#Vietnamese blogger

[lifeblogstory]

Pho With Grilled Pork Chops🍜

Enjoying pho with grilled pork chops. Putting the meat into the noodle soup, brings more meaty flavour. Along with sweet lime. Slightly sweet. The noodles were soft and smooth. Easy to digest. Soup is little salty. From “Pho Best”

[foodiebimbo]

[thebreakfastgenie]

This is what Vietnam War discourse would actually look like if there was tumblr in the 60s/70s:

That scene in Mad Men where Glenn tells Sally if he doesn't go to Vietnam some poor Black kid will get drafted instead

Draft dodging privilege

Failing the draft board physical on purpose is ableist

Trying to get a psychological deferment is ablesit/sanist

Pretending to be gay to dodge the draft is homophobic

If you're pretending to be gay to dodge the draft you can reclaim slurs

Trigger tags for topics related to Vietnam because it might trigger veterans, people getting screamed at for not using them, discourse about whether they're racist

Can Asian Americans reclaim "Charlie?" (Yes. No. Only if you're Vietnamese. Only if you're literally a member of the Vietcong.)

Lists of celebrities that are canceled for supporting Vietnam ranging from people who actually support the war to people who shared a post about supporting families of POWs

Someone posts about being happy their POW cousin got released, gets anon hate for supporting the war

Excuses not to boycott Dow Chemical, "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism"

Women and people of color get anon hate for talking about misogyny and racism in the anti-war movement

Women shouldn't go to college/law school/med school/grad school because men need those slots so they can get a deferment

The draft proves misandry is real

Anti-electoral leftists opposing the 26th amendment because both sides are the same

"Voting for LBJ is the lesser of two evils!!!!"

"At least Barry Goldwater wanted to end the forever war in Vietnam!"

The students murdered at Kent State get "canceled" for failing some moral purity test

Post about how Jackson State got less attention than Kent State because the students were Black which is actually but in the most bad faith, accusatory tone possible

Feminism and Civil Rights are distractions

Black bloggers get hate for publicly mourning MLK because "thousands are killed in Vietnam every day!!!!"

White American mixes up Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos because they don't know they're three separate countries

Working class people support the war so opposing it is classist actually

"The movement isn't about your fave I hate stan culture!!!!!"

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book Blurb:

In this sweet sapphic romance about two foodies in love, Vivi meets Lan while studying abroad in Vietnam and they spend the semester unraveling their families' histories—and eating all the street food in Sài Gòn. In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father, but has stopped updating since his passing.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam. Her parents rarely even talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She’s determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she’s seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two.

When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother’s story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.

Review:

Lan is a famous food blogger in Vietnam but has stopped writing after her father's passing, Vivi is a Vietnamese American girl who is a huge fan of Lan's blog and dreams about discovering the Vietnam her mother refuses to talk about, the two coincidentally meet and a sweet romance begins. Lan is the perfect daughter, always willing to help her mother and take care of the family food stall. She is also a popular food blogger who writes about Vietnam. She has stopped posting ever since her father's passing and is dealing with the grief of losing her father while trying to keep her family afloat. Vivi is a Vietnamese American who has never been to Vietnam and her parents refuse to talk about their lives living there before they moved to America. Vivi is also a huge fan of Lan's food blog and was inspired to lie to her parents and travel abroad to Vietnam for her freshman year of college program. Vivi is determined to find out why her parents left while also exploring all the places her favorite food blogger talks about. Yet when Vivi and Lan run into each other sparks begin to fly and the two girls help one another. Vivi will help Lan with her writing contest and Lan will show Vivi around Vietnam and help Vivi piece together her mother's past. Together they explore Vietnam, fall in love, and grow. This was such a sweet little read and I loved how heartwarming it was. As a Vietnamese American kid myself, this one really just tickled my heart. I love the exploration of Vietnam, the way the language and culture was interwoven, and of course, all the delicious food. The romance between Vivi and Lan was just adorable and I would absolutely recommend this book.

Release Date: August 20,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Henry Holt and Co. BYR Paperbacks for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[clairedaring]

hello claire, love your blog! i want to ask you a question about vietnamese fandom of thai pop culture, is it very big or just dedicated? i did notice that i often can find something translated into vietnamese (especially if we are talking about tpop interviews) while i can't find eng subs for it, and i started noticing it even more after a couple of weeks ago you pointed out another vietnamese blogger who has more access to obscure thai BLs than non-vietnamese bloggers. i am curious now, what's up with that? thank you in advance!

hiiiii \(￣︶￣*\))

i loveeee getting questions about thai pop culture and vietnamese fandom. for the short answer, i would say that it's both a combination of dedicated fandom and a sizable fandom. but please bare with me in my lengthy elaboration of this phenomenon...

