About Flavor Boulevard
– About FLAVOR BOULEVARD –
A food blog with focus on Asian food.
Food reviews. Cheap eats, a few fancy restaurants, a few recipes. Sometimes books and movies too. As long as it reminds us of food, we write about it.
– About MAI –
Q: Why do you blog? – I started Flavor Boulevard after I read the entire noodlepie blog from beginning to end, a few years after my family moved from Vietnam to America. That blog makes me miss Vietnamese food terribly, and it reminds me of what food writing is: not so much about food as about memories. With Flavor Boulevard, I can save in one place, however unorganized, memories of the meals, feelings I get from a dish, new things I learn from and about food. When I read what I wrote months and years ago, I can relive the experience. It’s kind of like talking to myself, the past Mai, the present Mai and the future Mai all in one place. 🙂
Q: What is your focus on this blog? – Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese food.
Q: Why Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese? – Vietnamese because I’m Vietnamese. Korean because there were some years when I watched way too many Korean dramas, and when the protagonist gobbled up a skillet of kimchi fried rice, I just gotta try it too. Japanese? It all started with an okonomiyaki in San Francisco, and it got serious after a good izakaya night. But at the end of the day, it’s simply because these three cuisines make me feel at home.
Q: Where can we reach you? – Email me: mai@flavorboulevard.com
——————————
Mai Truong is a Vietnamese-born Texan currently attending UC Berkeley. Eighteen years living in Vietnam give her a strong palate for tropical flavors and an even stronger opinion on Asian food culture. Beside studying and Flavor Boulevard, she enjoys working as an editor at the Daily Californian (mainly in the Eating Berkeley blog).
She has an incurable infatuation for languages, pig trotters and tea (UPDATE: check out her TEA BLOG: Tea & Mai). She also tends to compare every dish with her Mother’s cooking.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
– About KRISTEN –
My name is Kristen and I am currently a PhD student at UC Berkeley. My passions all involve food: writing, reading, eating, and occasionally cooking!
I was born in Minnesota and grew up in various parts of Connecticut. Most of my early food adventures took place in Flushing, Queens (a borough of NYC), which has a large Taiwanese American population (where my family is from). I went to college in Illinois and now I am currently located in Berkeley, California.
While my comfort foods are usually Taiwanese and Chinese dishes (xiao long bao, scallion pancakes, Taiwanese pork chop and pickled mustard greens, dumplings, beef noodle soup, mapo tofu, etc.), I have eclectic tastes. I think it comes from having a diasporic family: between them, my parents have lived in Taiwan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, East Timor, etc. and all over the US as well from Texas to Minnesota to Pennsylvania. Even though I have only lived in the US, where I have personally lacked in travel, I more than make up for in willingness to try new foods! My intention is to bring a diasporic Asian American perspective to the food blogosphere.
My all-time favorite food is my grandfather’s and mom’s Taiwanese beef noodle soup. In fact, I am a huge fan of most any variety of beef soup/stew because it reminds me of home (for me, home is a feeling usually conveyed through food rather than a physical locale). My current palate tends towards sweet savory so those are the dishes that I am most drawn to as a diner and is probably what makes me more partial to most Asian cuisines (that and my heritage). However, I love all types of food and will always try something once!
As for foods I dislike, I am finding that as I get more into the “foodie” culture and try new foods, my tastes are actually changing! (or is that me getting older?) For example, I used to hate avocados and mushrooms with a passion, but now I love them! Right now, the one food that I dislike is octopus, but I’m still hoping for a dish to prove me wrong on this one.
My PhD field is in Comparative Ethnic Studies and while my research is unrelated to my food interests, I also am interested in the ways in which food (and foodie) cultures intersect with issues of race, representation, and media. For me, food and politics are intricately related and many of my posts, even if not explicitly, may carry this sentiment!
I can be reached at kristen@flavorboulevard.com. I previously blogged at Put it on Kristen’s Plate. You may remember me from my guest post of Revival Bar and Kitchen. Find me on Yelp and Twitter!
——————————————————————————————————————————–
– More about FLAVOR BOULEVARD –
Q: Do you get free meals at restaurants when you review them?
A: Not for reviews. But interviews, yes. Unless disclosed otherwise, we don’t profit monetarily from any of our reviews.
Q: Do you accept guest posts?
A: We love them. If you feel like talking about food, be it your latest improvisation in the kitchen or an awesome street grub, take pictures and shoot us a write-up at mai@flavorboulevard.com. ALL posts that satisfy these guidelines are welcome!
