A Conversation with Kat Lieu, Founder of Subtle Asian Baking and Author of 108 Asian Cookies, Modern Asian Baking at Home, and Modern Asian Kitchen From building an online baking community of more than 156,000 members to preserving family memories through her cookbooks, Kat Lieu has found ways to connect food, culture, and storytelling. As a strong supporter of Vietnamese Boat People and the 2026 Story Slam, Kat shares how baking helped her navigate grief, reconnect with her

Digging up traumatic memories is neither pleasant nor straightforward, and unearthing events long buried can plunge one back into the grief and pain of former years. There are some events in our lives we will never forget. For me, it was the bombing of our family home when I was three years old. I was born in a small village called Tân Thành in South Vietnam. My family home was opposite the village market with a river behind it. The village was where my father met my mother w

The three weeks of vacation in Vietnam passed like a blink of an eye. My friend Trang and I experienced this trip as a symphony: The Four Seasons of Vivaldi. We went through light emotions like the dew of spring, then warm moments of a hot summer. Then, nostalgia shook us: the taste memories of our childhood had the sweetness of an autumn, when the trees return to the earth the leaves they borrowed from the summer. And then there's winter. The one that makes us appreciate the

My grandpa was never recognized or rewarded for what he did, but that’s not what I’m looking for today. I simply want to share his story — to show his kindness, and maybe reconnect with the people he helped. My grandfather is now in heaven, but I’m really proud of him. I’m doing this for him, for my grandmother who still talks about those days, and for my mother. Here is the information I currently have: 1st rescue – Ship Bakau le Brigainville Embarkation: Dunkerque, March 5

My name is Pho, Kim Chi Pho. Those familiar with Asian cuisine often joke that my name embodies two world-famous dishes. On one side, kimchi, the fiery Korean fermented cabbage with the unmistakable aroma of chili. On the other, phở, the beloved Vietnamese beef noodle soup. This culinary coincidence feels like a sign that Mother Nature blessed me at birth with a rare gift. And humbly speaking… I’m quite capable in the kitchen. But what I do best is spring rolls. I was even ni

Professor Trinh once told me that Guan Yin (觀音), the goddess of mercy and compassion, holds a portrait of my ngin ngin, my paternal grandmother Professor Trinh once told me that The tree has no core. It exists neither in its leaves or branches, Nor in its roots or trunk. “Think of a ginger root Where each part is its core.” My exes said to me Stop asking yourself if you’re real, Or if the world is real, That you’ll be ok And just live your life. But I can’t just live when I d