Ann Mah's newsletter / July 2021
July 2021 newsletter
Hello, again!
Guess what? I finished my new novel! The past two months have been a blur of around-the-clock work and I'm delighted to report that I finally typed the long awaited words "The End" at 5:09pm on a Sunday. The manuscript is with my editor now, and has lots more editing and proofreading ahead of it, but I can't wait for you to read it. You, dear loyal newsletter subscribers, will be the first to know all the news – publication date, cover reveal, early giveaways and more, so stay tuned!
A lot has happened since my last newsletter two months ago. Vietnam has been swept by another Covid outbreak and restaurants, schools, and cafés closed for about six weeks. Here in Hanoi, restaurants just reopened a few days ago, although we are finishing the school year online. The vaccination program is still uncertain, as are plans for a real return to normalcy. Until then, it remains difficult to leave and enter the country.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–Bun cha is a classic dish of Hanoi, and I enjoyed this little lunch on the last day before the restaurants shut. This is what Barack Obama and Anthony Bourdain were eating in their iconic photo.
–We made the New York Times's shortbread brownies and they are delicious! Chocolaty, fudgy, buttery and crumbly. Trust me, you cannot go wrong.
–Ever since we arrived in southeast Asia I have been waiting for mangosteen season. Finally it is here and it is glorious!
–I think I've posted about it before, but I am so enjoying Hetty McKinnon's new cookbook, To Asia, With Love, which is filled with simple, healthful, vegetarian twists on Asian cuisine. It's even livened up my boring breakfasts! (All hail the miso oats with scallions and sesame seeds!)
–We bought popsicle molds and they are so fun!
What I've been reading
– Can a middle-aged dad connect with his tween daughter by traveling to Seoul on a K-pop tour? (Afar magazine)
– When Beverly Cleary passed away in April at 104, I wrote about how our literary pilgrimage to Portland became a poignant reminder of pre-pandemic life. (New York Times)
–I discussed Beverly Cleary's Portland on the Frommer's podcast.
–A new baby book, R is for Rice, celebrates the shared Asian-American experience through food.
–Alexander Lobrano's debut memoir, My Place at the Table chronicles his career as a restaurant critic in Paris. On the surface it's all froth and foam, but at the center of this beautiful book lurk painful childhood memories that will break your heart.
–What are you reading this summer? Somehow I find myself reading Middlemarch.
See you soon!
A lot of people have been asking if I am going to France this summer. The short answer is no.
The long answer is that it is too difficult to travel anywhere from southeast Asia right now. Flights are limited and reentering Vietnam requires four weeks of quarantine. Plus, my daughter, age seven, isn't vaccinated. I can't believe I am missing another summer in my favorite place – sometimes it hurts to think about it. But like many of you, I am waiting and trying to be patient.
Thank you so much for reading – I'll be back again in August!
XO,
Ann
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