I Heart Jeannie Mai

Ba Knows Best

// August 5th, 2009 // Family

My beautiful Ba Noi (grandmother) passed away yesterday. And I’m so happy because thank God she is now out of the pain she was in! My Ba Noi would totally be the type to get first dibs on everything in heaven because she was such a charming doll of a woman. I still remember picking her up from SF airport—she was so fragile and gorgeous. Have you ever met somebody who smiled with such a shy coy quality that everything they did was just enchanting? Ok, well besides Belle, Ariel, and Pocahontas. My bestest memory of her was when we’d sit together in the kitchen and she’d make me thit nhun (dipped meat). It was seriously my first experience of ever being served the Viet way of getting fed peeled grapes. She would hand slice, piece by piece fresh rare steak, paper thin onto a plate for me to pick up with my chopsticks, dip into boiling water to cook, then into nuoc mam with tons of garlic. And she’d just stand there…after every dip, to see if I wanted more. And the best, the best part…was watching her give me the best. If she sliced a piece that was even a hair too thick, she wouldn’t let me eat it and would slice another till it was just right. Then all those thick pieces? Saran wrapped em up for my grandfather’s lunch. Ha. Love you Ba Noi…say hi to Him up there for me