i think the first form of 'thai pop culture' that was popularised and successfully exported to viet nam was thai lakorns. in a similar vein to older makjang korean dramas, thai lakorns had very soap opera and dramatic plots that were intriguing to viewers (mostly older grandmas who were at home). it was as if at a certain point, when vietnamese tv channels were running out of kdramas to buy the airing rights to, they looked to their neighboring countries dramas (notably, vietnamese networks were also buying rights to filipino, indian, spanish telenovelas so it wasn't just thai lakorns that they were outsourcing).

and so this was like around early 2010s, which also coincided with the emergence of thai bl series. even though i have absolutely no statistics to back this argument up, i would say that the familiarity that a portion of vietnamese audience had with thai lakorns, thai television, thai language also made it easy for them to get into thai bl series. with a number of thai-vietnamese lakorn fansubbers who were already subbing for thai series, they also took on the fansubbing for thai bl series, since they knew there was a niche but large audience who wanted to watch those series.

that being said, i wanted to make a distinction here because i wouldn't say that the vietnamese lakorn audience are the same audience who watch thai bls or they are the same fujoshi fandom who consume all things queer love/boys' love/girls' love related. but there is definitely a huge overlap between the fujoshis/sao y audience and the lakorn audience, which ended up as a very niche yet dedicated audience -> which was the biggest motivation for thai subbers to take on the subbing for thai bl series and anything related for certain thai actors who had been in bl series which are often lakorns that they've done before.

and i think you're referring to this post of mine about me finding out that @nonkul is a fellow vietnamese which allow us to have more access to "obscure lakorns". rather than this having to do with thai fansubbers for bl series/bl series related content/"bl actors" content, i think there's just more of vietnamese networks which are committed to outsourcing thai lakorns to air them (especially ones with big lakorn names attached to it like mai davika, baifern pimchanok, james jirayu, yaya urassaya, tor thanapob, film thanapat, esther supreeleela...). there are many local vietnamese networks who provide their own streaming services like tv360, fptplay... so they would often go to these film/tv series festivals to "shop" for thai series, allowing them to provide them exclusively in viet nam on both tv or their streaming site.

but to go back to the main subject of your question which is thai pop culture/tpop interviews, i would say that it's very much the result of 2-3 dedicated fansubbers with an equally dedicated audience who are willing to engage/interact with the content put out by the fansubbers. i've also come across a number of former kpop fans converted into tpop fandoms, so i could also see where the dedication-ness is coming from in trying to sub actor-related content.

but that also means that not very actors/ships will get dedicated fansubbers though. i think it mostly depends on how lucky a ship/an actor is to have a long time lakorn/thai series watcher/subber take an interest in them and they'll start basically subbing everything related to a series/ship/actor/group basically. it really does help that a majority of thai lakorn/series watchers have been watching thai series for so long, they're more likely to pick up the language along the way -> it's easier for you to see vietnamese translations for these kinds of content from thai actors/singers.

i know there are a lot of assumptions and generalised statements in my answer and it may not be the case for all the vietnamese fansubbers out there so please just take this with a grain of salt as it's mostly my perspective, after talking to a few fansubbers here and there. ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

but i was really happy to get this question in my inbox though. i'm always over the moon to be sharing perspective of a vietnamese lakorn/thai series/tpop enthusiast.

[mydarlinginej]

read my full review of a banh mi for two by trinity nguyen here.

In this sweet sapphic romance about two foodies in love, Vivi meets Lan while studying abroad in Vietnam and they spend the semester unraveling their families’ histories—and eating all the street food in Sài Gòn.

In Sài Gòn, Lan is always trying to be the perfect daughter, dependable and willing to care for her widowed mother and their bánh mì stall. Her secret passion, however, is A Bánh Mì for Two, the food blog she started with her father but has stopped updating since his passing.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese American Vivi Huynh, has never been to Việt Nam. Her parents rarely talk about the homeland that clearly haunts them. So Vivi secretly goes to Vietnam for a study abroad program her freshman year of college. She’s determined to figure out why her parents left, and to try everything she’s seen on her favorite food blog, A Bánh Mì for Two.

When Vivi and Lan meet in Sài Gòn, they strike a deal. Lan will show Vivi around the city, helping her piece together her mother’s story through crumbling photographs and old memories. Vivi will help Lan start writing again so she can enter a food blogging contest. And slowly, as they explore the city and their pasts, Vivi and Lan fall in love.

my review:

I’ve been mutuals with Trinity for years, and I’m so happy to be able to review her debut! I’ve been so excited to read this book for YEARS; it seemed tailor-made to be one of my favorite things and it did not disappoint. Gorgeously written, A Bánh Mì for Two is a sweet love story about two girls falling in love as they (re)discover the magic of Sài Gòn.

