Ann Mah's newsletter / April 2021
April 2021 newsletter
Hello
I like to keep things pretty chill here, but I feel compelled to mention how upset I've been by the anti-Asian attacks of the past weeks and months. I wrote about some of my experiences here but my story is just one of thousands. Along with the horror of the attacks, what I find most shocking are the bystanders caught on video who are doing nothing to help. Is it fear? Is it apathy?
Recently there have been essays written by authors I admire like Nicole Chung, R.O. Kwon, Jodie Chan. I recommend reading them. But if you are wondering how to help, there is one important thing you can do: Say something. If a friend or relative makes a racist comment or joke, call them on it. If you see someone being harassed, defuse the situation by engaging the victim in conversation about something innocuous like the weather or ice cream. If you see some being physically attacked, call 911. If you're afraid to physically intervene (and I would be!) scream from a distance. Stay near the injured victim. Ask them if they need help calling an ambulance. Offer to be a witness when they file a police report. Just, please, I beg you, don't do nothing.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–My soft-boiled eggs always turn into hard-boiled eggs but I finally found the perfect method. Add some marmite toast soldiers and you have one of my favorite comfort meals. (I was intrigued to learn that in Australia it's vegemite toast, and in South Africa it's bovril toast.)
–I can't wait for Dorie Greenspan's new cookbook, Baking with Dorie: Sweet Salty and Simple! I'm especially excited about the savory recipes, like foot-long cheese sticks made with pâte à choux – yes, please!
–I finally tried Hanoi's famous egg coffee, which is similar to zabaglione (but without the booze), a luscious airy heap of sweet, coffee-scented foam. This led me down a rabbit hole researching zabaglione, an Italian dessert traditionally made with Marsala wine. It's similar to a French sabayon sauce, which can be sweet or savory. This Food52 article describes the method and offers many variations.
–I'm so happy to have discovered this flaky yogurt-olive oil crust, which is a great butter-free pastry for everyday eating. You can use it for quiche (it blind bakes well) or a galette, or even the Minchilli torta rustica, which I've been making over and over again like a broken record.
–I'm not sure when my love of matzah started but I now think of it as a spring seasonal treat. Just in time for Passover, I made a batch of matzah crunch, topping it with sliced almonds and dried apricots. And I'm very intrigued by this matzah ball gumbo! And matzah pizza!
What I've been reading
–I was riveted by this New York magazine article on novelist Sara Gruen, author of Water for Elephants, and her six-year fight to free an incarcerated man, which left her broke and bizarrely ill.
–I'm honored to have Mastering the Art of French Eating included in this Fodor's list of travel memoirs to ignite wanderlust.
–My friend Allison Larkin has written a remarkable new book called The People We Keep. It comes out in August, but you can enter to win an advance copy on Goodreads right now! I love this book so much, I cried when I finished it.
–Speaking of books, I just finished The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai, an epic novel about Vietnam from the 1950s to the 1980s that describes the war from the Vietnamese perspective. Remarkable and harrowing.
–If you're interested in all the books I'm reading this year, I'm keeping a list at Bookshop.org.
–I've been enjoying the newsletter of my author friend, Eric Weiner, who wrote The Geography of Bliss, and most recently The Socrates Express. This month he has thoughts on the staycation and also shares some interesting trivia about the desks of famous writers. Check it out here and subscribe!
See you soon!
This month I'm planning more of the same (book writing, book writing, book writing) with a short trip to Phu Quoc for my daughter's spring break. Oh, also it's my birthday month, so I'll be making myself a cake. You know where to find me for the updates – Instagram!!! – so please join me there!
Thank you so much for reading – I'm grateful for your support.
XO,
Ann
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