Vietnamese Archives - Gil's Thrilling (And Filling) Blog

Coda Bakery – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno — Tue, 05 Nov 2024 06:01:52 +0000

JP, my former boss at Intel used to pride himself on consistently working “half days.” If you’re thinking you’d like a job where you work only four hours a day, you’ve misinterpreted his definition of “half days.” To him, half days is a literal term meaning twelve hours a day. When most of us are done for after only nine or ten hours, he was just starting what he called his “second shift.” Very few of us have the stamina, initiative and especially the passion for what we do to work “half days.” I know restaurateurs for whom half days (or longer) are standard six or seven days a week. Because they spend so much time in their restaurants tending…

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Pho Garden – Rio Rancho, New Mexico

Gil Garduno — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 03:24:49 +0000

NOTE: In the first few introductory paragraphs below I describe an encounter that took place between two friends. Though that encounter took place several years ago, it perfectly illustrates the idealogical divide that has torn our great nation apart. It should have been a point-counterpoint debate for the ages. My ideologically opposed and perpetually squabbling friends Carlos and Hien were arguing about the concept of American exceptionalism. Carlos took the Reaganesque position that America is the shining city on a hill. “Everything about America is great,” he proclaimed. “We have the highest standard of living and pretty much the best of everything.” Hien mirrored Obama’s stance that America does not have exclusivity in believing itself to be exceptional. Much like…

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Pho Ginger – Albuquerque, New Mexico

Gil Garduno — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 06:00:04 +0000

The Cultural Atlas reveals one aspect of Vietnamese life that is readily apparent to those among us well acquainted with Albuquerque’s Vietnamese restaurant families: “Family is the most important aspect of life in Vietnam. It is much more interdependent and tight-knit than what many Western cultures are familiar with. The cohesiveness and health of the family unit is often a main imperative. The “family unit” itself generally includes a larger nexus of relationships. Aunts, uncles, grandparents and other extended relatives often have very close relationships and provide a central support system.” During our time in the Land of Enchantment, we’ve seen just how interdependent and tight-knit Vietnamese families are. We’ve also experienced how warm and welcoming those families are. We…

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