SLICE OF LIFE | Banh Mami

Banh Mami (pronouns: she/her) is a Vietnamese-American Twitch streamer with a huge love for food and story-driven games. Her chat is a fun and cozy place where you can hang out with others and have a snack while you’re at it. She enjoys a variety of games, but gravitates towards games that have a strong narrative and plenty of story-based elements, like Mass Effect and Baldur’s Gate 3.

Btw y’all, she loves food. Like…girl, same.

Viv: I am STOKED to talk to you Banh omg

I remember reading your comment and being so happy because

Any person who starts a comment with “Xin chào.” becomes the only person who matters

Banh: HAHAHAHA

Viv: I was like “SHE KNOWS”

And there were a lot of people who were vouching for you!

Banh: I know! I did see that. I feel so honored and lucky

Like I have really good friends that I met on Twitch, so it was just like….they all just

I didn’t know they could see it and they could vouch for me.

I know you got a lot of inquiries so I was thinking you must be overwhelmed

So when you reached out to me I was like “HOLY SHIT!” like I was freaking out and was like omg I don’t know what to say or what to do

So thank you for having me! I feel honored.

Viv: I mean the honor is mine. I’m thankful that you’re here giving me your time because I bet you’re busy LOL

But enough about that, let’s start chatting!

Banh: Yeah!

Viv: Let’s start with the thing you’re most known for, which is your streaming.

I’ve only managed to get in a few of your streams, but I really love it. 

Banh: Oh thank you!

Viv: The energy you bring is welcoming. Even if it’s just you eating a bowl of ramen and playing a game, I enjoy being in your chat and watching your streams LOL

Banh: LOL

That’s like 90% of the time HAHAHAHA

I’m like eating and being like “Oh what’s this game?” 😂

I just feel grateful that people want to spend their time here and be like “Yeah I’ll spend my time watching this Vietnamese girl stuff her face with food and play a cozy game or scary game” LOL

Viv: It kinda reminds me of those hangout sessions where you watch a friend play a game when you’re at their house or vice versa. That’s kinda how I feel watching your streams.

Or like when a little sister walks into her big sister’s room and she’s playing a game. The little sister doesn’t know what you’re playing, but she’s just watching you play because it looks cool.

Banh: EXACTLY! Or like you’re over at your cousin’s house or the cookout and you fix yourself a plate of everything, like the chả giò and all the stuff.

And then you’re all just playing N64 Mario Kart haha

That was my memory of video games growing up, because I wasn’t allowed a console. My bố mẹ (parents) were super strict about that, but the cousins always had the cool shit! 😭

So I just go over there and be like, “Yeah let’s fix up a bowl of phở and just play games.”

Viv: THAT WAS ME TOO!

All my cousins had the consoles, the Gameboys, the Gameboy Color, the Gamecube, all of them. So If I wanted to play a game, it’d have to be at their house or I just wouldn’t play at all

Banh: Yeah!

Viv: I didn’t get my first console until later, it was the PlayStation 2

But ONLY BECAUSE I got DDR for it (DDR Extreme and DDR Extreme 2)

Banh: OOOOH MY GOD

Viv: RIGHT??

Banh: I’M SO JEALOUS! HAHA

Viv: AND THE ONLY REASON I GOT IT was because my parents were like “well it’s exercise and you probably shouldn’t be sitting around all day playing games.”

So I was like “Okay that’s a good compromise, I guess.”

Banh: Yeah my parents weren’t really with it, or in tune with what was out or anything LOL

So I didn’t have games until I met my now-husband, who had all the games. He had all the consoles and I was just so invigorated and was like “OMG LET’S PLAY SKYRIM!!”

And I didn’t even know that something like Twitch existed until the pandemic started, and that’s how I started streaming.

Viv: Oh really?

Banh: Yeah! So that’s how I started playing online, and now it just grew into this thing, and I just got connected with a bunch of people and I feel like we wouldn’t have been connected without it

Because it was my friend who told me about this. I feel like Twitch has led me to places where I felt like, “Wow, I never expected to have such awesome creative opportunities.”

Viv: I feel the exact same way with social media, in general.

Like I know people right now aren’t happy with the way some social media platforms have been performing and the direction they’re going, but people can say the same thing about Twitch.

Like its moderation policies, their payment policies, etc

But there are moments like this where, if it wasn’t for a platform like Twitter, I wouldn’t be talking to you right now. Blood Citrus wouldn’t have gotten so much attention like it did if it wasn’t for Twitter giving me that platform and people sending the link to other people.

The shareability and ability to connect with other people is where I think social media shines the best. I totally agree with you in that like

You stumble on a site and you’re like, “I don’t know what this is, I’ll try it out” and then all of a sudden you meet all these amazing people and create a community who supports you…like that’s POWERFUL.

Banh: Yeah! I think, you know…Twitter and Twitch are kinda going down a dark hole right now.

But they’ve been good tools for us to connect, and that’s been awesome.

So I’m just like, “Okay yeah, this is great!” 

And now people I considered my Twitch friends, I’ve met in real life. 

And now they’re my FRIEND friends…like my BEST friends now. It’s so crazy to think about.

These people went to my WEDDING LOL

Viv: OH WHAT??? 

DAAAANG

Banh: YEAH people flew from FAR places to witness this.

