SPORTS

Chicago winters are brutal. I am fortunate to have a car so at least I am not cold on my way to work. Every morning, I drive by this lady who has two big coolers on a table with a big sun umbrella above. I am used to seeing people sell food on the street in Chicago, but I was not exactly sure what it was they were selling. One morning, I stopped to see what she had. She was so nice and tried to explain what a tamale was to me. I told her I would take one as long as it was not spicy. Once in the car, the smell took over and I carefully unwrapped it from the husk it was wrapped in. I do not know if I went to heaven that moment, but it sure felt like it. I am a regular at her little street kiosk now and sometimes must purposely drive a different way to work just so I do not stop and eat too many tamales!

Mrs. Alfred

Bilingual Teacher

Mather High School

Rice paper salad is my favorite street food from my country Vietnam. It is called banh trang tron but in the United States, it is called Rice Paper Salad. I used to buy it when I still lived in Vietnam but when I came to Chicago, I could not find it or it was always sold out. I had to learn how to make it myself at home. It has so many ingredients, but it is so worth it. The most important ingredients in the salad are rice paper, some vegetables, eggs, and a special sauce. After that, you can put toppings like shrimp, mango, more vegetables, or anything you want. It is a very popular dish from Vietnam, especially in South Vietnam. I miss walking in the street in Vietnam and being able to buy it everywhere. Now, I have to make it myself.

Bao Chau Nguyen 

Class of 2022

Lahpet Thoke is my favorite snack from Burma. It is also a traditional food. In Burma, when people have guests, they usually feed them Lahpet Thoke as a snack. It is made from pickled tea leaves, crispy beans, fried garlic, oil, red and orange bell pepper, and sometimes dried shrimp and tomato. You can make it spicy or plain. To me, this is the tastiest food in Burma. This is the only food in Burma that no other food can compare with. I love this food and I still remember eating this in Burma. Sometimes, my mom makes it for me but it never quite taste the same way as it does in Burma.

Soe Tun

Class of 2024

My favorite food in my country is Rice Paper Mix. In Vietnam, they call it ‘Banh trang tron’. The ingredients are rice paper, dried shrimp, satay, chili, shrimp salt, peanuts, scallions, dried beef, and laksa leaves. This is street food in Vietnam. Teenagers love this food! It is also cheap. In my country, it is 10,000 Ngan, which is about $1.00.

We also have another street food called ‘Banh trang nuong’ but I do not like it as much even though it is similar to Rice Paper Mix. Banh trang nuoug is made with baked rice paper, egg, chili, cheese, dried shrimp, sausage, onions and a little bit of oil to grill. Both of these dishes are easy to find all over Vietnam but in Chicago it is very difficult to find.

My Quynh Nguyen

Class of 2022