Stories

Surviving the Unthinkable: A Memoir of Cambodia, War, and Resilience

I do love reading all the lovely and thoughtful cookbooks that are on my shelf, but I have a special place in my heart for a memoir or a fiction story that centers food in the lives of the characters or the author. I am so grateful for the stories that people share about their lives and how food -- or the lack of food -- changes their lives and their relationships.

In Slow Noodles, Chantha Nguon tells of her life in Cambodia and Vietnam during some of the most turbulent and violent times in human history. Born in 1961, she lived through the years that the Khmer Rouge took everything from her and from millions of Cambodians. She was able to escape to Vietnam with her mother and sister and then through the reunification of Vietnam and the "withdrawal" of the American military from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) after the Vietnamese War. After trying to build a life there, she and her partner decide to return to Cambodia and apply for refugee status to relocate to Europe or the United States. After 10 years in the refugee camps, they finally accept that relocation is not going to happen and begin working to rebuilding their lives and their country.

That summary just doesn't do justice to the incredible stories shared in this book! The loss, the celebrations and learning to appreciate just being alive some days -- even if you only eat a couple of scoops of rice every week. If you can listen to this in audiobook format, I highly recommend that! It is read by Clara Kim and allows you to enter Chantha's life on a very deeply personal journey. 

I've included links in the above paragraphs for background on the kinds of terrible events that shaped Chantha's life and experiences - I'm pretty sure that unless you dive into a history major in college, this is not covered in most social studies courses in the United States. Reading books like this reminds me how incredible privileged I am to have lived the life I have and to take the time to understand just how very different the lives of the other billion or so people in the world are. 

Clara Kim, Nguon' s daughter shares more information about Slow Noodles: 

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Get Cozy with Soup

Even though January is National Soup month, I love soup all year long. So, my first thought was to post about the amazing soup cookbooks I have on my shelf, but then I thought about all the soup recipes in all the other cookbooks!. A few months ago it was Breakfast Month and I loved  hunting for great recipes and stories in the cookbook collection, so this month, I'm going to pick out some old favorite cookbooks and some new cookbooks and explore the world of soup. 

Because I so love food history, I also love to explore a bit about the past relationships between humans and different foods, but soup is tough, because humans have been eating soup since they learned to weave waterproof baskets and drop hot stones into water, or hang a deer hide over the fire and filling that with fire, knowing if they kept the level of water above the level of the fire, the hide would not burn.

But there are some fun websites out there! The Food Timeline, created by Lynne Oliver has a very nice overview of soups around the world. Netflix has a documentary on Korean soups called A Nation of Broth - three episodes highlighting different Korean Soups.

We do have a collection of books that are soup forward - Check that collection out here!

And here are some great soup-ish things from around the Internet - some are a little longer, some a little shorter, but all about SOUP!

Adam Ragusea presents the beginning of soup (maybe... we think)

The Food Storian explores soup in the past and around the world

Max Miller teaches about soup in Great Britain during WWII

Eat Your Words Podcast featuring Ken Albala, Food Historian and Cook, who shares all about Noodle Soup

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Cookbooks for the Ages: A Few Picks from 2025

I really can't pick my favorite books I read this year - these are just a few that grabbed my attention as I was searching our shelves.

Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink by Victor Jules Bergeron, Jr.

Slow Noodles by Chantha Nguon.

Food to Die For: Recipes and Stories from America's Most Legendary Haunted Places by Amy Bruni and Julie Tremaine

The Italian Summer Kitchen: Timeless Recipes for La Dolce Vita by Cathy Whims.

The Malaysian Cookbook.

The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope. by José Andrés and The World Central Kitchen

A World of Hearty Soup by John Philips Cranwell. 

The Kitchen Commune: Meals to Heal and Nourish Everyone at Your Table by Chay Wike

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Native American Foodways and Cooking

This is just a handful of of links, books and videos by Native American chefs and cookbook authors. 

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Wake Up and Learn: A Breakfast Journey

So, "Better Breakfast Month" – ever wonder where that came from? Turns out, it's got roots way back in WWI and WWII, all about getting folks to eat right and save resources. Pretty cool how it evolved, with even companies like General Mills jumping on board.

Honestly, I'm a huge breakfast fan myself, from classic Western spreads to all sorts of delicious global twists. If you're curious about breakfast's past, present, or future, there are tons of resources out there – articles, fun interactive games, old documents, you name it.

Come join me as I dive into the world of breakfast through cookbooks using #BetterBreakfastMonth!

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Fannie Farmer and Some Vintage Dinners

On August 23, 1902, Fannie Farmer left the Boston Cooking School where had served as principal since 1891. During that time, she brought regulation into how recipes were written - writing and publishing The Boston School Cookbook in 1896 making the information, recipes and menus taught at the school available to home cooks around the country. 

I started by checking Fannie Farmer's Book of Good Dinners, which is a 1972 revision of the 1905 book (Click HERE for a free pdf of the 1905 edition), but these were some hefty menus! Common in upper middle class families of the early 20th century, but a bit too much for me and Mr. Booklady - although maybe a great menu for a buffet one of these days. Most menus have 4 courses - a soup course, a fish course, a meat course and a dessert. Here's an example of one of her family dinners:

Onion Soup
Fried Smelts, Sauce Tartar    French Rolls    
Broiled Porterhouse Beef Steak
Maître d'hôtel Butter
Potato Strips            Creamed Turnips
Steamed Chocolate Pudding, Sterling Sauce

Smithsonian Libraries has a PDF of a 1919 edition  you can read HERE. I have a reproduction of the 1896 cookbook and I used that to create my menu for a day of Boston Cooking School eating in honor of Fannie Farmer. It was still a pretty hefty menu. I was able to reduce most of the recipes and I took a little help here and there - making a few semi-homemade dishes, too. A few notes about the dishes: H-O is Hornsby Oats - a popular quick cooking oatmeal. Dropped eggs are poached eggs, and Irish Moss is a plant-based way to create a jelled desert. 