Viv: It’s the strangest thing ever LOL

And even at conventions too, that’s where you get to meet these friends also

It’s one place where you all fly in together, you find a hotel room, you try to share it

It’s so crazy what the good side of the internet can do for people.

Banh: Yeah that’s the beauty of the internet, i think. With all its flaws and everything.

Viv: I agree, and building good communities is key.

On the topic of audiences and your community and streaming, you did mention that you are a variety streamer, so you play a variety of games.

I’ve found that when people say they play a variety of games, they do play different ones, but there are some games that they gravitate towards more than others. I’m wondering if you have a specific genre where, if someone in your community saw the game, they automatically think of you.

Banh: I feel like I’ve really explored my horizons once I started Twitch. At first, I was only into story-driven games. 

I was only into single-player campaign games—so games with really good story, really pretty graphics, etc. I was very much someone who’s not super skilled at games, you know.

I strayed away from FPS games and Apex and Overwatch because I was very much like…I feel very intimated playing against others online. But then all of a sudden I’m streaming Apex and streaming Overwatch and I have no idea how that happened, but now I understand why my husband was staying up until 5 in the morning playing FPS games…because I ended up doing it LOL

And I was like “Okay, maybe I’m not a story gamer…maybe I’m a variety streamer.” That just seems like something that I identified with more just because I was like

My ADHD brain is bouncing everywhere and exploring different games that I never got to play because I was deprived of all of this when I was younger.

I started delving into horror games as well, thinking that I’d be a horror game streamer, and until I like…met my limit, I played RE7 and played Visage and I was like, “NOPE! NOPE! That’s NOT me! That is NOT me!” LOL

Viv: HAHAHA

Banh: I had to have a twitch friend come in Discord and hold my hand through my whole playthrough of visage, that’s how bad it was.

So I was like “Okay you know, maybe horror’s not my specialty.” LOL

That’s kinda why variety really struck a chord with me, and also because I don’t just want to game on Twitch, I wanted to do cooking streams and eventually teach people how to make bánh xèo and also do little tiny desk concert streams, ‘cause I just want to sing more and have more opportunities to do more music stuff.

But i think what people gravitate towards is those things—the cooking streams and the singing streams. I think they really gravitate towards that because they’re like “Oh this isn’t just someone playing games!”

also, when it comes to games, what I’m noticing is that people love watching me play story games

I feel like that’s because that’s been my bread and butter. When I first started streaming, I streamed “The Last of Us,” which I’m lowkey obsessed with ‘cause I have a bunch of “The Last of Us” shit behind my desk LOL

So i think i’m pretty much a story-driven gamer, and then I’ll delve into FPS. I’ll delve into horror. I’ll delve into multiplayer, or cozy games as well. multiplayer and cozy games are the two things that people gravitate towards most.

But honestly I think people just want to gravitate towards me because I’m basically a mukbang streamer since I eat all the time LOL

Viv: HAHAHAHAHA

Banh: And they’re like “Yeah I’m gonna grab a snack too!” and then we’re all just mutually eating and snacking HAHAHA

Viv: I WOULD BE SO DOWN FOR THAT 

Cause that’s what I do when my friends take a break and grab a snack. I’m just like “Okay I’ll just grab a snack and eat with you.”

It’s like having lunch with someone, the experience is so simple but it’s nice to have that connection

Banh: Yeah!

Viv: Like if you made food and you’re talking about it, then suddenly your chat just starts talking about the food

It doesn’t even matter what game you’re playing at that point LOL

It’s you and the food they’re focusing on.

Banh: Yeah! They’re basically like “Oh what did Banh cook today?” or “What did Banh order today?”

Cause I always mention what I’m gonna eat when I promote the stream.

I’m just surprised that people gravitate towards me at all really hahaha

I’m like “Cool, if people want to lurk, I totally appreciate it. If people want to spend time and interact and they like what I'm doing, great!”

I think what I’ve noticed is I think they just come for the vibes, because I give off good vibes I guess LOL

Viv: I think you do give off good vibes, that’s exactly what I got going into your streams, I appreciate it.

Banh: Awww thank you!!

Viv: Yeah! Like I personally love those types of streams—someone who is just hanging out and eating in the background, like that’s what I want.

Banh: Yeah! I think my favorite thing is that sometimes I can go on rants and just ramble on about stuff. 

Like you just asked me a simple question and I feel like I just rambled about my journey LOL

Viv: HAHAHAHA

You’re good! I love listening to you talk and I know I’m gonna enjoy the transcription.

Banh: You’re gonna go back and be like “Man Banh is talking a lot” LOL

Viv: IT’S OKAY I LOVE HEARING YOU TALK

Sometimes when I hang out with friends, they’ll be actively talking and I’m there listening intently, which I’m cool with.

And then halfway through they’re like. “Oh am I talking too much? I’m so sorry.”

And I’m like “No no keep going. I’m still listening. I love listening to you talk.”

“If you want to talk about something for an hour, do it. We’re eating ramen right now. It’s fine.”

Banh: LOL

“We’re just eating ramen, we’re chilling”

Viv: YEAH

So when you say “variety streamer,” you don’t just mean a variety of games, you mean a variety of content on stream.

Banh: Yeah I mean like a variety of content, yeah. So things that I stream like music or cooking.

that’s why i think with my future, i kinda want to delve into long-form content. sometimes i use twitch as a home space for me to do and explore a bunch of things but maybe people don’t want to do that.

