“Têt is all about ABUNDANCE, to the point where you don’t just cook to feed people that day. You cook, and then you send people home with leftovers. That’s why there’s always really abundant fried rice.”
For bringing in a whole new year. me, Têt is about celebrating family, and being together with old friends and new; that’s the whole vibe behind it. It’s about
Vietnamese Têt is celebrated over three days: one day is for visiting family, one day is for visiting friends. Then the third day is for people coming to your house.
In Australia, we always find ourselves celebrating Têt in summer, so a lot of those dishes that I grew up eating have kind of changed. Now it’s a usually a barbecue. My mum does all of the marinating and then sends me out into the backyard… It’s always over coals, which I love. I think that’s a little piece of Vietnam that has come over. It gives you that charcoal flavour, which makes food so delicious.
I have this thing; I’m a feeder. And for a long time, I didn’t know where that came from. And now, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s where it comes from’ – the feeding thing is our way of showing love. We want to spoil our friends and family. We want to make sure that they’re well fed, that they’re eating well, that nothing’s out of the question.
