Rosette Nguyễn Y’88 MBA
Personal action:
Nowadays it’s hard to find authentic Vietnamese food that is both delicious and healthy – without artificial and potentially harmful ingredients. Also rare are good recipes in English for classic dishes such as Sizzling Crepes (Bánh Xèo), Asparagus Crab Soup (Măng Tây Nấu Cua), Pandan Layer Cake (Bánh Da Lợn), Vietnamese Banana Cake (Bánh Chuối Nướng), and Boiled Sweet Rice Cake (Bánh Chưng). Wouldn’t it also help to understand the nutrition content of such dishes and how they affect our health?
Rosette Nguyen has written a book, Wholesome Vietnamese Cooking, in which she shows how to prepare such dishes and many other favorites – with real flavors, wholesome ingredients, safe cooking techniques – and explains their effects on health. She shares a treasure trove of 100+ family recipes that have withstood the test of time – through generations of practice, refinement, and enjoyment. Most of the recipes are from her native country, Vietnam, and some are popular dishes from other parts of the world such as Pot Stickers from China and Chicken Tikka Masala from India. In this book she provides clear step-by-step instructions, many color photos, vital nutrition insights, and much more.
Community action:
Wholesome Vietnamese Cooking is scheduled to be released on Amazon this summer, 2021. Activities to drive awareness, readership, and adoption include but are not limited to posts on social media, live book signings, and Yale alumni events.
Global Vision:
Cooking is an increasingly important life skill for optimizing health and budget. At the time of this writing, the world is facing the corona virus pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis. A new, more health-conscious way of living can be the new norm as we move forward. When we cook at home, we can more safely and economically choose our ingredients, where we get them, and how and when to cook them.
Not only is cooking a useful skill, but it can also expand our minds while bringing us together. It can be an immersive way to experience an important aspect of the world’s various cultures and to spend quality time with close ones. Cooking well helps us to be well and live well.