Like one time I did makeup and one time i did skincare and talked about skincare a bunch, but I don’t feel like a lot of people were like, “oh skincare’s so cool!”

I’ve like educated people on skincare a lot in the twitch space, but i’m like “maybe that’s a tiktok space or maybe that’s a youtube space”

YouTube is definitely something i’ve wanted to explore more of and i’ve wanted to put more long-form videos out, so yeah.

Viv: let me know if that happens, because I’ve been struggling with my skin for forever.

I would love to hear you talk about skincare for however long you want.

If you have all the tips, I will happily take them

Banh: Oh, I got you. I totally got you LOL

I’ve struggled for so long too, so I’m like…I finally found stuff that works for me

Viv: Yeah me too! My skincare has gone through so many changes. 

I’ve done the Proactiv shit

Banh: Oh me too!

Viv: The Neutrogena shi—

RIGHT??? I’ve gone through EVERYTHING

Accutane, EVERYTHING

And it’s just like, now I think my skin’s calmed down from the hormones and now there’s just a skincare routine that works for me, so I think I got it.

Banh: omg that’s good!

Viv: but i love listening to people talk about their routines too

Because the product you talk about works for you, right? But it might also work for other people

Banh: Yeah!

Viv: That’s why I enjoy listening to them 

ANYWAY

That’s me saying if you ever make long-form content, I’ll sub IMMEDIATELY

Banh: Awww, yay!

Viv: And it’s more than just loving your content—I just want to see more people who look like you.

You make me think of an older sister I wish I had

Banh: AWWWWWWW!!

Viv: and I don’t get to see a lot of Vietnamese women talk about skincare.

it’s almost always white people who splash their face and put cream on ALREADY PERFECT SKIN and i’m like “cool, but…”

Banh: I’m like “I can’t relate to thisss.” LOL

Viv: I CAN’T RELATE TO THAT I’M SORRY.

Proactiv dried my skin out, I don’t have perfect skin, you have perfect skin, it doesn’t work for me!

Banh: Yeah exactly!

Like certain things work for white people, but it might not work for people that have melanin.

But that means a lot, thanks so much for making that nice comment.

Cause I’m like, I feel like that’s just all I want. Like if I can just influence one or two people and just help them, that makes me feel good.

Growing up, I wanted that too. I wanted more spaces for Southeast Asians and I wanted us to not be clumped into just a specific East Asian identity, which i feel like that’s just what it’s been my whole life.

The tokenism or the compartmentalizing of Asians into one specific niche or thing. I was like “Yes, we don’t need another martial arts movie.” you know what I mean? LOL

Viv: OH MY GOD YES

Banh: LIke we need more relatable shit 

I told myself that I wanted to be a part of that. Not to necessarily be famous, but to just have a space, and that’s the beauty of the internet. Have spaces in media that can influence others that look like me.

Even in my name alone, it helps me connect with people, especially Vietnamese creators. I have a few Vietnamese creators on Twitch where we just call each other “cousin” now. Because it’s just like “HEY, COUSIN!”

Sometimes I’ll raid them or I join a raid and I’ll be like “Oh my god this person’s Vietnamese?” and they're like “OMG Banh mami? Like BANH MAMI? I love that. I love bánh mì!” and then we start talking about our favorite Vietnamese dishes.

That’s the connection I want. That is what I want. I want to just meet other Vietnamese creators and I want us to thrive and I want us to support each other and influence each other and create safe spaces for ourselves. That brings me so much joy and makes me feel like I’ve made it.

I’m like “mom, I’ve made it!”

Viv: HAHAHA YEP

Banh: “I MADE IT!” 

“I really just connected to my cousin and I’ve made a bunch of cousins now!”

And that’s just what I want now, is to meet people who will become cousins HAHAHAHA

Viv: That is EXACTLY how I think when i go into social media too.

Like because of Twitter, I have like…4-5 older sisters now LOL

Banh: HAHAHAHAHAH

Viv: THEY'RE ALL MY DISTANT CHỊ HAI

They’re all living all over the world and we just get each other. When we see something, when we comment, we’ll speak in Vietnamese and English and it gives me such a home vibe.

It’s the best feeling, so I totally get what you mean when it’s like “I have a lot of cousins”

So it’s like “Yeah I have these cousins too!”

And we’re friends, but because we’re building the community together, they’re pretty much family at the point. We all got each other.

Banh: Yeah we got each other and we’re here for each other.

And like, I just live for that because I think growing up, as kids of immigrants, we just have this identity crisis.

I grew up in Eastern Washington, which was like 90% white at the time. So it was just really hard to not stick out like a sore thumb and just be different and have people stare at you.

I went to Vietnam when I was 12, and I was excited, but also scared…but also feeling like I’m going to find a place where I finally belong. But then I got there and it was like I’m even MORE noticeable as a westernized Vietnamese person, because they’ll be like “What are you??”

And I’m pretty tall for a Vietnamese woman, so I was like this tall & lanky 12-year-old and people were like “What the hell is going on? What is this alien?” LOL

I feel like I want to go back now because with the knowledge that I know now, I reflect on that and I’m like “oh! they were just curious.” 

I think it’s really cool to just embrace it and just educate and connect still. Having that knowledge i feel like would help me connect with people and connect with the motherland more.