Whats up! I simply wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the great info you could have here on this post. I will probably be coming back to your blog for more soon.
1I am so happy to read this. This is the type of manual that needs to be given and not the accidental misinformation that’s at the other blogs. Appreciate your sharing this greatest doc.
2Some genuinely nice stuff on this internet site, I enjoy it.
3I simply needed to thank you very much once again. I’m not certain what I might have sorted out without the aspects shown by you directly on my concern. It has been the distressing situation in my position, nevertheless observing the very skilled strategy you managed the issue took me to jump with contentment. I am just happy for this guidance and then sincerely hope you realize what a powerful job you are getting into training the mediocre ones by way of your web site. I am certain you haven’t met any of us.
4Thank you for any other informative blog. The place else could I am getting that type of info written in such a perfect manner? I have a project that I am simply now working on, and I have been on the look out for such info.
5Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this blog. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s difficult to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and visual appearance. I must say that you’ve done a amazing job with this. Also, the blog loads very quick for me on Opera. Excellent Blog!
6There’s noticeably a bundle to find out about this. I assume you made sure nice points in options also.
7It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will share this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
8Very interesting info !Perfect just what I was searching for!
9I like the helpful information you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here regularly. I am quite certain I will learn lots of new stuff right here! Best of luck for the next!
10Great tremendous things here. I’m very satisfied to look your article. Thanks so much and i’m having a look forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
11Wow! Thank you! I continually needed to write on my site something like that. Can I include a fragment of your post to my blog?
12I am not sure where you’re getting your info, but good topic. I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thanks for excellent information I was looking for this info for my mission.
13so much great information on here, :D.
14You can certainly see your skills within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to say how they believe. All the time go after your heart. “In order to preserve your self-respect, it is sometimes necessary to lie and cheat.” by Robert Byrne.
15I have recently started a web site, the info you offer on this website has helped me tremendously. Thank you for all of your time & work.
16Thanks for every other informative website. The place else may I am getting that kind of information written in such a perfect means? I have a venture that I’m simply now running on, and I have been on the glance out for such info.
17Yay google is my queen helped me to find this outstanding internet site! .
18I am lucky that I noticed this web blog, precisely the right info that I was searching for! .
19Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was looking for! “I myself do nothing. The Holy Spirit accomplishes all through me.” by William Blake.
20Appreciate it for this fantastic post, I am glad I noticed this internet site on yahoo.
21of course like your website however you need to check the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth then again I’ll certainly come again again.
22Greetings from Los angeles! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the info you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m shocked at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, fantastic blog!
23I really enjoy examining on this internet site, it has superb posts.
24I appreciate your work, thanks for all the great content.
25Oh my goodness! an incredible article dude. Thanks Nevertheless I am experiencing concern with ur rss . Don’t know why Unable to subscribe to it. Is there anyone getting similar rss problem? Anyone who is aware of kindly respond. Thnkx
26Just wish to say your article is as surprising. The clarity on your submit is simply cool and that i could think you’re knowledgeable on this subject. Fine along with your permission let me to grasp your RSS feed to keep up to date with drawing close post. Thanks a million and please keep up the enjoyable work.
27I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was wondering what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100 certain. Any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers
28Utterly indited written content, Really enjoyed examining.
29obviously like your website but you need to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling issues and I find it very troublesome to inform the truth nevertheless I will certainly come again again.
30I’m extremely inspired along with your writing skills as neatly as with the format to your weblog. Is that this a paid subject or did you modify it your self? Either way stay up the nice high quality writing, it is rare to look a great blog like this one today..
31You must take part in a contest for among the finest blogs on the web. I’ll advocate this site!
32very good publish, i actually love this web site, keep on it
33You are my breathing in, I own few web logs and occasionally run out from to post : (.
34The very heart of your writing while appearing reasonable in the beginning, did not work perfectly with me after some time. Someplace within the sentences you actually were able to make me a believer but only for a short while. I nevertheless have got a problem with your leaps in logic and one might do nicely to help fill in all those breaks. If you can accomplish that, I could certainly end up being fascinated.
35Hey there, You have done a great job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m confident they’ll be benefited from this web site.
36You have brought up a very good points, appreciate it for the post.
37Awsome post and right to the point. I don’t know if this is truly the best place to ask but do you people have any ideea where to get some professional writers? Thank you 🙂
38I like this weblog so much, saved to favorites.
39