Switching Blog Gears

We originally started this blog as a way to keep everyone updated on the progress of our business and about our much-anticipated trip to Asia.  Now that we are officially on our 4-month long journey, we thought it would be beneficial to re-introduce ourselves in hopes it may explain the random postings about the things we find interesting.  Of course we will continue to write about all the food we try and drop hints about the type of food out business will be serving. 

First up is Anne.  I received my Masters in Business, with a focus on Pacific Rim economies and businesses, which included an intensive study of Asian cultures, politics and socio-economics.  This will explain my random input, observations and opinions on the people, culture, politically driven differences and societies of the countries we’re visiting.  I am Vietnamese so I will definitely have an insiders’ take on what we see, hear and eat in my native country.  This should explain some of the random statistical information I will undoubtedly include in some of the postings, such as did you know that Japan’s ethnic make-up is something like 99.9% ethnic Japanese.  That’s not the exact statistic, but it’s something crazy like that.  So this means a HUGE majority of the population maintains the same cultural identity, same ethnic understanding of what is culturally acceptable, same background, same history and same cultural experiences.  Imagine if in the US we were all ethnically the same, we all grew up with the same foods, our parents sang us the same lullabies, we all spoke the same language at home and celebrated the exact same holidays and celebrated them in the exact same way.  This will explain some of what I will mention about Japan.  I also fascinated by engineering feats and inspired by interesting and beautiful architecture.  I love street fashion and how climate dictates what we wear. 

Next up is Mike.  My interest in Asian cultures started with its cuisine, especially after my first experience with good sushi and a piping hot bowl of pho.  I have worked as a sushi chef for two top sushi restaurants in Portland and found sushi’s artistic nature to be a good fit for my constant need to express myself.  I am a musician so being drawn to all things expressive; individuality and inspiration come natural to me.  Besides being emerged in Vietnamese culture due to my beautiful Anne, I am most interested in cultures that are rooted in tropical climates.  This may help explain my love of late hot nights when the weather cools down and people come out of their houses and move about the town. This is my first time traveling to Asia and I am excited about being emerged into cultures that are relatively new to me.  I have always had an interest in Japanese art, particularly the vivid colors and the calm sense of movement.  I am an avid cook and look forward to exploring the numerous wet markets, local delicacies and all the street food.  I want to explore the regional offerings of each country, the freshness, the seasonality and enhancing my palette in order to develop and refine my recipes for Buddha Bellies.  I am inspired by all the oddness life has to offer.