But that’s why i felt like I had to create my own niche. I don’t belong in America, i don’t belong in Vietnam, i have to just belong within myself, and meet other people that feel very much that same relation, you know? And we can relate to each other in that way.

Viv: you took the words right out of my brain.

I have always felt like I don’t feel American enough to be called an American, but I’m not Asian enough to be considered Asian. But then asian-american, the identity is a combination of the two, so you have a double crisis. 

Banh: Yeah you have a double crisis! And then we meet each other like this and we’re like “Aye, trauma buddies!”

Viv: LOL

IT’S LITERALLY TRAUMA BONDING

Banh: YEAH 

✨ TRAUMA BONDINGGGG ✨

Viv: WOOOOO

Btw I used to live in Washington too!

Banh: OH WHAT? OH MY GOD!

Viv: Yeah I used to live there for a few years

So when you said most people are white where you grew up, I was like “YEP I KNOW THAT FEELING”

Banh: LOL YEAH

Viv: Like I remember being one of the few handfuls of Asian kids in the school.

The lunch table I was at happened to be almost all of the Vietnamese kids LOL

Banh: That is so NICE!

Viv: yeah! 

That was my way of finding community outside of my own home.

I was like “well most of you are white, I can’t relate”

But the table I was at had people from San Jose and from Houston (because they have family there)

Because all the Viets are in Houston or California LOL

Banh: YUUUP THAT’S RIGHT!

We have to be by a coast too

So houston, socal, and then seattle LOL

We gotta be by an ocean

Viv: YEAH EXACTLY LOL

That’s the closest thing to feeling at home is just finding other people who are like you

Even if it’s just one table full of people in a pool of 400 people

Banh: That’s so awesome that you had that, though. Like i wish i had that

I think I had a few people in high school that I could relate to, I mean they weren’t vietnamese, but they weren’t white, so it was just like, we got to get together and be like “OKAY!”

Viv: It’s the scene in Joyride where the white parents go up to the Asian family and they’re like “Meet our daughter!” and they roll their eyes, but then they look and it’s an Asian girl and they’re like “OH!”

Banh: I want to see Joyride SO badly. I need to see it.

Viv: I literally just saw it this past weekend, and it’s VERY GOOD.

You’re going to LOVE it

I was laughing and crying in my seat, I felt so seen and so much of it was relatable.

If you love messy Asian-American girlies, you will love it A LOT

Banh: I LIVE for that, so YES!

Viv: Great soundtrack too!

My favourite song on the soundtrack is JUICY by Ramengvrl

WHO’S SOUTHEAST ASIAN, NONETHELESS

I LOVE THAT SO MUCH and I hope you get to listen to it

Speaking of soundtracks btw, I want to get into the singing/voice acting portion of your skills/talents.

Because if there’s anything about Vietnamese families, you know how those karaoke parties go LOL

Banh: HAHAHA

They go HARD and they go late into the night

Viv: SUPER late

Banh: Yeah, it’s the greatest honestly

I think that’s what happened for my first birthday. There’s video footage where I’m napping in a corner, and all the uncles and aunties are still singing and it’s really late LOL

And I’m just a sleeping one year old. 

That’s just it, I feel like that’s every Vietnamese party. It’s a lot of Heineken 

Viv: ALL THE GREEN BOTTLES JUST SCATTERED ACROSS THE FLOOR LOL

Banh: YEP

Like Henny shots too, card games, the uncles are smoking Marlboro

Viv: There’s the one giant tray of chả giò on the counter, someone’s playing bầu cua somewhere else

Banh: Yeah! That’s home. That’s basically home.

And then karaoke, just to top it off. People sound great, everyone sounds great.

There’s no bad singer

Viv: Somehow there are no bad singers even after drinking LOL

They all sing really well, I don’t know how they do it.

Banh: I have no idea either hahaha

Viv: While we’re talking about using voices, I heard you wanted to do voice acting?

Banh: Yes! So I want to do more voice acting, I feel like i can’t necessarily say that i’m a voice actor because I haven’t auditioned or delved into gigs or anything, but i definitely feel like its my calling. I felt like I’ve always been told that I have a good voice or a good speaking voice or reading voice.

When I used to be a reader at church, everyone would just be so excited for me to read, so I was just like “okay sure” lol 

not only with singing, but with narration. That’s something that I’d love to do. I always grew up making impressions and stuff. I used to be a huge mimic and I’d love to do different accents and mimic different voices, so it just seems like something super fun that i’d love to pursue.

If it was a part-time opportunity, that would be great if i could pursue it, like that would be amazing. If not, it’d be a really fun hobby.

Because if I were to redo my whole college and academic life, I think i would have tried to pursue vocal performance since I feel like that would have been something i would have loved to major in.

But now i’m just kinda like “okay I think i just want to utilize my voice, and if i could make a living off of it in some capacity, that would be amazing.” 

or if i could just influence people or if i could just have one single opportunity where i voice act in a video game, like…WOW! I would just love that.

There’s tons of voice actors I look up to, like Jennifer Hale, who is a voice actor for Mass Effect. I think that’s what also gravitated me towards video games with good storytelling and really good voice acting. That just really pulls me in.

Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson are also badass women I look up to. I’m like “You know, we need some women of color in this industry, you know.” and so I think that in some capacity, I was like…I feel like I’d love to just 

OH 

Merle Dandridge, who’s an amazing broadway star, but she also stars in the actual “Last of Us” show. Like what an opportunity, right? She’s part-Korean, part-Black, and she voices Marlene in “Last of Us” and also STARS as “Marlene” physically in the HBO show. Like, what a dream.

I think what I admire so much about these women is that they’re older and I feel like it’s not too late, cause I used to daydream about being a singer, like a Vietnamese singer or Vietnamese-American singer. 

Have you heard of Thuy?

Viv: I have. I LOVE HER!

Banh: She’s a great singer and I’m like “I LOVE THAT for her!”

And I was like “In an alternate universe, I’m doing the same thing!”

But I was like, “I might be too old,” and I don’t think it’s that, but I’m in my 30s and i’m like “Okay, maybe I missed the opportunity to pursue pop music.” 

but i honestly think that it’s never too late and I could still try to pursue this in some capacity.

So I think that’s why I look up to all these voice actresses, because I was like “That just seems like the perfect level of fame to have. You’re not TOO famous where you don’t have any privacy and you have a normal life with other pursuits.”

That just seems like a niche that I would love. When I was younger, I used to dream big and be like “I want to travel the world and be a singer.”

But now I’m like “Nah, I just kinda wanna chill and also maybe voice act and maybe be nerdy and maybe that’s just my thing.” and put stuff out there that may influence someone or impact someone.

So…yeah. 

…What was the question? LOL

Viv: LOL It was a general “tell me about voice acting” question. 

Cause you’ve discussed streaming and singing so I wanted to hear about voice acting.

And YES, 100% agree. Especially when you talked about feeling like it’s too late.

I think Thuy mentioned somewhere online where she felt like she got in really late when she started making music, because she was studying medicine (I’ll need to fact check this)

But then she pursued music full-time in her late 20’s, and now she’s 30 and rockin’ it.

So I think her story is a great example of the saying that it’s never too late to start pursuing your passion.

So when you said that, it made me feel happy.

That’s also why Blood Citrus* is created. Growing up, I feel like people like us spend so much time trying to do what our parents want us to do or what other people want us to do that we never get the time to actually think “we want to do this instead.”

So when we get to that, we feel this feeling of like “oh well there are these 16 year olds who have movie star roles, and here we are in our late 20’s and early 30s who are just getting our careers started.” like we feel like we’re comparing ourselves.

So again, when you said that i was like “that’s exactly how I feel 100% with this stuff. Along with other projects i have.

If i have to thank you for anything in this interview, it’s THIS. that’s been hanging in my head for months and to hear it from someone else is so validating.

Banh: YEAH!

You still have time, and I still have time! We all still have time.

That’s why I love the show “Insecure.” Have you seen that?

Viv: I’ve heard of it.

Banh: It’s SO good. I think I just love it because it showcases Issa when she’s 29 and struggling and being like, going through that same mentality of “I haven’t figured it out yet” or “I haven’t done anything that I feel is worthy of accomplishment yet”

But I think that’s just because society praises people at a really young age and be like “They pursued this at the ripe old age of 12!”

I just feel like there’s so much more beauty in life and we are all still really young, and it’s just gotten me to realize that it’s not too late and I still am starting to find my footing in what i want to do creatively and what i want to pursue creatively, and this is where i feel like i need to go

And I think that’s why I feel very pulled towards voice acting. I’ve also looked into audiobook narration, which is also a really cool opportunity. I see it and i’m like “that’s really cool!”

Like i’m starting to read more and i’m listening to more audiobooks too and so i’m just like “this can help me read more” and I would just love to be in sessions

And they say it’s exhausting too, it takes a lot of hard work. And I don't think people realize that. 

Voice acting takes a lot of diligence and determination, talent, craft and time and energy. But I think to myself “I could be in a studio all day and voice act. I would just LOVE that.”

I mean I’d be tired, but I could just see myself LOVING that so much, you know?

Viv: it’s the kind of tired where it’s like “you’re exhausted, you’re gonna pass out the moment you get home, but you love the work so much it’s worth being tired.”

Banh: It’s worth the blood, sweat, and tears you know?

Viv: yeah 100%

Just hearing you talk about it makes me so excited to see what you do with your voice acting interest. I want to see it happen.

Banh: Aww I wanna see it too!

Viv: I can’t wait!

Okay, TIME FOR THE LAST SECTION

The CHOOSE YOUR OWN QUESTION SECTION

You know the three questions: which one would you like to go for?

Banh: uhhhhhhhh

Probably the second one: Creative’s Cuisine.

Viv: YES

I wanted to avoid talking about food during the bulk of the interview because I wanted to save it for here

Banh: LOL

Viv: So I’m glad we’re on the same wavelength

It’s the cousin thing

Banh: It’s the cousin thing!

Viv: Okay LET’S TALK ABOUT FOOD.

Banh: I love talking about food. All day every day LOL

Viv: Okay which food or drink do you want to talk about?

Banh: Oh GOD

Okay well it’s gotta be a Vietnamese dish, and now that I think about it, I don’t know which one to talk about because…they’re all so good

Viv: AGREED

Banh: I love bánh xèo because I know how to make it pretty well, but I also love bún riêu a LOT

I also love bún bò huế, which is another good staple.

