petit été - Breathe New Life Into Multicultural Cooking

“[It] was a magic potion, even if the cans held only browned meat (thịt chà bông): a kilo of roasted pork shredded fibre by fibre, dried all night over the embers, salted, then salted again with nước mắm obtained after two days of waiting in line, two days of hope and despair.” 

— excerpt from Ru by Kim Thuy

Every fusion cuisine carries a story—of life, migration, and even national history. Contemporary Canada is a vibrant laboratory for fusion cuisine, and Taiwan is no different. The movement of people and cultures, both local and immigrant, continues to create new flavours and new stories.

We invite cross-cultural culinary practitioner Josie Chang, who bridges Vietnamese and Taiwanese cultures through food, to guide participants through an exciting culinary experiment.

This workshop is divided into two parts. Participants will “read” food—exploring fish sauce, considered a soul-stirring seasoning in Vietnamese cuisine, and tracing its “relatives” across the globe. These variations in different cultures that resonate with one another, reveal how culinary traditions travel and merge across Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, and even unexpected places.

The second part is “a collision of flavours.” Bring along your own favourite sauce, and join Josie Chang, owner of Taiwan’s Vietnamese restaurant 小夏天 petit été, to taste the diverse layers of fish sauce and create your own personalised dipping sauce.

In this workshop, you will be able to:

• Learn about fish sauce through literary works and Josie Chang’s cultural explorations
• Taste fish sauce from different countries and traditions
• Create your own signature fish sauce dipping sauce
• Enjoy and take home Josie Chang’s exclusive recipes, including:
• Specially crafted fish sauce
• Taiwanese-Vietnamese style hot pot
• Salt and pepper chicken herb salad

Josie Chang is a cross-cultural practitioner who uses food as a medium to connect people and cultures. Through years of hands-on culinary experience, she has turned everyday ingredients into a doorway for understanding others and exploring the world.

Her relationship with fish sauce began during her student years, cooking alongside Vietnamese international students in a shared apartment kitchen. In that space, Vietnamese fish sauce met Taiwanese soy sauce, and she discovered an important truth: understanding a flavour often comes from understanding its culture. What some call a “strong smell” can transform into a deep, layered taste when approached with knowledge and care.

To truly understand Vietnamese cuisine, Josie travelled extensively through Vietnam—even before it became a common destination for Taiwanese travellers—learning directly from local families and professional chefs. Since then, she has continued to observe how fish sauce and Vietnamese dishes adapt and transform across different countries and cultures, building a rich, cross-regional perspective on culinary traditions.

These experiences culminated in the founding of her Vietnamese restaurant in Taichung, petit été, now approaching its 15th year. The restaurant is more than a dining space; it is a platform for experimentation and cultural dialogue. Over the years, Josie has collaborated with scholars, advocacy groups, and community organizations, leading festivals, cultural walks, culinary events, cooking classes, and talks that help participants “read culture through food, and rediscover food through culture.”

For Josie, fish sauce embodies the spirit of cultural fusion—you in me, me in you; when elements truly understand one another, conflict can transform into harmony and depth of flavour.

「這些魚露是她們經過兩天的等待、盼望與絕望，好不容易才取得的。」加拿大越南作家金翠在小說《搖籃曲》中描寫，食物在戰亂中成為一種在不確定與恐懼中，仍選擇為家人保留愛與記憶的行動，而她透過烹飪來紀念這份情感。

每一道無國界料理（Fusion Cuisine）的背後，都承載著生命故事、族群遷徙，甚至是國族歷史。當代的加拿大是一座無國界料理的巨大實驗場，台灣也同樣如此，移民與本地的多元流動，成就新的風味、新的故事。我們邀請穿梭在越南與台灣文化的跨國界料理實踐者— Josie Chang —主持這場工作坊，跟隨她走入一場精彩實驗。

本次工作坊分為兩個部分。第一部分將帶領學員「閱讀飲食」，從被視為靈魂調味料的魚露出發，探索它散落世界各地的手足——那些在不同文化中誕生、卻彼此呼應的相似作法與跨文化融合的新產物。這段文化流動將橫跨越南、日本、台灣，甚至走向你意想不到的國家。

第二部分是「靈魂的碰撞」。我們邀請你帶來自己最喜愛的醬料。來自台灣越南餐廳「小夏天 petit été」的 Josie Chang 將與大家一起品嚐魚露的不同風味，並親手調配一款屬於自己家的魚露沾醬。

在這場工作坊中，你將可以：

• 從文學作品與 Josie Chang 的文化踏查認識魚露
• 品嚐來自不同國家的魚露風味
• 調製出專屬於你家的風味魚露沾醬
• 享用以下美食並帶走 Josie Chang 的專屬食譜：
• 獨家特調魚露沾醬／沙拉醬
• 台越風味火鍋
• 鹽酥雞香草沙拉

Josie Chang 是一位以飲食作為媒介的跨文化實踐者。她長年透過料理，實際走在文化交流的第一線，將看似日常的調味，轉化為理解他者、認識世界的入口。 

她與魚露的關係，始於學生時代與越南留學生共用的公寓廚房。在那個空間裡，越南魚露與台灣醬油共存，也讓她第一次意識到：對風味的理解，其實源自對文化的理解——原本被視作「臭味」的魚露，能夠化為「鮮味」。

為了真正理解越南飲食，Josie 在台灣尚未流行前往越南旅行時，便多次深入越南各地，親眼走訪，向在地家庭與專業廚師學習。此後，她也持續觀察魚露與越南料理在不同國家、不同文化中的轉化與融合，累積了豐富的跨地域飲食視角。

這些學習與實踐，也落實於她在台中創立、並即將邁向第 15 年的越南餐廳「小夏天petit été」。餐廳不只是營業空間，更是一個實驗與對話的平台。多年來，她以越南飲食為核心，與研究越南議題的學者、倡議單位及社群合作，透過節慶活動、文化走讀、飲食餐會、廚藝課與講座，帶領不同背景的參與者「從吃開始理解文化，從文化重新發現吃」。 

你中有我，我中有你；當元素彼此理解，衝突便能轉化為鮮味。

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This Program is part of LunarFest