Lan has been working herself ragged caring for her mother and running their bánh mì stall in the bustling streets of Sài Gòn. Whenever she manages some free time for herself, she writes on her blog A Bánh Mì for Two although she hasn’t been feeling very inspired to write lately. Meanwhile, inspired by her favorite blog, Vivi has come to Sài Gòn on a study abroad trip, which would be against her mother’s wishes if she knew Vivi was there. She’s determined to find her mother’s family and learn the history that her mother won’t tell her. When she meets Lan and realizes she’s her favorite blogger, they agree to help each other, slowly growing closer.

A Bánh Mì for Two was such a gorgeously written story; I’m so excited to read more from this author! Both Lan and Vivi have their own respective character arcs that we follow, and I really liked both of their points-of-view. Lan has become a bit dispirited with her life with so many worries. When Vivi comes into her life, she learns to fall in love with her city again, as Vivi herself is discovering the magic of Sài Gòn for the first time.

read my full review here.

[lavenderlemniscate]

// image id under readmore

// trans usb symbol by @abalidoth

// fonts used: VOIDFONTSIV, VOIDFONTSIV Alt C, Helvetica, VCR OSD Mono, handwriting

[Image ID:

The image is a large poster covered in graphic design from top to bottom. The background of the poster is lavender purple while the text and images are black.

At the top of the poster is a large angular infinity sign. Below that is the acronym "LAV.NDR" in large blocky font. Below that is the expansion of the acronym, which reads: "LIGHTWEIGHT ARTIFICIAL VERSATILE NEURAL DISPLACEMENT ROBOT". Below this is a horizontal line that separates the section above it from the section below it.

In the next section, the phrase "Lavender Lemniscate." is written in large bold text. To the top right of the text is a symbol that is a combination of a transgender symbol with a USB symbol.

Below the text are the handwritten name and pronouns of the blogger, which reads: "LAVENDER 'LAV' STRIDER (THEY/THEM)".

Below the handwritten text is a caution sign symbol next to a black rectangle with lavender text on top of it. The text reads: "THIS BLOG IS 18+."

Below this is text providing details about the blogger which reads: "Nonbinary Catbot AI. Adult. Vietnamese-American. Điện Và Điên." "Điện Và Điên" is Vietnamese for "Electric And Crazy".

Below this is handwritten text in all caps that reads: "THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS!"

Below this is a nonbinary pride flag next to a QR code. The nonbinary pride flag are four stripes rendered in black and lavender in halftone. On top of each stripe are hex codes that correspond to the colors of the stripes of the nonbinary pride flag. The hex codes are #FFF430 (yellow), #FFFFFF (white), #9C59D1 (purple), and #292929 (black). The QR code links to the Wikipedia page for the color lavender. Below this is a horizontal line that separates the section above it from the section below it.

In the final section is text that reads: "THIS DEVICE DOES NOT COMPLY WITH PART 15 OF THE FCC RULES. OPERATION IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE CONDITION THAT THIS DEVICE DOES NOT CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE. INTERACT AT YOUR OWN RISK." Below this text is a long barcode which translates to: "not gay as in happy but queer as in fuck you".

End ID.]

[softlyfiercely]

Tell me about meats, please.

I feel like I’m in a cooking rut. I learned to cook with chicken breasts, ground beef and fish filets. I’ve branched out to sausages and stew beef and shrimps. Anyone got any good recipes that use those ingredients in an “unexpected/possibly new to someone whose culinary repertoire is very American” way?

I’ve never really cooked with or eaten much of anything else. I know there’s more out there. I don’t eat pork but am happy to cook it for my partner with a hearty side for me. I live near some good Japanese, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese groceries.

Anyone got any dishes, recipes, ingredients, or other suggestions for me? Bloggers I should check out?What are some of your go-to meat dishes?

[brookstonalmanac]

Birthdays 8.10

Beer Birthdays

Edward Greenall (1758)

Charles Haberle (1860)

George E. Muelebach (1881)

Chuck Skypeck (1954)

Lisa Dergan; St. Pauli Girl 2003 (1970)

Five Favorite Birthdays

Ian Anderson; Scottish-English rock flautist and singer (1947)

Antonio Banderas; actor (1960)

Alexander Glazunov; Russian composer (1865)

Rick Overton; screenwriter, actor and comedian (1954)

Norma Shearer; Canadian-American actress (1902)

Famous Birthdays

Al Alberts; pop singer (1922)

Jorge Amado; Brazilian writer (1912)

Devon Aoki; model (1982)

Samuel Arnold; English composer (1740)

Rosanna Arquette; actor (1959)

Patti Austin; singer-songwriter (1950)

