Culture

The last time I had my grandfather’s congee was a few years ago. He quietly stopped making it one day, as standing for hours in a sweltering kitchen grew to be too taxing. Although my dorm-room concoction will never be the same as his, it’s enough to remind me of home.

With many Vietnamese restaurants peppered across Vancouver, there is no shortage of places to go — the two places below, though, have been thoroughly tested and approved by my family and me.

Couscous Royale was the last meal my father made me before leaving Montreal and it was one last reminder that when I moved out, j’allais me débrouiller — I was gonna figure it out.

This recipe serves as a reminder of the identity that both my dad and I share as part of the Diné people.

Even though I’ve never been to Serbia, I’m connected to it through the culture I was raised with. I feel homesick for a place I’ve never been, but I can make it better by enjoying the connections I have to it here.

As a college student, it’s a lot rarer to have such prime leftovers to toss in, but, as I said, congee is really what you make it to be. But this time, I wanted to make it exactly the way I had it as a child.

Back at home, meals like fried plantains — a sickly-sweet dish of deep fried plantains that is typically served with scrambled eggs — were common, especially for lunch or dinner.

Comprised of a rich broth, rice noodles, meat and fresh garnish, phở is a long-established staple of Vietnamese cuisine

I had just put down the phone with my mother and was staring at the paper in my hand with a recipe scribbled on it — my favourite potato curry.