Hmm…I think I want to talk about bánh xèo, just because I know how to make it pretty well, and I’ve made it a lot LOL

Viv: LET’S CHAT ABOUT BÁNH XÈO

It’s a dish close to my heart too, not just because of the food itself but because of the experience too.

You know what I mean, right?

Banh: Yes, I know what you mean

Viv: I tell people that you can have bánh xèo at a restaurant, but you’ve never truly had bánh xèo until you’ve had it at someone’s house.

Banh: That’s when you know that you've HAD IT. and it’s an experience.

I also love gỏi cuốn and I like making it at home. 

My family’s from central Vietnam, in Da Nang. so we do the spring roll thing, where we put bánh xèo in a spring roll.

Viv: Oh!

Banh: I’m not sure if your family does that, but I love to do that where I put it in the rice paper, the bánh tráng, and it’s the perfect amount of chewiness and you’ve got the crunch in the middle and then you’ve got the lettuce and the herbs and the bean sprouts.

The best part of bánh xèo, in my opinion, is if you put calamari in it. It’s the best part! It’s chewy and sticks to the bánh xèo perfectly. 

I mean you need all the parts—you need the pork belly, you need the shrimp, and you need green onions—but the best part for me is the calamari.

Viv: That’s also MY favourite part of bánh xèo

I love taking it off the bánh xèo and it leaves a ring in the middle. 

Banh: YES!

SOMETHING ABOUT THAT IS SO SATISFYING TO ME

Viv: you described it perfectly too where, when it’s cooked well, it’s the perfect chewiness, it eats really well with the bánh xèo and all the rau that you eat.

My family’s from Southern Vietnam, so we wrap it in lettuce and dip it in nước mắm.

Banh: yeah and even that way is good.

Viv: I don’t think I’ve had it with bánh tráng before.

Banh: You should try it, and then you should message me when you try it LOL

Viv: I’m gonna message you while I’m eating it and send pictures and be like “Did I wrap it right?” LOL

Banh: HAHAHAHAH

Yeah you should just send a whole video LOL

Viv: I SHOULD LOL

I feel like Vietnamese people wrap foods in general.

Like with bánh xèo, we wrap it in spring rolls and lettuce.

Banh: Yes!

Viv: We wrap fish and nem nướng into spring rolls LOL

Banh: Oh yeahhhh!

Everything’s in a roll…I think that’s why my husband loves Vietnamese food so much—because everything is in a wrap, and that’s like his favorite way to eat something.

He loves hot dogs, he loves burritos, sandwiches, he loves anything he can eat with his hands.

So I think that’s why he loves bánh xèo so much, cause he’s just like “oh we wrap it and we put it lettuce and we put it in the rice paper and then we dip it” and that’s just his go-to

it’s why I've made it a lot too.

Also I’ve noticed that there’s a secret to making it nice and crispy: make the batter overnight. Put it in the fridge overnight.

Also, you want to mix it with anything carbonated. It doesn’t have to be a specific thing, it can be soda. I use beer, so I use a bit of beer—my mom taught me that hack. And then you just mix it in and leave it overnight. And then the next day it just makes it extra crispy.

It’s crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside.and also the thing with that too is that you have to make the batter thin. You have to do a thin layer, and that was challenging for me at first.

The first few batches of bánh xèo I made were a bit thick, so they weren’t as crunchy, and I remember face-timing my mom while I was doing this. We’re still in the thick of the pandemic too, so she’s like facetiming me, telling me how to make it and she’s like “you have to make it as though you’re making a crepe”

And that made me think “Oh that’s why in English they call a Vietnamese savory crepe.” or something like that

Viv: Hahaha yeah!

Banh: That’s the best way to describe it, because when people see it at first, they’re like “Is this egg? Is this an omelet?” and you’re like “no, it’s yellow because of the turmeric powder.”

But everyone thinks it’s eggs, so a crepe is the best way to describe it. When you say crepe they’re like “OHHHHH okay! Makes sense now!”

Viv: “THAT MAKES MORE SENSE NOW.”

Banh: YEAH

Anyway yeah just making it nice and thin, and then the best part is folding it over.

The only problem I have with bánh xèo is that you have to make a lot

Just because you’ve made a batch, so you have to have a bunch of people over. I can’t just make it one time and be like “Yeah I just want bánh xèo!”

Viv: It’s not a meal prep food at ALL

Banh: Yeah it’s a food for other people to eat. You have to have people over.

But sometimes I just want bánh xèo for that day and I just want bánh xèo for myself, that’s when I’ll order it from a restaurant, and I used to order it all the time because I didn’t know how to make it. 

I knew how to make phở, I know how to make vermicelli bowls like bún thịt nướng, all those things. But I didn’t know how to make bánh xèo, so I’d just order it.

And sometimes it’s a hit or miss. Sometimes I feel like some restaurants use too much coconut milk, and sometimes like

I don’t know if you like to eat bánh xèo with mung beans, but some people put mung beans in it. It’s okay for me, but that’s just not how I remember it. Like my grandma used to make it without the mung bean, so yeah.

Viv: I think my family put mung beans in it, so that’s how I remember it. For me, if it’s there I’ll still eat it, but if it’s not then it’s whatever

That’s a solid argument for ordering bánh xèo, though. Growing up, my experience with eating bánh xèo was eating it at home, and your aunt or uncle would be making it and all the kids are there.

