Pages of the Past

Diplomacy over Dinner

200 recettes de cuisine Vietnamienne (200 Recipes of Vietnamese Cuisine), written by Minh Kim in 1988, acts as a tool for gastrodiplomacy. Vietnam was a French colony in the late 19th century and the two nations’ relationship was antagonistic when Prime Minister Ho Chi Minh defeated imperial French forces in 1954. In 1973, the two countries established diplomatic relations. Kim, was born in Hanoi and later becoming a diplomat in France, wrote her book for a Parisian audience to promote friendship between France and Vietnam. Early chapters of the book have in-depth descriptions of ingredients, Vietnamese grocers, and Vietnamese restaurants in Paris. The American diplomat, Tara Sonenshine, shares Kim’s sentiment on the importance of gastrodiplomacy saying, “World leaders can share meals, but it won’t create lasting peace. That has to happen at the Citizen level.”

Colony and Colonizer become Comrades

Relations between France and Vietnam begin in the 16^th century, with Vietnam succumbing to French imperial rule in the 19^th century. Between 1945-1954, the two countries were actively at war over Vietnamese independence. In 1973, diplomatic relations between Vietnam and France began, and several international policy programs through the 70’s spurred immigration from Vietnam to France. The Vietnamese population in France grew from 50,000 after 1954 to 150,000 between 1975 and 1989, impacting the Sino-Vietnamese' culinary significance in Parisian culture, with many new immigrants opening Vietnamese and pan-Asian restaurants in their new home. Kim’s family was no exception to this practice. Minh made a connection via her family's Vietnamese restaurant that resonated with her publication’s Parisien audience in the late 1980s.

From the Outside Looking In

Gastrodiplomacy fosters relationship development between nations by sharing food culture. By choosing to promote Vietnamese culture through a cookbook, Kim engaged in gastrodiplomacy. In the 1980s, Sino-Vietnamese restaurants were common in Paris, and takeaway became part of the Parisian lifestyle. Kim’s book was a lens through which Parisians could see Vietnamese culture as more similar rather than different than their own.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

The Chapter “Le Autour” (The Author) takes the reader through Kim’s background with intimate details to highlight similarities with the Vietnamese population in France. When talking about herself and her home in the Hanoi region, relatively close to the Red River she shares the deep tradition of Vietnamese cuisine of learning to cook from one’s mother. Furthermore, Minh took the arts and food culture that Parisians loved, connected those values with Vietnamese culture. Historically, mother-daughter relationships are a significant dynamic for cooking to be passed on. The tradition involved in food is vital to both cultures and serve as a tool to remind both of their shared humanity.

Sources

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Blanc, Marie-Eve. (2005). Vietnamese in France. 10.1007/978-0-387-29904-4_118.

Chevallier, Jim. A History of the Food of Paris: From Roast Mammoth to Steak Frites. Lanham Rowman Et Littlefield, 2018, pp. 121–143.

Hoa, Q. “50 Years of Vietnam-France Relations: Strategic Partnership Thriving.” Vufo.org.vn, 12 Apr. 2023, vufo.org.vn/50-years-of-Vietnam-France-relations-Strategic-Partnership-thriving-10-49354.html?lang=en#:~:text=Vietnam%20and%20France%20established%20diplomatic. Accessed 12 Nov. 2023.

Kim, Minh. 200 Recettes de Cuisine Vietnamienne. Paris, France, Editions Jacques Grancher, 1988.

Klein, Jakob, et al. The Handbook of Food and Anthropology. London, Bloomsbury Academic, 2019.

Milestones: 1953–1960 - Office of the Historian. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1953-1960/dien-bien-phu. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.   

Morris, Michael F. “Invading North Vietnam.” U.S. Naval Institute, Naval History Magazine, 1 Oct. 2020, www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/october/invading-north-vietnam. Accessed 1 Nov. 2023.

Sonenshine, Tara, et al. “Culinary Diplomacy, Gastrodiplomacy, and Conflict Cuisine: Defining the Field.” Is the Kitchen the New Venue of Foreign Policy?: Ideas on Food as a Tool for Diplomacy, Building Peace and Cultural Awareness, Stimson Center, 2016, pp. 9–11. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep10919.6. Accessed 9 Nov. 2023.