkansas, invited me to co-produce a podcast about Vietnamese foodways in the American South. They received grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Julia Child Foundation. Ever-Green Vietnamese had gone to print. I was relieved and tired but also feeling antsy and looking for a new creative outlet. I should have declined in order to take a work break, but I saw an opportunity to do something challenging and new.

Of all the potential topics, Viet Cajun was a subject I wanted to circle back to. I researched it about 10 years ago for the Southern Foodways Alliance. People have looked to me as being somewhat of a Viet-Cajun expert because of that field research. However, lots happened in ten years and I was bothered by the fact that my narrative, as well as that of other people’s, associated Viet Cajun with California and Texas.

Add to that, McCormick Spices formulated a Vietnamese x Cajun spice blend that’s agreeably tangy, mildly citrusy and spicy but doesn’t say much about the intermingling of culture that’s happened in America.

My 2022 question was this: What did people in Louisiana think about “Viet Cajun”? Embarrassingly, I’d never even been to New Orleans.

I huddled with OA’s sound engineer and senior podcast producer Christian Brown (above; he broke his vegan diet for this assignment!) to plan a reporting trip. At the end of January, we met in New Orleans and spent five days. Much of our time was in the Treme neighborhood and New Orleans East suburb, the heart of the Viet community. Overall, the humidity, broad avenues, lush tropical foliage, swampiness, and French Quarter architecture reminded me a bit of Vietnam. It was familiar yet strange. The information we gathered was complex and surprising on many levels. Trauma from Katrina remained but there was hope.

We interviewed over a dozen people, mostly in English. However, I also spoke to first generation matriarchs and food production workers. They generously shared their stories in Vietnamese. I’m likely the first reporter to ask them questions in their native language, about the nuances of their food and experiences as refugees and immigrants. We had so much content and edited it down to two episodes. We were originally budgeted for only one!

The first of this two-part podcast mini-series for your consideration:

Let me know your thoughts. Also, where do you go for your Viet-Cajun seafood fix? Do share your intel!

Podcast Eating Bonus Tips

The podcast episode mentions the following eating establishments (I’m adding extra information for your back pocket):

Boiling Crab — Launched around 2004, this California-based franchise has long defined the Viet-Cajun food scene for many. It’s prolific and very popular.

The Original Cajun Seafood — There are multiple locations that Mrs. Nga Le and her son Chi Nguyen and other children manage in New Orleans. The Treme location is about 15 minutes from the French Quarter; weekends are very busy so be prepared. Everything I tried was delicious. Mrs. Le peeled the shrimp herself for the excellent po’ boy sandwich that I ate. The blue crabs with sate sauce (I think they’re called “sauteed crabs” on the menu) are on a side steam table area near the register, so look for it. The garlic butter is an add-on so ask for it if you want it. I agree with Chi that it’s overkill. The seafood in New Orleans is astoundingly fresh and stupendous tasting. I was envious. Cajun Seafood also sells seafood at incredibly good prices compared to what I pay in California.

Pho Tau Bay — Karl Takacs Senior and Junior run the restaurant. You’ll likely find them there every day they’re open. Tuyet Takacs, Karl Sr.’s wife, is the daughter of the original owner of Pho Tau Bay in Saigon. After Katrina, the family only had one remaining location, located across from Louisiana State University’s Medical School. It offers a simple menu of classics. The family is friendly and warm to regulars and strangers. Ask for the dessert specials made by Karl Jr.’s wife, Laura Hebert, who’s learning about Viet sweets from her mother in law. The flan and pandan che sweet soup were excellent. Finally, if you park in the derelict looking lot across the way, pay for parking because you may be towed if you don’t.

Bywater Brew Pub — Anh Luu no longer helms the kitchen but her Viet-Cajun shrimp etouffee wonton nachos remain on the menu. You can keep up with Anh via her pop-up, XanhNola.

Dooky Chase’s — I got a last minute, day-of, noontime reservation by calling around 11am. Otherwise, it was hard to get through the phone system. Dooky Chase’s is a historic classic. The food and service is elegant and refined. The late Leah Chase was a legend in New Orleans and beyond; her fortitude and hospitality inspired many. I had the shrimp remoulade (below) for a restorative lunch with my husband and Christian.

Not mentioned in the podcast but also in Treme is Willie Mae’s. Their fried chicken is very crisp and just salty enough. Their butter beans were creamy and luscious. The greens had a bit of smoke from pork. Willie Mae’s recently opened in Los Angeles.

3 Good Reads

Edible East Bay review of EGV with recipes — This is a close reading of Ever-Green Vietnamese in which the reviewer cooks through many recipes. Test driving a book like that is my kind of review!

I first checked out Woman’s Day magazine in the 1970s to glean pointers about America from the lifestyle publication. People gifted us back issues! I never thought I’d be in the magazine, or that Viet food would be embraced like it is today. For May 2023, Woman’s Day published a feature for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month that included five food people, including me and the smoky wontons recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese! Here’s a PDF of the article (recipes are not included; my wonton recipe is on page 89 of the book).

Woman's Day May 2023 Feature

12.6MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

Rice cultivation in the Mekong and Beyond — An incredible story just published in the New York Times about rice cultivation. What’s the big deal? Rice is the staple grain of 3 billion people on this planet. Climate, technology, and population growth are impacting how the grain is being cultivated. Vietnam is one of the world’s leading rice producers, and farmers are feeling pinched, not just by the backbreaking work.

Event Updates: Seattle, Los Angeles, and SF

I’m heading to Seattle, where both events are sold out. However, if you are in the area and would like a signed book, there is potential to slide in, so check this information page at Book Larder.

Please note that my Los Angeles event at Now Serving is now on Thursday, June 22 at 7pm (event registration hasn’t opened). New for SF: the Ruby community space is hosting a cookbook club potluck featuring EGV on June 29 (registration required).

That’s it for the moment. Hope your weekend was extra enjoyable.