The culinary landscape, as many of us perceive it, is often neatly divided into categories: national cuisines, “ethnic” foods, and regional specialties. For over half a century, my own cooking was rooted in the familiar flavors of my New England upbringing – a hearty cuisine of meat, potatoes, and bread, influenced by Northern European traditions. Ventures into French, Italian, and occasionally more exotic cuisines like Mexican, Moroccan, Indian, and Asian, felt like departures from this norm. This foundational cuisine was characterized by its reliance on technique over spice, a restrained use of herbs, and the subtle layering of flavors through classic cooking methods.
Then, a trip to Hanoi shattered my preconceived notions. Driving from the airport, I was immediately immersed in a vibrant, chaotic scene: a river of motorbikes carrying everything from livestock to lumber to entire families. It felt undeniably foreign, a world away from my culinary comfort zone.
But then I tasted the food. The explosion of flavors was revelatory. Lemon grass infused clams. The comforting depth of Pho. A simple yet perfect breakfast banh mi. Roadside stalls offering grilled delights, sweet potatoes, and eggs cooked in their shells. The vibrant sweetness of mango and papaya. And the salads – a symphony of hot, sweet, salty, and bitter. The nourishing broths and delicate noodles. Even the strong, sweet coffee with condensed milk and raw egg was a captivating experience.
In that moment, a profound realization began to dawn. The concept of “ethnic” cooking is a misnomer, a limiting and ultimately false distinction. It’s simply food, prepared and enjoyed in different corners of the world. What we perceive as foreign is simply someone else’s everyday meal.
As someone deeply connected to my Vermont roots, I’ve always valued the importance of place and tradition. A sense of belonging, of being “from somewhere,” is crucial for a fulfilling life. However, when it comes to food, perhaps it’s time to embrace a new set of principles.
We often compartmentalize recipes, assigning them ownership to specific cultures and regions, viewing outsiders as culinary trespassers. Milk Street challenges this notion. It extends an invitation to cooks from every corner of the globe to gather at a shared table, to exchange knowledge, techniques, and flavors freely.
Milk Street embodies that transformative moment in a Hanoi kitchen, and countless similar moments waiting to be discovered in kitchens around the world. It champions a culinary exchange, transcending cultural boundaries. Because at the heart of every cuisine, from Saigon to Kiev, Jerusalem to Quito, London to New York, lie universal kitchen values: resourcefulness, ingenuity, and the fundamental human desire to create delicious food.
