p r o c e s s & p r o g r e s s p r e s e n t a t i o n

ARTI SANS OF THE STAND

t h e s i s 2

spring 2012with michael greenblatt

by erina ho01.01.12

p r o j e c t p r o p o s a l

t h e s i s p r e s e n tat i o n :

My thesis will focus on providing an insider view of

street vendors that run the most affordable food culture

in Saigon. A journal of sort that attempts to portray

a day in the life of these individuals who’s lives are

dependent upon their food and craftsmanship.

Often, various blogs discuss about the quality and

art behind the menu but a few fail to provide a

deep apprehension for the masterminds creating

the food, especially the ones working on the street.

One of the valuable information that a viewer can

potentially attain from this underrated culture is the

narrative behind these delicacies. Routinely, they are

inherited by family members from one generation

to another, making it the most practiced and the

most authentic meals in Vietnam.The aim of this

project is not to highlight the most popular or ‘hip’

eateries, but more to expose a genuine insight into

Vietnamese gastronomic heritage.

I will accumulate my research in the form of a book

as a personal reference guide that would entice

anyone with a curious palette in food and culture -

away from the conventional overview of guidebooks.

Vietnam is on a fast track to modernization

rapidly gentrifying to meet the global standards.

Gradually, street food could perish, overtaken

by future businesses / developments and replaced

with inaugurated restaurants to serve the global

aspirations of the country.

r e s e a r c h

t h e s i s p r e s e n tat i o n :

a s i a l i f e

vol 35march 2010

by muna khan

s t r e e t f o o d a t c r o s s r o a d s

r e s e a r c h :

o n t h e s i d e w a l k ,

b e i t s u n r i s e o r l a t e

t h e v i s i t o r m a y w o n d e r

i f t h e v i e t n a m e s e e v e r

e a t a t h o m e .

i n t o t h e n i g h t ,s t r e e t f o o d a t c r o s s r o a d s

r e s e a r c h :

Key Points:

- Street food is not unique to Vietnam - it is as integral

elsewhere in Asia where the rich and poor alike will be

found sitting shoulder to shoulder.

- However, Street culture in HCMC is still an essential

part of the fabric of life here because it has yet to be

pushed out or contained into pockets or districts as it has

inother Asian cities.

- The gentrification or modernization of a city anywhere

in the developing world comes at a price. Often this is the

disappearance or marginalization of the characteristics

and culturesassociated with them.

- Regardless, no matter how modern cities in Vietnam

become, or how much rapid development forces street

food vendors from their traditional locales, street food will

remain an integral part of the country’s culture.

- Hence some argues its a cultural habit and an vital

component that will never seize to exist.

o t h e r r e s o u r c e s

r e s e a r c h :

1. “Eating Out in Vietnam,” The Economist, December 21, 2002, Vol 35, 49-50.

Overview of: Brief history/context of the street food culture in Vietnam, now and then.

2. Irene Tinker, “Traditional Microenterprise in a Modernizing World,” International Journal of

Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol 16, 331-349.

Overview of: Field research on the business aspect of street food enterprise and a cultural

comparison of the role of women vs men in this sector.

3. Irene Tinker, Street Foods: Urban Food and Employment in Developing Countries (New York:

Oxford University Press, 1997), 99-130.

Overview of: An in depth look at the importance of urban food development for the popula-

tion. The vitality of its existence.

4. Annemarie M. F. Hiemstra, Koen G. van der Kooy & Michael Frese, “Entrepreneurship in

the Street Food Sector in Vietnam: Assesment of Psychological Success & Failure Factors.”

Journal of Small Business Management, 2006, 474-481.

Overview of: Further field research of the individuals who drive the sector.

