Week 7: A Heartbreaking Goodbye

Welcome back to another weekly blog post everyone!

After many attempts to stay in Vietnam, I inevitably had to get on the first plane out on Wednesday morning. As I sullenly walked into the airport, I could not help but smile because this trip was such a humbling experience and definitely one I will never forget. For the past two months, I have made countless of friends, seen the world through a different perspective, and got my first taste of adulthood. I am so grateful that I had this opportunity to visit my parent's hometown and my own heritage. I cannot even begin express how many wonderful interactions I had and meeting the energetic students who had a larger than life mindset made me remember why I loved going to school in the first place and why I am pursuing my ambitions of becoming a pharmacist - for the sake of helping others and being the small glimpse of light in our nonperfect world.

Today is my second day back into the United States and I already miss waking up to the sound of the motorbikes as people opened their shops and stores at 5am. I miss the convenience of having so many different food options within a 5 mile radius and the ability to roam around the city seeking a new adventure. As I am ushered back into the reality of same old Phoenix, I got to sit down a start my second book that will be used for literature to add more insight to my senior project.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a critique on the American way of eating and analyzing the simple question of "what should we eat?" With the presence of food preservation, organic foods, and the combination of multiple cultural influences, Pollan explores the dilemma of omnivores in America of what to consume when given a variety of food options.

One of the first arguments she emphasizes is how powerful diet books, scientific studies, and magazine articles are. With a mere claim of what is the new "superfood," this can catalyze a violent change in our culture's eating habits, leading to a national eating disorder. For example, instead of sticking to a diet that has been effective for so long, we as Americans are susceptible to food scientists who cease the opportunity to create food trends that can throw off the "dietary pendulum" with a mere article on new "nutritional wisdom."

In comparison to Vietnam, people stick to what they know best. For example, the recipe for pho has been passed on from generation to generation. This comfort food can be traced back to the French occupation and has persisted for centuries. Why? Because pho combines the rich essence of a beef broth with the complex layers of spices and herbs, in other words, it's healthy and tastes great! There's no need for food fads or mainstream obsessions for kale or quinoa.

Stay tuned as I continue to read Pollan's critique to compare the American way of eating with Vietnam's passion for eating only the most fresh and aromatic dishes to find the correlation of how both of the different society's youth preform in school. Eating habits are at the foundation of any child's development and a key factor to performance.

Thank you to those who have continuously kept up with my blog for the past two months! I have definitely felt the repercussions of traveling from east to west and have been under the weather this past week so I will be taking my "spring break" next week to rest up and get back into the swing of things. I will be back the following week to update everyone how many project is doing!

Best,
Crystal Vo

Views from Tan Son Nhat International Airport before my flight out to my first layover in Japan