VietREADS! An Author Series Presenting the Arts and Culture of Vietnam
Co-sponsored by San José Public Library and and the Viet-American Cultural Foundation as part of the local California Cultural Crossroads Initiative
March 10, 2007 -
"You don’t have to be a chef to enjoy
the cuisine of Vietnam in your own home" was the message conveyed
by Southeast Asian food expert, Andrea Nguyen, Saturday, March 10,
at Hillview Branch Library. Ms. Nguyen's introduction to Vietnamese
cuisine kicked off "VietREADS!"—a Vietnamese author
series sponsored by San José Public Library at several branch
locations.
District 7 Councilmember, Madison Nguyen (no relation) was on hand
to welcome the audience, saying, "I am excited and delighted
that so many Vietnamese authors, all with different interests, and
from different walks of life, are participating in this series in
order to share their unique perspectives. This author series is
a benefit not only to the Vietnamese community," she continued,
"but also encourages, and hopefully entices, all residents
of San José to learn more about Vietnamese culture."
Saturday's program included a lively discussion of the culinary
traditions of Vietnam, incorporating the history, essential ingredients,
and cooking methods of this increasingly popular cuisine. Nguyen
demonstrated preparation of goi dua chuot (cucumber and shrimp salad).
The audience sampled the dish along with banh phong tom (shrimp
chips). They also tasted banh khoai mi (cassava and coconut cake)
and banh chuoi (banana cake). The event concluded with a book signing,
introducing the author's new cookbook released last fall, Into
the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press).
During the course of the "VietREADS" series residents
will have more opportunities to learn about the culture of Vietnam
through literature. Future presentations include readings from poetry,
novels, cooking demonstrations, personal accounts of the Vietnam
War experience, and discussions on the music of Vietnam.
VietREADS! is the last phase of a collaboration between San José
Public Library and the Viet-American Cultural Foundation under the
California Cultural Crossroads grant program. The program is supported
in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under
the provision of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered
in California by the State Librarian.
San José is home to one of the largest communities of Vietnamese
outside of Vietnam. These activities are designed to promote library
services, programs, and collections in the Vietnamese community,
while at the same time introducing the culture and arts of Vietnam
to the community-at-large. Earlier programs have included citizenship
workshops, an exhibit by nine local Vietnamese-American artists,
Vietnamese storytelling and health presentations.
"We host these programs to reach out and welcome our new neighbors
into the community," says Rita Torres, manager of the King
Library’s General Collections Unit and a coordinator of VietREADS!
"Our goal is to increase the visibility and exposure of Vietnamese
culture to all segments of the community, transforming the unknown
into the familiar."
The San José Public Library System offers a multitude of
unique and interesting programs that are open to the public and
free of charge.
For more information, contact:
• Lorraine Oback, San José Public Library, at (408)
808-2176
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