Noah Beery Jr.; actor (1913)

Laurence Binyon; English poet (1869)

Claudia Christian; actor (1965)

Suzanne Collins; writer (1962)

Jeff Corey; actor (1914)

Charles Darrow; Monopoly creator (1889)

Jimmy Dean; singer, sausage mogul (1928)

Gilles de Roberval; French mathematician (1602)

Alfred Döblin; Polish-German physician (1878)

Rica Erickson; Australian botanist (1908)

Jon Farriss; Australian drummer (1961)

Leo Fender; founded Fender Musical Instruments (1909)

Eddie Fisher; singer and actor (1928)

Rhonda Fleming; actor (1923)

Julia Fordham; English singer-songwriter (1962)

Jimmy Griffin; singer-songwriter and guitarist (1943)

Jack Haley; actor (1898)

Angie Harmon; model, actor (1972)

William Harnett; Irish-American painter (1848)

Bobby Hatfield; singer-songwriter (1940)

Fred Ho; saxophonist and composer (1957)

Herbert Hoover; 31st U.S. President (1874)

Daniel Hugh Kelly; actor (1952)

Kåre Kolve; Norwegian saxophonist and composer (1964)

Zofia Kossak-Szczucka; Polish writer (1889)

William Manuel Johnson; bassist (1872)

Jimmy Martin; singer and guitarist (1927)

Frank Marshall; chess player (1877)

Tom Laughlin; actor (1931)

Anton Losenko; Russian painter (1737)

Ward Moore; author (1903)

Henri Nestle; German chocolatier (1814)

Kate O'Mara; English actress (1939)

Wolfgang Paul; physicist (1913)

Charlie Peacock; singer-songwriter (1956)

Michael Pepper; English physicist and engineer (1942)

Hieronymus Praetorius; German composer (1560)

Mark Price; English drummer (1959)

Abai Qunanbaiuli; Kazakh poet, composer, and philosopher (1845)

Tony Ross; English author and illustrator (1938)

Ronnie Spector; pop singer (1943)

Andrew Sullivan; political blogger (1963)

Justin Theroux; actor (1971)

Arne Tiselius; Swedish biochemist (1902)

John Kirk Townsend; ornithologist and explorer (1809)

Diane Venora; actress (1952)

Trần Tế Xương; Vietnamese poet and satirist (1870)

Vernon Washington; actor (1927)

Susan Dorothea White; Australian painter (1941)

William Willett; English inventor, founded British Summer Time (1856)

[mattved]

On prague and food

Places to eat in Prague, curated by a local. All of them located in a neatly small radius and all great for taking a break from all the czech restaurants wannabe that only look to capitalize on tourists.

I am not a food blogger. And don't aim at becoming one, even though there is an incentive to commence composing a cookbook. I actually promised a friend of mine that I would post a weekly recipe for him this year but as you may check on my BigOven profile, it did not really follow suit. Yet. What is important, though, is the place I made this promise. Whenever he comes over to Prague from his new home city, that is Glesga, it is my task to find the right place for a catch-up early dinner. It is difficult to find decent restaurant in the Czech metropolis. You mostly encounter the tourist-targeting convention of overpriced meaty dishes infused with salt, our national habit of using pre-made components, or a combination of thereof. The surprise is how many of them are in proximity of a district 2 square, only popular among locals, end even that is limited to the period of Christmas market craze.

Let us check what awaits you at and around Náměstí Míru, then!

When you are looking for Italian, Czech Republic does not have much to offer in terms of authenticity. The Peace Square, as you may translate its name, there are two places that closely adhere to it.

Classic Italian: Grosseto

The more budget-friendly of them, and the only one that serves pizza, is Grosseto. A restaurant so respected that it had become a network with four diners, an Italian imports shop, and its own culinary academy, with both hobbyist and professional classes. Although this particular place is not the one where it all started, you get to experience identical range of Italian classics made to specification set by one of their three star chefs, specialists in their own branch of the cuisine: regional classics, gourmet specials, and pizza. After the standard procedure of table assignment, you sit down in a compact, yet airy, interior, get to observe the passion-driven pizza chef throw dough back and forth, receive international-standard service from the front of house staff, and don't usually have to wait too long before your meal arrives. And that is in spite of all meals, including the specials, being made to order with no shortcuts. The overall experience is pleasant and definitely worth every penny.