5. Mimi Sheraton, “Utimate Pho,” Smithsonian 40, no.12, 42-48.

Overview of: Pho. More so a detailed writing about the craft behind the dish. Great reference

as a creating approach to food writing.

p r e c e d e n t s

r e s e a r c h :

this book is more than one thing: it’s a cookbook feat. step-by-step photography andcommentary,but it’s also the memoir of a madcap project that redefined the authors’ marriage and a city’s food scene. along with stories and recipes.the book is a deeper look into the process of devel-oping a food business about and writtenby the author/chef.

book by anthony myint &karen leibowitz

2011

m i s s i o n s t r e e t f o o d

weekly featureon t magazine

by todd selby

www.selby.com

e d i b l e s e l b y

this weekly column is a spin-off from todd’s project the selby, a blog that offers an insider’s view of creative individuals in their personal spaces with an artist’s eye for detail. edible sleby is a take on upcoming chefs in their own work & personal spaces that features vivid images and handwritten interviews that are more intimate.

book byallegra mcevedy

2011

b o u g h t ,b o r r o w e d &

s t o l e n

allegra mcevedy’s (a chef/historian) book “Bought, Borrowed, Stolen” combines her literate upbringing with her passion for food, showcasing the most mind-blowing meals McEvedy encountered from the 20 countries she most recently traversed, along with a unique knife from each place representing its gastronomical heritage.

movie byremin bahrani

2005

m a n p u s hc a r t

man push cart tells the story of former Pakistani rock singer who ekes out a living selling coffee and donuts to morning commuters from his push cart in Midtown Manhattan, in order to provide a better life for his estranged young son. This movie is an insightful first feature that reveals a rare but vital community in new york city.

o r g a n i z a t i o n o f c o n t e n t s

p l a n n i n g :

i n t r o d u c t i o n :brief description and background about

the owner and the stall

g e n e r a l i n f o r m a t i o n

location (including a map that captures its surroundings)

observations such as the demographic

q & a “a day in the life of ...” from the stall and beyond

includes numerous images and despcription

r e c i p e

to one of their iconic dishes

c o n t e n t s :

p o t e n t i a l i n t e r v i e w q u e s t i o n s

p l a n n i n g :

1) did you always plan on taking over you mother’s business or, as a child, did you have other plans/ambition?

2) have you ever thought of moving you cart elsewhere in the city? or is this location crucial?

3) do you live around here or do you commute?

4) when do you usually begin preparing your dishes?

5) where do you get your ingredients?

6) do you ever take a break? if so, what do you do in that spare time?

7) what part of you day is the most challenging?

8) who are your favourite customers and what are they like?

9) do you have a particular moment or time in your career that is most memorable to you?

10) when do you shop for your ingredients and where do you get them? 11) what do you like the most about saigon?

12) what are your 6 favourite local ingredients? And where do you get them?

13) What are your favourite local dishes other than your own?

l o o k + f e e l

i n s p i r at i o n :

scrap book collage pouch

string tiescreen prints

e l e m e n t s

s u g g e s t i o n s t h u s f a r

f e e d b a c k :

hopefully at the of break, you were able to get very specific and

non-conventional guide book information while you were in

vietnam. have people read your info/research. if foodies know

less than half the information you have gathered you are on the

right track. if foodies know more than half, you should develop

ways to get more information.

c o n t e n t s a t t a i n e d d u r i n g t r a v e l

d ata c o l l e c t i o n :

1 .

a t : l a n

45 le loi st

2 .

a t : c o m b a c u

40 ky dong st

b a c u

5 .

a t : b u n r i e u s a i g o n

85 ly tu trong st

v y h u y n hd u y e n a n h

3 .

a t : h u o n g v i e n

101 vuon chuoi st

m i e n v o

t h e a r t i s a n s

the people + places to be visited

c o n t e n t s :

base: my tho4 members

owns bun rieu saigon

t h e h u y n h s

do you all live in the city?

My husband continues to live in the rural (My Tho) with my younger son who is still completing High School. My elder son and I are the only ones work-ing in the city.

When did you move to saigon and why did you decide to do so?