And they’d just keep making it again and again and putting it on your plate until all the kids are full, and then the kids go to play and the adults come in and they start making it again

Banh: YES LOL

Viv: But now that you bring that up, it makes sense now. If you’re gonna make it at home, you have to have people over or someone who’s REALLY HUNGRY.

Banh: YEAH

And it’s like, it’s good the next few days, but it’s not the same. It’s the best when it’s made that day and it’s so crispy and so good.

I mean I’ve made it next-day, but it doesn’t hit the same. It’s still good, though.

Viv: Yeah you have to have it right when it comes out of the pan and right on your plate and then going back to make more. You need that experience.

Banh: Yep LOL

Viv: Does your family put shredded jicama inside too?

Banh: I don’t know if I’ve seen that before!

Viv: yeah my family does that. They also put the đồ chua, the pickles

Banh: Yeah the đồ chua!

Viv: that on the side or in the wrap is DELICIOUS.

Banh: Yeah! On the side I like it. And I usually just 

I’m very simple, I think I just put the giá, the bean sprouts, inside the bánh xèo and fold it over and then it just steams the giá perfectly. 

Viv: it cooks it a bit but it’s still a bit crunchy.

Banh: Yes!

My grandma used to always say “Ăn giá, cho co giá.”

Do you know that expression?

Viv: I don’t think i’ve heard of it before.

Banh: Yeah! My grandma would always say “Ăn giá, cho co giá.” which means “Eat bean sprouts so you have more value.”

Because giá also means “value.”

Vietnamese is so interesting: two things can sound the same but mean two different things

Viv: Yeah! Or more than one thing.

You’ve heard of đá, right?

Banh: Yeah

Viv: Đá can mean ice

Banh: HAHAHA YEAH

it can mean rock

Viv: it also means kick

Banh: YEAH

Viv: Accents also can make a difference.

The name Thuy has four different pronunciations.

There’s Thúy, Thùy, Thủy, and Thụy.

Banh: Yes! Exactly. I feel like I know several people who have that name in different variations.

Viv: you gotta be like “Which accent is it this time?!” LOL

Banh: Out of curiosity, what’s your Vietnamese name?

Viv: So I actually don’t have one. For a while in my own Asian-American crisis, I was thinking about how I’m “less Asian” because I don’t have a Vietnamese name. But then I came to the conclusion I was like “You know what? That’s fine. I’m still Vietnamese.”

[Editor’s note: According to my family, I actually DO have a Vietnamese name! This interview was done before I found that out, so it will read as though I don’t have one, BUT REST ASSURED—I’VE GOT ONE! woohoo!]

Not many people can pronounce my last name anyway, so I guess that’s my Asian stamp.

Do you have one?

Banh: Yeah! I feel like I have a million names though lol

So my formal Vietnamese name is Cát Nhĩ. “Nhĩ” means “little one” so I guess “Cát Nhĩ” means lucky one. But i never am called cát nhĩ, like i’m never called that. Even though I love the sound of that I’m like “why do people call me that?”

But then like, I know some Vietnamese families, they give you a nickname. They give you that nickname that just sticks forever and you’re forever that nickname. So my nickname at home is “Chao Nĩ”, which….

I don’t know how that happened

Viv: LOL

Banh: but it happened because my dad is also half chinese, and he loves noodles. So i think they were like “oh chow mein, chow nhĩ.” and so chao nĩ has always been what they call me. That’s just what they call me, and they still call me that to this day.

I think I went by chao nĩ when I was in preschool. But I don’t know why made my parents change it, but they changed it to Amy when I started first grade.

Which was strange, because I don’t remember feeling made fun of when I was in preschool, so I just was curious. I wasn’t sure why they changed it.

So I go by Amy in real life, but I think Banh has been the nickname for me for my online friends. I’ve been Banh Mami on Twitch, and I’ve been Banh ever since then. 

I don’t know like, do you have a list of names that people call you and you have a rating for each one?

For me, Banh is 1000/10 for me. Like I don’t know what it is, it’s something I chose for myself, it’s something I identify with (because I’m vietnamese), and it just rolls off the tongue nicely. Whenever I hear people call me “Banh” it makes me feel so happy.

But it’s so hilarious because at my wedding, it took my twitch friends everything to not call me Banh and try to call me Amy, and I was like “Just call me Banh, it’s fine. It doesn’t matter.” hahaha

Viv: IT’S TRUE 

Banh: they’re like “But we can’t! we have to call you by your normal name.”

Viv: HAHAHA that’s valid.

So yes, I do have a list, but it’s not long, it’s just variations of my real name, which is Vivian.

And that’s usually only said when I’m in trouble LOL

Banh: OH HAHAHA

Viv: Yeah or if I’m at work. I’m not “Vivi Contrast*” at work hahaha

But online, people usually call me Vivi or Viv, and they both have different feelings.

It’s just one letter, I know, but it does make a difference in who calls me which one.

Vivi is the formal version of Viv, and Vivi is what acquaintances or people who don’t know me that well or are just trying to reference me who don’t know me that well

But Viv is like…you’re my older brother, my cousin, a close friend of line. It has more of a chill vibe to it compared to Vivi.

Those are the three names I’ve stuck with for a while.