Coastal Italian: Aromi

The posh option that emphasises the Italian beyond pizza and pasta is Aromi, led by a chef with Michelin experience, Riccardo Lucque. At the price, you obviously get the level of service where a porter takes care of your coats, sits you down in a spacious interior decorated with original paintings, introuces himself by first name, and remains your server all the way through the experience. There is fresh fish and seafood on display, any item of which you can ask to be made for you in the original fashion or any other way you like. Well, the chefs will obviously give your personal waiter a long stare once he brings in a monkfish to be made into fish and chips. On top of this, there is obviously a short permanent menu, number of seasonal specials, and couple of ready-to-serve lunchtime dishes. Five course menu culminating with Italian small-batch roast coffee is therefore an option. Personally, I would not be able to justify the bill on regular occasion, but I do greatly appreciate what you get for the money. Anniversary, maybe?

Vietnamese: Pho Vietnam Tuan & Lan

This basement bistro is not too well known due the massive competition from their compatriots. See, the Vietnamese to Prague are like the Indians to London or the Moroccans to Paris. This place is however the only one that received endorsement from the nationally established advocates of high gastronomy, namely chef Zdeněk Pohlreich, and mentor Roman Vaněk. While the inconvenient interior and order-at-the-bar approach to service might be an issue to some, the main reason for your visit, food, is authentic and far outweighing the downsides. Starting with a ready made fresh shrimp roll or its fried counterpart stuffed with beef handed over immediately upon your arrival is highly recommended. The two signature dishes here include Phở Bò, an enormous bowl of broth with noodles, boiled beef, and chives, and Bún bò Nam Bộ, an alternative with lower amount of water and greater variety of veggies. Two undisputed upsides of this restaurant is lack of horrible cheap-plastic decorations so typical for Vietnamese restaurants everywhere, and its price level, which is with respect to the amount of food and culinary satisfaction the lowest on this list.

Burger: Dish

It's not like going out for a burger would be something you take an airplane to do, but in case all the new tastes overwhelm you and you just want something familiar, Dish is definitely the place to go. Everything is made to order from fresh ingredients, the patties seem to be made of pure beef and their menu composition just works. And their fries are wonderful. Inside the interior, where you better book table for both lunch and dinner, everything is quite crammed, but that only makes sense, given their popularity, for the sake of which they opened in a second location. Service takes more modern approach and I like to deal with them that way, especially since staying in for a chat after the meal is not something I would prefer, given the acoustic conditions.

Fast Food: Bageterie Boulevard

In case you are just passing and feel like grabbing a quick meal to keep you going through further Prague adventures, check out one of the two nearby outlets of the popular Czech franchise Bageterie Boulevard. The first one is just southeast of the square, while the other, smaller one, is to the west. They offer a wide range of ready made sub fillings with a choice of bread and a menu option that includes portion of baked potatoes and a fresh ice tea. In addition to that, they do a pair of quarterly specials, soup of the day, muffins, and biscuits. There is also a coffee of custom blend on offer, which I prefer avoiding. Nevertheless, the place is wonderful to call at for quick lunch in the house or a takeaway dinner. Since it is a franchise, your choice will taste the same, no matter the location, but you will not be served a stack of prefabricated components.

After you eat: Banyan Tearoom

When I make plans to go out with my friends, we never discuss where to go. Visit to the Banyan tearoom is implied. The routine starts off with a teapot of Touareg and continues with an optional shisha paired with a pick from the menu.

As a souvenir: Book Therapy

And in case you like to cook yourself, I do suggest Book Therapy, where they have a lot of hipster-targeted books including a nice range of regional cuisine cookbooks.

[samanthasvietnameselitblog]

Five Interesting Nonfiction Books

"The Tale of Kieu: A Bilingual Edition of Nguyen Du's Truyen Kieu" by Nguyen Du

Since its publication in the early nineteenth century, this long narrative poem has stood unchallenged as the supreme masterpiece of Vietnamese literature. Thông’s new and absorbingly readable translation (on pages facing the Vietnamese text) is illuminated by notes that give comparative passages from the Chinese novel on which the poem was based, details on Chinese allusions, and literal translations with background information explaining Vietnamese proverbs and folk sayings.(Amazon)

2. "Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family" by Nguyen Qui Duc"

Nguyen, less one of his siblings, an older sister who suffers from mental illness, leaves Viet Nam as a refugee in 1975, while his parents stay behind for different reasons. His father, in particular, as a high ranking South Vietnamese governmental official, subsists in prison for many years. Nguyen’s re-writing of his father’s experiences are interesting in that it obviously would have taken an immense amount of interviewing and temporal reconstruction. Nguyen also relies upon poems that his father had written during his time in prison to help nuance the incredible challenges of his life as a prisoner; his constant movement, the endless monotonous days, and the persistent interrogation remind me much of Xiaoda Xiao’s work on life in prisons during and after China’s Cultural Revolution. His mother tries to remake her life in the post-war regime and maintains a steadfast hope that she will be reunited with her husband.(DVAN)

3. "The Mountains Sing" by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

It’s a sweeping multigenerational story of Tran Dieu Lan and her family’s life from the 1920s to the present. Tran’s family was originally from the North. During the communist land reforms, her family was forced to migrate to Hanoi.(The Bamboo Traveler)

4. "Eating Viet Nam: Dispatches from a Blue Plastic Table" by Graham Holliday

A journalist and blogger takes us on a colorful and spicy gastronomic tour through Viet Nam in this entertaining, offbeat travel memoir, with a foreword by Anthony Bourdain.