I moved in 2002. I came here for the reason that’s usual to all. There are greater opportunities (despite the higher cost of living). I save up and bring it back to My Tho to support my family. But i’m getting old so that’s why my son is here. He is now the provider of the family.

Have you lived anywhere else?

We actually lived in Malaysia. In 1986, when I had my first son, my husband and I moved to over there and returned to Vietnam in 1888. We stayed there for 2 years. We wanted to experience what it was like to live out of country.

Was the experience what you had expected?

It was a lot more difficult than I intended. My first child was only 3 months old and because of the language barrier, we didn’t know where and how to live. But overtime we developed some relationship and there were food distribution services (soup kitchen) that we lined up for every morning. My husband fished to support the family as well.

What do you miss about home (My Tho) now that you live in the city?

It’s easier and quieter.

When did you begin your business serving “bun rieu and ban ouc”?

In total 23 years but I began 18 years ago. It was initially owned by my sister ( Mai Vi) but she passed away and I took over in 1994. I served breakfast in my hometown (My Tho) for 6 years before moving thebusiness to the city.

Did your sister specialize in the same dishes as you do now?

Yes. The business is exactly the same. We had a single mom who was sick when we were younger so my sister began this street food business quite young and I helped her out. That’s how we raised ourselves. So in doing so, I caught on with her cooking techniques and how she ran her corner. The food i serve today is of the same exact recipe as 23 years ago.

Could you tell me a bit about yourself and your fam-ily?

I manage a street food restaurant that serves “bun rieu and ban ouc”.

Father: Initially worked as a fisherman. But with low income and sickness stopped and is now a bike driver “lai xe om”.

Younger son in: 12th grade Elder son: Manages shrimp agriculture for a com-pany.

v y h u y n h

i n t e r v i e w w i t h :

What time do you get up to prepare for work?

I wake up at 3.30am, and cook until 6. I open the ship from 6.30-9. 10am, after work, I go buy gro-ceries at Cho Ben Thanh and go home and marinate the meet and veggies with ice. 11.30 I begin taking care of households.

What time do you get up to prepare for work?

I wake up at 3.30am, and cook until 6. I open the ship from 6.30-9. 10am, after work, I go buy gro-ceries at Cho Ben Thanh and go home and marinate the meet and veggies with ice. 11.30 I begin taking care of households. (The cycle is like so everyday).

Was your dream to make and sell street food or did you have other aspirations when you were younger?

My dream was to manage a hotel. It is still my dream but I’m too old to pursue that so I’m hoping my younger son will join us in the city to support the family with that kind of business.

Did you have any jobs before this?

When I was younger, around 10 years old I helped with household matters and raised pigs - we had one mother pig and 10 piglets. We raised them to eventually sell them when they were well bred.

What is your favorite vietnamese dish?

My favorite is canh chua. It’s easy to eat as a soup. As well as fried eggs.

What is your favorite meal of the day?

Breakfast & lunch is the most crucial meals, notdinner. 6am-7.30am being generally the normal breakfast time prior to work.

What is important about Vietnamese food to you?

The key to Vietnamese food is the juxtaposition between the sour/sweet.

Do you ever take a break from work (i.e. vaca-tion)?

The only break i take is during the Tet holidays (Vietnamese New Year).

Do you think the street food culture will seize to thrive with the city’s rapid development?

I think the business of street food will never stop. To all classes, its affordable and those food are often better than restaurant food. We’ve been making one particular dish and perfected for years as oppose to someone who serves multiple meals in a menu at a restaurant.

i m a g e s d ata c o l l e c t i o n :

w h a t t o d o f r o m n o w a n d t h e n

p l a n :

1. Accumulate research. interviews and data.

2. Edit, re-write. Consider what’s an intriguing way to present the interviews.

(requires more research)

3. Edit images/

3. How do I want to organize the contents in a book form?

4. Experiment with book making.

5. Maintain a blog.