Growing up, we spoke Hmong at home. At school, I learned English from teachers and friends. Naturally, I became bilingual and I’ve had the best of both worlds from an early age. But it wasn’t until adulthood that I began to understand that my family had been speaking with me in not only Hmong, but another language my entire life. 

A language complete with all the nuance, stories, and history that both Hmong and English also have the power to express. Moreover, a language so effective that its dependence on words is diminished by its ability to convey its meaning directly to many of your senses at once – and leave you deeply connected with its speaker.

That language, of course, is the language of Food; Food is the language that I speak best. Maybe it's your native tongue as well. 

In kitchens around our state and across our country, I’ve spoken Food for countless hours with many different native speakers of Food. Speakers with grammar formed and defined in New Orleans, Laos, México (and more) –– and no matter how unfamiliar their words, speaking Food has given us a common cadence, and a common tenor, by which we understand one another.

This year, Vinai is bringing our Vernacular to kitchens across the country –– and we’re welcoming others to Vinai as well. We’ll listen as chefs speak their Food to us, and we’ll speak the language of Hmong Food with those who have never heard it before.