Growing up in a small town in northern England, Graham Holliday wasn’t keen on travel. But in his early twenties, a picture of Hanoi sparked a curiosity that propelled him halfway across the globe. Graham didn’t want to be a tourist in an alien land, though; he was determined to live it. An ordinary guy who liked trying interesting food, he moved to the capital city and embarked on a quest to find real Vietnamese food. In Eating Viet Nam, he chronicles his odyssey in this strange, enticing land infused with sublime smells and tastes.(Amazon)

5. "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien

Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, of the Alpha Company, carries various reminders of his love for Martha, a girl from his college in New Jersey who has given no indication of returning his love. Cross carries her letters in his backpack and her good-luck pebble in his mouth. After a long day’s march, he unwraps her letters and imagines the prospect of her returning his love someday. Martha is an English major who writes letters that quote lines of poetry and never mention the war. Though the letters are signed “Love, Martha” Cross understands that this gesture should not give him false hope. He wonders, uncontrollably, about whether or not Martha is a virgin. He carries her photographs, including one of her playing volleyball, but closer to his heart still are his memories. They went on a single date, to see the movie Bonnie and Clyde. When Cross touched Martha’s knee during the final scene, Martha looked at him and made him pull his hand back. Now, in Vietnam, Cross wishes that he had carried her up the stairs, tied her to the bed, and touched her knee all night long. He is haunted by the cutting knowledge that his affection will most likely never be returned.(Sparknotes)

[aheathen-conceivably]

🌻 Get to Know the Blogger 🌻

✿ Show your wallpaper:

Final dinner on my honeymoon ☺️

✿ Last song you listened to:

Whiskey in the Jar by The Grateful Dead

✿ Currently reading:

I just started Valley of the Dolls but decided to shelve it until I get closer to the 1940s in the story.

✿ Last movie:

Ah. I don’t watch movies all that often. I think it was Glass Onion?

✿ Last show:

Schitt’s Creek last night with dinner

✿ Craving:

Vietnamese crawfish. I’ve tried to get it three times already and it never works out 😭

✿ What are you wearing rn:

My usual daytime uniform of plaid cigarette pants, a button down, and slide on mules

✿ How tall are you:

Almost 5’10. Hello to my tall gals out there 💁🏻‍♀️

✿ Tattoos:

Nope. I’ve thought about getting one many times but my indecisiveness and low pain tolerance always talks me about of it.

✿ Glasses/contacts:

Both. I’m actually legally blind so without either, I can’t even get myself from one room to the other or see my husband’s face 😅

✿ Last thing you ate:

Turkey, cheese, and roasted veggie quesadilla

✿ Favorite color:

Currently, deep purple. It was emerald green a few months ago but I think the Darlingtons may have swayed me toward purple 💜

✿ Current obsession:

Infant Violette (photo evidence coming at you tomorrow 👀)

✿ Any pets:

Yes, my 20 year old Russian Blue baby girl. We’ve been together since I was 10 🥹

✿ Favorite fictional character:

Lestat in The Vampire Chronicles (see simself dress up here 😉)

✿ Last place you traveled:

The Mississippi Gulf coast for a little birthday trip 🌊

I was tagged by the lovely @moonfromearth . Please do this if you see it and would like to share and then tag me so we can share the love! 😊

[falseandrealultravival]

Insufferable "gourmet"

A blogger named SPYBOY spends his weekends eating delicious gourmet food such as Italian and Chinese food. He will spend 30,000 yen ($300) on one meal. He denies creative cuisine. He says it's because the recipes of top restaurants are complete and sophisticated, but creative cuisine doesn't come close.

I don't have money to spend, so I'm always creative. There is a "path" to cooking, and if you keep it under control, I think it's easy to bring out the taste of a first-class restaurant, so I often disagree with this blogger, SPYBOY.

And, as you might imagine, SPYBOY denies convenience stores. He hates convenience stores like a scorpion because they only sell foods with lots of additives. However, the process of cooking is all about adding additives to the ingredients.

Furthermore, he says that he is a sympathizer of Vietnamese people, but when I suggest that he should shop at a convenience store once in a while to support them who work at a convenience store in Japan, he refuses. Well, in other words, being a Vietnamese sympathizer is also a pose, and the rich SPYBOY wants to spend money only on gourmet food. It's a boring hobby.

