Philadelphia mom Cat Nguyen pens book ‘The Very Asian Guide to Vietnamese Food’ to teach kids about Vietnamese food, traditions

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — If you’ve ever been to a Vietnamese restaurant and wondered ‘How do you pronounce that?’ or ‘What’s in that dish?’ – you’re not alone. Now thanks to a new children’s book written by a Philadelphia mom, we can all learn not just about Vietnamese food, but also about Vietnamese culture.

“I have been looking for a book like my book for like 15 years,” said Cat Nguyen.

Nguyen says the search began when her nephews were born, then continued with the birth of her daughters who are now five and seven.

“I wanted a book to introduce them to Vietnamese food, traditions,” she said.

But she couldn’t find anything in English, so the Philadelphia mom and attorney wrote her own book, called “The Very Asian Guide to Vietnamese Food”.

“The pronunciation guide for me is probably the crowning jewel, I’m really, really proud of it,” said Nguyen.

A QR code on the back of the book takes you to a video of Nguyen and her daughter pronouncing the words.

Her book is part of the “Very Asian Guide” series, which has books about Korean, Indian, and Filipino food.

The “Very Asian Guide to Vietnamese Food” is available at the Barnes & Noble in Center City. You can also buy it directly from the publisher, Gloo Books, which is run by an Asian American woman. The book is also available on Amazon.