Today we’d like to introduce you to Mimi Nguyen.
Mimi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Four years ago, I made a bold decision to move to Houston from San Diego, with minimal to no expectations of what this city could offer me. Today, it has proved me wrong. Houston is nothing short of the melting pot culture present in big cities like San Francisco and New York. I was greeted with diversity, from the people to the food. I strongly believe the strength and power of food bringing people together transcending any language barriers.
Growing up, my family is constantly cooking and hanging out in the kitchen. Food has always played a significant role in my life and it seems natural for me to venture down the road of wanting to share this love with others, leading to the creation of my Instagram account @eat.vietcariously. My Instagram handles pretty much sums up my ethnicity and eating obsession. I hope it will allow others to eat vicariously through my feed while I navigate through the city.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I think it’s normal to have struggles of some sort in everything we do. Initially, I simply just wanted to showcase all the delicious food around town and to serve as my own food diary. As my following grew, I started to feel the pressure of having to post daily and worrying about the content I was putting out there, which made it less enjoyable. I struggled with it for a while, especially when juggling a demanding full-time job. I often missed out food tastings and had to pick and choose which ones I could attend and fulfill the requirements. At one point, I realized I needed to be happy and it’s not about how much or what I’m doing with the account. Ultimately, my goal is to share my food adventures with others and help them experience new places or discover foods they haven’t tried.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a very tight-knit family and cooking was the center of it all. My parents and their siblings always gathered at our house on weekends to feast. Coming from a large family like ours have shaped me to be very sociable. I have a constant need for human connection and food is very much the gateway to satisfy this aspect. My family deserves credit for my passion to cook, especially Vietnamese food. I enjoy the process and the aromatic ingredients I get to cook with. Cooking is a great way to release stress for me and I get to feed my friends and family in the process, so it’s a win-win situation.
Contact Info:
- Email: mims.eatvietcariously@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eat.vietcariously/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eat.vietcariously
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=SRq4m02qAEK1C99LOgcKsA
Image Credit:
@eat.vietcariously
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