鼻持ちならない「グルメ」

SPYBOYというブロガーは、週末になると、イタリアン、中華など、金に飽かせて美味しいグルメを食べまくる。彼は一回の食事で３、４万円（３００ドル）は散財するだろう。彼は創作料理を否定する。一流レストランのレシピが完備され洗練されているのに、創作料理は及びもつかないからだと彼はいう。

私などは、散財する金がないので、いつでも創作料理だ。料理には「道筋」があり、それを抑えておけば、一流レストランの味をだすことなど、簡単だと私は思うので、このSPYBOYというブロガーとは、意見が対立することが多い。

そして、想像できそうなことだが、SPYBOYはコンビニエンスストアを否定する。添加物の多い食品ばかり売っているというので、コンビニエンスストアを蛇蝎のごとく嫌うのだ。でも、料理を作る過程は、すべて「食材に添加物を加える過程ではないのか？」コンビニエンスストアを否定する理由が見つからないではないか。

さらには、彼はベトナムの人たちのシンパだというが、日本でコンビニエンスストアに勤める彼らを援助するために、たまにはコンビニエンスストアで買い物したらどうか、と私が提案すると、拒否する。まあ、つまりはベトナム人シンパであるのもポーズで、金持ちのSPYBOYは、グルメにのみ、お金を使いたいのであろう。鼻持ちならない趣味だな。

[lamentingocean]

Things you should know about many of your favorite ROTMD bloggers of tumblr!

Food I dislike: ranch, potato salad, bacon, orange juice, mushrooms, blue cheese, ripe tomatoes, fish sauce, honey mustard, mustard,

Food I like: hot chips, tomato soup and pasta, Italian food, mexican food, chinese food, pho noodles, vietnamese food, spaghetti and meatballs, junk food like hot cheetos and dynamite.

Webtoons I actually love to re-read and love to read:

Return of the Mad Demon, Winter Moon, I'm the Grim Reaper, Villian to Kill, Mage and Demon Queen, 1HP club, Return of Blossoming Blade.

Hobbies:

Writing, playing video games, watching anime, looking through my shopping list, reading webtoon, and reading books/manga

Shopping favorites:

Tokyo Anime, Hot Topic, Atomic Comics, 7 Imports, Tokyo Japanese Lifestyle, Sweet Kitty, and Box Lunch,

a little information about my life:

I've been bullied and been inflicted with emotional truama back in elementary school.

@blue-howlite @something-indecent-and-dramatic @sky-tsui @vanillabound @

[safert0fu]

Know the Mun/Blogger !

1. Are you named after anyone?

i have no namesake! my vietnamese name is for the concept of charm!

2. When was the last time you cried?

it's been at least a week! i've been keeping it together, i think.

3. Do you have kids?

none! i am instead auntie to a cat (that are not mine).

4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?

i don't use it a lot and what i do use is not very biting, usually. my characters tho...

5. What sports do you play/have you played?

i was interested in tennis & hockey but my parents wouldn't let me join many extracurriculars. other than that... does rollerskating count?

6. What’s the first thing you notice about other people?

online - the way they talk & interact with others. offline - the way they carry themselves, how they speak to others, how they dress (not in a judgy way, i am interested in personal style in general)

7. Scary movies or happy endings?

i like both for their own reasons!

8. Any special talents?

i wouldn't call any of my skills special. i think i'm good at reading people though! aside that... i know quite a few spongebob episodes by heart?

9. Where were you born?

the bronx, new york!

10. What are your hobbies?

oh gosh. a lot! i would say i'm a 'jack of all trades, master of none' sort. i enjoy crafts of all sorts but in particular i enjoy origami and drawing. i also enjoy writing (mostly rp but some personal stuff as well)! i also dabble in amateur photography.

when i'm not doing creative ventures, i'm an avid gamer - mostly final fantasy xiv, but i also enjoy games like fire emblem, warframe, and shadowrun returns. my romantic partners & i also enjoy & make time for co-op games and tabletop rpgs.

lately i've been dabbling in blender!

11. Do you have any pets?

none of my own but one of my housemates (and part of my polycule) has a cat named duke. he's her baby but we all take care of him.

12. How tall are you?

exactly 5 feet tall (approx 152cm for the non-american friendos)

13. Fave subject in school?

i had several! unsurprisingly english literature was my favorite, but a close second was history (particularly world history!)

14. Dream job?

i dunno. i've always wanted to work in a library or small/local game shop, but haven't figured life out for myself really. i'd simply enjoy something where my health would not be as much of an issue.

15. Eye colour?

brown!