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Happy UK Afternoon Tea Week

Join me as I explore some of the wonderful history and food of Afternoon Tea! 

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Buffalo Soldiers in the U.S. Military

As I was looking through the different national recognition days in July, I noticed that July 28th was dedicated as National Buffalo Soldier Day - a day to recognize the contributions made by African American soldiers even while segregated from the rest of the U.S. Army. And while I am interested in the big, broad history, it's the stories of the men (an even some women) that most interest me. (Because I love a good research rabbit hole, there are some historical resources and documents below -- keep scrolling for those).

If you don't do anything else on this page, scroll down to the audio interview with Sgt. Luther Hall, C Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division. You can listen to all or just excerpts of his experiences in Italy during WWII. 

I did a bit of online research and there are some amazing sources out there, but early on, I saw that the local university library had a copy of On the Trail of the Buffalo Soldier II edited by Frank N. Schubert and Irene Schubert. This is an amazing collection! My mind boggles at the work that went into compiling this in the relatively early years of the internet. I'm sure the work was the joint effort of hundreds of graduate research assistant hours! Some of the biographies have an extensive amount of information (and the source of the information - another kind of rabbit hole) and some just a few words. 

The first soldier listed is James W. Abbot who was an Ordinance Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He was born in Kentucky in 1860. The information was compiled from the "Descriptive Book" and details his character (excellent) and his complexion (brown).  The Assignment and Roll book gives a timeline of his service with the Army as he enlisted, was discharged and reenlisted. He served as a school teacher while stationed at Fort Bayard, NM, was on detached service during President Harrison's tour of the southwestern states, escorted an "insane soldier" to Washington, DC and was even one of the managers of a masquerade held in Fort Bayard, NM.  A lot of information about Sgt. Major Abbott, compared to some other entries - but a lot is missing, too. Who were his parents? Where did he go to school? Did he have brother, sisters, a wife? Children? What were the living conditions for NCO's in the 1880's and how did that compare with White NCO's. What was a typical day like for Sgt. Major Abbott and I always want to know - what were the rations like at the fort?

There are many, many entries for Privates where the only information we have is their place of birth and enlistment date. Sometimes, there is mention of disciplinary actions that give such a human dimension to the basic facts. In 1885, Sergeant White decided to spend some time with some "disreputable women" instead of hunting as he was supposed to.  And, you know -- that sounds like something thousands of soldiers must have done and still probably do to this very day. Sneak away for some a little fun whenever the opportunity presents itself! Poor Sergeant White just got caught!

Some history. Black Americans have served in the armed forces since colonial times, where both free and enslaved Blacks served in integrated units. They were a critical part of the Continental Army during the revolution and continued to be a part of the Army in the young nation.

During the Civil War, as the Army began to actively recruit free and formerly enslaved men to the armed forces, the War Department issued General Directive 143 which created the United States Colored Troops. 

After the Civil War, Congress passed the "Armed Forces Reorganization Act of 1866" and formerly established the segregation of Black troops serving under White officers as part of the reorganization. The 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments and the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments became known as the Buffalo Soldiers throughout the 19th and Early 20th Centuries and fought in all major US engagements around the world. They also served as some of the nations first National Park Rangers in the early years of the department.

On July 26, 1948 President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 to desegregate the armed forces, though it took over a decade for a complete restructuring, although the last of the Buffalo Soldier Regiments was disbanded in 1951.

Current News: On February 18, 2025 Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10) introduced H.R.1437 - Buffalo Soldiers Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2025 "to award a Congressional Gold Medal collectively to the Buffalo Soldier regiments, authorized by Congress in 1866 to serve in the United States Armed Forces, in recognition of their superior, dedicated, and vital service to our Nation." It has been referred to committee, but no further action has been taken. 

There is so much to learn about the Buffalo Soldiers and their part in world history. It is a complicated and complex story - too much for one small blog post. So take a little time to dive into some of these sites and get to know the individuals who served throughout the years.

Plaque in Arlington National Cemetery honoring the 92nd Infantry for its service in WWI and WWII

Buffalo Soldiers - Camp Lockett, California - ca. 1941 - 1945

Frederick Perkins, 9th Cavalry Regiment, American, founded 1866. From the Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture; 

Buffalo soldiers of the 25th Infantry Regiment pose for a photo in 1890.

Interview with Sgt. Luther Hall, 92nd Infantry

This amazing recording is just one of many in the Library of Congress Collection from the 92nd Infantry in Italy during WWII

Sgt. Luther Hall, C Company, 370th Infantry Regiment, 92nd Infantry Division 

Listen to Sgt. Hall's Interview about his service during WWII in Italy.

More narratives available @ Buffalo Soldiers: The 92nd in Italy from the Library of Congress. 

More things to look at!

Researching African Americans in the U.S. Army, 1866-1890 in the National Archives. 

The Record - March 1998: Exploring the Life and History of the "Buffalo Soldiers" from the National Archives. 

Yosemite's Buffalo Soldiers 

Buffalo Soldiers Museum

Charles Young's Buffalo Soldiers' National Monument from the National Park Services

Cover Photograph (Buffalo Soldiers escorting a stage coach, ca. 1890) courtesy of  The Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. 

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Tacos and Tequila (and cookbooks) in 10 Links

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