November, 2023. Text by Quang Vinh Giang, Berlin (Germany).
Photo: Quang Vinh Giang

A Phở cooking performance where people join in for the food and listen to a story about this traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Alongside, there is a small ambigram sculpture where the word 'Phở' transforms into 'Feu' (fire in French) when rotated.

I decided to make this project as my love letter to Phở. Since I moved to Berlin to study, I missed the food so much and learned for the first time how to make it. Having known it for 22 years of my life, I realized I don't really know its story. Many of my international friends expressed their admiration for my country’s food culture. I both felt proud and embarrassed when I didn't know how to prepare it. The experience of learning about its components and watching online documentaries of Vietnamese people keeping their Phở restaurants opened for generations truly touched me and inspired me to create a different experience where people could not only hear my feelings about the food but also taste it. They say "You only really appreciate something when you don't have it anymore", I had always enjoyed Phở in restaurants without thinking much about how it's made.

When I learned how to cook it, I was moved by the thought of all the generations before me who had come here, cooked the same dish to make a living, and shared it with people of different cultures. I found myself following the same routine that they all did. In the "Schrödingers Katzen" exhibition in the Plattenbau, each of us had a spacious room to showcase our projects. It was an old abandoned building, and we, the students, each had our unique way of transforming the space. I remember some friends telling me they could smell the nice aroma of the soup as they walked inside but didn't know where it was coming from. I also placed a small wooden furniture set, similar to the ones we usually sit on in Vietnamese sidewalks. I wanted the experience of sitting to reflect my memories of Vietnam. It was amusing to see some participants who were so tall and big find it interesting to sit on small "kindergarten" chairs. This was during Corona time, so I created a schedule, allowing only 1-2 people to join for around 45 minutes each. I was nervous while waiting for the guests to arrive, worried that finding the building might be confusing since its address didn't show up on Google Maps or suggested a longer route to walk. However, as the guests arrived, I felt relieved and was glad to host them, welcoming them with warmth and joy.

Looking back at this project in 2023, I'm somewhat cautious with the idea that people might be criticizing me of being a Vietnamese and making a Phở cooking project "It's such a cliché". But I definitely had something personal to express, truly from my heart. It’s common for many artists to infuse their personal identities into their work. My hope is that the cultural aspects of my future projects will remain authentic and not become clichéd. - Quang Vinh Giang