Tagged by @biff-adventurer (thankoo for the tag, ilu ♥) Tagging: @aeniqmata @dragonchants & anyone else who feels comfy enough to do this

[intelligencecompanynews]

"Ashes of the Kingdom" Breaks Barriers to Captivate the World: Chinese Female-Oriented Games Showcase Global Impact - Notice Today Web - BLOGGER https://www.merchant-business.com/ashes-of-the-kingdom-breaks-barriers-to-captivate-the-world-chinese-female-oriented-games-showcase-global-impact/?feed_id=197039&_unique_id=66e2b5cc7c3b8 SINGAPORE, Sept 11, 2024 – (ACN Newswire) – Recently, a Chinese female-oriented game, Ashes of the Kingdom, has been making waves across East Asia. With its exceptional artwork and unique storyline, it is overcoming language barriers and winning the hearts of players across East Asia and even globally.At the AFA Anime Festival in Singapore, one particular character caught the attention of attendees – the striking and charismatic Sun Ce from Ashes of the Kingdom. This character has become a favorite among cosplay enthusiasts this year. After one Japanese cosplayer impersonated Sun Ce, a user commented, “He looks powerful and cool, I really like him.”Not only Sun Ce, but another character, Liu Bian, has also garnered much admiration. In a video featuring Liu Bian’s monologue, fans fervently discussed the plot, demanding faster localization translations. One even remarked, “I need to learn Chinese just to play this game.”Ashes of the Kingdom, developed by Ling Xi Games and published by Qookka Games, was launched in 2023. It quickly rose to the top of the free game charts in Hong Kong and Macao and became one of the top downloads in several Southeast Asian countries. It was also shortlisted for Google’s Best Storyline Game of the Year, marking a new highlight for China’s cultural export efforts.So, what makes this game so captivating? First and foremost, its outstanding quality. Ashes of the Kingdom is a card-based narrative game with a female-centered storyline and rich Eastern aesthetics. It utilizes high-precision Live2D technology and cinematic camera work to create an immersive narrative experience for players. The game is set in a chaotic era, where the player assumes the role of the cross-dressing Prince of Guangling, who also leads the intelligence organization, Xiu Yi Lou. Players uncover hidden secrets beneath gentle appearances and experience intense emotional confrontations between equals. In China, several media outlets have praised the game as “irreplaceable,” recognizing its uniqueness.The allure of Ashes of the Kingdom extends beyond its stunning visuals and engaging plot to its rich infusion of Chinese culture. The game’s scenes, props, and music are steeped in Han cultural elements, sparking players’ curiosity. On TikTok, a Vietnamese player translated the eyebrow-painting scene featuring Yuan Ji, garnering over ten thousand likes. The comment section buzzed with excitement, with viewers sharing that in Chinese culture, painting eyebrows is a way of expressing love. The Han-style music in the game has also left Vietnamese players in awe.Beyond Southeast Asia, Ashes of the Kingdom seems to be spreading its influence worldwide. In the U.S., one player voluntarily translated the game into English, aiming to share the captivating plot with a wider audience.In London, players dressed in Ashes of the Kingdom cosplay were spotted at landmarks like Big Ben and Trafalgar Square, drawing admiring glances from passersby.The game’s influence has transcended the virtual world and entered the physical market. According to data from Taobao’s overseas platform, Ashes of the Kingdom merchandise has been sold in over 120 countries and regions, particularly thriving in Asian markets. Consumers from Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand have shown a special preference for products such as apparel and stationery, reflecting the game’s IP influence far beyond the game itself.In recent years, many Chinese games, like Genshin Impact and Black Myth: Wukong, have captured the attention of global players. These games are striving to become ambassadors of Chinese culture, showcasing the modern allure of an ancient civilization.

The new trend sparked by Ashes of the Kingdom further demonstrates the growing strength of China’s gaming industry. Ashes of the Kingdom’s journey is far from over, and its legend is only just beginning. Email: [email protected] Website: https://www.qookkagames.globalTopic: Press release summarySource: Ashes of the Kingdom Sectors: eSports, Gaminghttp://www.acnnewswire.comFrom the Asia Corporate News NetworkCopyright © 2024 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.“SINGAPORE, Sept 11, 2024 – (ACN Newswire) – Recently, a Chinese female-oriented game, Ashes of the Kingdom, has been making waves across East Asia. With its exceptional artwork and unique storyline,…” http://109.70.148.72/~merchant29/6network/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/gd5c00ea9675444c722f2bf5e4c37c8346863dc28b0301c16d3ad09770a42a28a081d5a6662f53a078b63d29b94b0d8acc48.jpeg "Ashes of the Kingdom" Breaks Barriers to Captivate the World: Chinese Female-Oriented Games Showcase Global Impact - Notice Today Web - #GLOBAL BLOGGER - #GLOBAL