This week we started class with the book A Different Pond by Bao Phi and Thi Bui and discussed the difference between immigrants and refugees. The book tells the story of a Vietnamese-American boy who goes fishing with his father, a man who lost his brother in what the United States refers to as the Vietnam War. We talked about Little Saigon in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood and the many Vietnamese-American-owned businesses you can find there.
In the kitchen, the first graders made Vietnamese gỏi cuốn (spring rolls). It was our first class incorporating products made from rice (paper and noodles) instead of the rice itself. First we prepared all the filling ingredients: calendula, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, purple cabbage, spearmint, Thai basil, cilantro, Hodo braised tofu, red butter lettuce, and rice vermicelli. Everyone was careful to cut the ingredients into long thin strips chefs call “julienne” so that the filling would not tear the delicate rice paper when rolled up.
Next we rehydrated the rice paper wrappers by submerging them one at a time in a bowl of warm water and counting to ten. Students then customized the fillings of their spring rolls. We enjoyed them together with a vegan version of nước chấm, the traditional fish-sauce-based dipping sauce. The kids really enjoyed this recipe - there were many smiles at the end of class!
