About

Mimi and Myvan, friends since high school, share a love of all things food—especially Vietnamese food. They are fortunate to have lived/still live in San Jose, California, where phở restaurants are on every corner (some next to taquerias). This is probably due to the fact that San Jose is the city with the largest number of Vietnamese residents outside of Vietnam (note: Orange County has more Vietnamese as a county, but you need to add together the populations of Westminster, Santa Ana, and Garden Grove to beat San Jose’s population). Approximately 10% of San Jose’s residents, almost 100,000, are Vietnamese/Vietnamese-Americans, according to the latest Census.

Although we love that mainstream American culture has started to embrace phở and bánh mì, we know that there are so many other Vietnamese flavors to be tasted, that are very unique. This uniqueness is due, in part, to the many cultural influences that can be seen in Vietnamese food– flavors from China, France, India, and other Southeast Asian countries are often present in Vietnamese cuisine. Even within Vietnam, dishes are unique to their region (North, Central, Southern).

We’re not here to act as authorities. We are just two women who have, in the past few years, felt a growing need to reconnect with our food heritage. We know that there are probably others who can relate to us, and wanted to share our experiences and food discoveries, along the way. We’d love to hear your comments about where you enjoy the dishes, any variations you’ve had, or how your family prepares it at home. Hope these recommendations encourage you to order some of those đặc biệt (special) items on the menu you’ve been nervous to try.