For a while my name was “chat,” because that’s what it sounds like when you say “chị hai” really quickly. So my younger sister would call me “chai,” which means “bottle”

Banh: OH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Viv: So my nickname had been “chai nước” or “water bottle” for a WHILE in my family

My non-Viet friends caught on and they were like “hey bottle” and it felt so weird to hear it from them 

I was like “please don’t call me that LOL

Banh: LOL “HEY BOTTLE”

What’s your favorite thing to be called?

Viv: probably…

If we’re close, or if you’re like “cousins,” Viv is probably the best one. 

It’s conditional, sorta. Like if you’re a work colleague, I’d rather be called Vivian. 

It would just be really weird to walk into work and have them be like “Hi Vivi.” It would throw me off.

So I’d say it’s Viv, but conditionally.

Banh: I was gonna say, your Vietnamese name could just be Vy or something.

Viv: You know people have called me Vy before!

You know how Vietnamese parents or adults don’t want to call you by the full name, so they just want to shorten it.

Like if you have an English name and it’s really long, they don’t want to call you the full name.

So if your name’s Jacqueline, for example, they probably won’t call you that. They’ll probably shorten it to “Jacky” or something.

Banh: Yeah they’re gonna be like “that’s too much, make this convenient for me LOL”

Viv: YEP

“That’s your name for us forever.”

Banh: “We’re just gonna call you that and not even ask.” LOL

Viv: YEAH

So we’re wrapping up shortly, I wanted to ask if there’s anything else you want to talk about, any advice you want to give, any last-minute things you want to talk about.

Banh: Hmmmm…

What haven’t we touched on yet…

I think the biggest thing is just…being a Vietnamese creator and being proud of it like I…I just, as long as I’m like, connecting with other Vietnamese creators, this opportunity is just awesome. I think it’s really great to connect with other people.

So really, I just want to thank you so much for putting this together and for creating this opportunity for all of us, because it’s so freaking important. It’s SO important, and I think more and more people should know that.

Growing up in a super white space, I used to try so hard to fit in. I used to change and tweak myself and wanted to make changes about myself to fit in. I used to be ashamed of that double life that I was living.

Like you’re outside trying to be white, but then your home is super Vietnamese. There’s Paris by Night blasting every morning and like your mom is just making huge noises cause she just wants you to wake up and now I love it! Now I embrace it!

I wished that I wasn’t ashamed of it. I don’t really live with regrets. Obviously I had to go through it, and I wanted to have an identity or have a home, but I think I always had a home. I think I was just trying to stray away from that home life, that super Vietnamese home life, just because it wasn’t relatable for people. It wasn’t exposed in media, it wasn’t something that was popular or talked about. You didn’t come home to hamburger helper or pets or anything.

I used to want that, and now I don’t. I don’t want that anymore, I want to live in a space that’s super Viet. If it’s not Viet, I don’t want it LOL

And now I’m so proud of that, and I think it’s because there wasn’t that exposure, so even just doing things like this and talking about it and exposing ourselves to more young people, I think that really does speak volumes. We shouldn’t be ashamed of who we are, and I’m so glad that I got over that phase.

I don’t know if you feel this way, but I feel like I have other peers that I’ve grown up with who have a similar upbringing where we’ve had to assimilate to whiteness or they wanted to change themselves.. I really find it so important to just integrate our culture instead of assimilating to whiteness. 

That’s what’s so important to me, and that’s why this interview and platform has been important to me. That’s something I want to instill with an audience. Being Vietnamese is the biggest thing I understand of myself, while at the same time, I’m trying to understand more of. . It’s something that I’ve always wanted to explore and talk about.

Viv: To answer your question, yes I do feel the same way.

I genuinely think that the key to us understanding is to have more people talking about it often and seeing more of us. 

We can’t expect everyone to strive to be “good” representation, but there’s no way for us to explore our identities if we don’t have a lot of people talking about their experiences to begin with.

For you to put your face out there on Twitch, that might inspire more Vietnamese creators, even Vietnamese women, to stream on Twitch too. So I totally 100% agree. Having more people talk about their identity is super important, especially in the Vietnamese community. I definitely would have wanted, as a kid, to just know that i’m not alone in my experiences.

I know I wanted to assimilate to white culture because for me, it was social survival. If i’m too different, they’re gonna ostracize me. But if I’m too like them, then my family sees me as an outcast.

So it’s a bigger struggle than what people think, of just trying to juggle this double life. I totally get that 100%.

Also, we technically do have a Hamburger Helper in Vietnamese cuisine—it’s called “thịt kho.”

Banh: LOL

IT IS CALLED THỊT KHO.

Viv: LOL

Or cá kho depending on what you guys like.

You make a pot once, and that’s all you make for a WEEK.

Banh: Honestly yeah, especially thịt kho tộ, the one with the trứng gà. Oh my god, I could eat that for DAYS, honestly.

Viv: Yes. With rice? YEAH. I could never get tired of it.

I’m glad we’re ending with talking about thịt kho LOL

I know most people are tired of it but I love it hahahaha

Banh: Honestly, it’s super crucial. 

Viv: Just like our conversation

OKAY BANH I THINK WE’RE DONE HERE

TTYL!!

Banh: OKAY BYEEE!

FOLLOW BANH ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Instagram: @banh__mami
Twitch: @banh_mami
Twitter: @banh_mami
TikTok: @banh_mami