Food Network Obsessed

Vivian Aronson on Carrying Her Precious Pickle Jar on a Plane

Episode Summary

Content creator Vivan Aronson, also known as @CookingBomb, talks about the first twenty-seven years of her life in Chengdu, China and the most memorable dishes she cooked with her grandmother who raised her.

Episode Notes

Content creator Vivan Aronson, also known as @CookingBomb, talks about the first twenty-seven years of her life in Chengdu, China and the most memorable dishes she cooked with her grandmother who raised her. She talks about adjusting to life in the states and what soapy show she watched to learn conversational English. Vivian shares the reason she posted her first cooking video and how she manages and includes her four kids (or “circus” as she lovingly calls them) in the kitchen. She shares the handwritten fan letter that impacted her the most and the moment she knew she had gone viral. She talks about carefully maintaining her famous pickle brine and how she will celebrate its upcoming seventeenth birthday before listing some of her favorite things to pickle. Vivian shares the difficult process of writing a cookbook in her second language and why she decided to make dessert dumplings on Food Network’s TikTok Challenge. 

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Watch Vivian’s TikTok Challenge: https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/the-food-network-tiktok-challenge

Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/vivian-aronson-on-carrying-her-precious-pickle-jar-on-a-plane

Episode Transcription

Jaymee Sire (00:02):

Hello. Hello and welcome to food network. Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things, food with your favorite chefs, food influencers and food network stars. I'm your host, Jamie cer. And today we have a content creator followed by millions sharing the secrets behind her pickle brine that is old enough to drive. She is a beloved food influencer chef and cookbook author, and also known as cooking bomb. It's Vivian Aaronson Vivian. Welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Vivian Aronson (00:44):

Oh, doing great. Nice talking with you, Jamie.

Jaymee Sire (00:48):

. It's so nice to talk to you more importantly, are you filming any content or working on recipes today or is, or is, uh, food network obsessed? Your, your only, uh, requirement for today?

Vivian Aronson (00:58):

Actually today later. Um, I'm gonna film a little more my pickle videos.

Jaymee Sire (01:02):

Oh, okay. Well, loving your pickle videos. And we're definitely gonna get a little bit more into that later. And we're gonna talk all about your creative process, but I wanna take it all the way back to really understand how you got here before immigrating to the us. You grew up in Shungu China until age 27. What are your memories of the time there and your very first introductions to food?

Vivian Aronson (01:26):

I grew up with my grandparents. So a lot of my cooking food is really inspired by my grandma. I help her in the kitchen since I was six, seven, very young. I had a little steps too, cuz so short another stove was a tie and was the walk even taller. So that time there wasn't like option. So you can go out at the time. It wasn't not restaurants back in China. So we eat home, every meal, three meals a day.

Jaymee Sire (01:53):

what were some of, uh, your grandmother's signature recipes?

Vivian Aronson (01:57):

Uh, the, one of the recipe actually is my cookbook. One of my favorites. She always cooked for me. Is that a meatball dish? Meatballs. It's called lion's head. Uh, it's a huge meatball. That's why it's like a lion's head. It's big.

Jaymee Sire (02:10):

What all, what all is in this meatball?

Vivian Aronson (02:12):

In the meatball? It's only chopped actually the special thing in the meatball is a chopped called English called water. Uh, chestnuts mm-hmm yeah, water chestnuts chopped. So it gives the texture really tender, really tender texture. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (02:26):

What, what sort of skills and techniques did you learn from her during this time? When you're, you know, sit sitting on this step stool and just like watching everything that she's doing.

Vivian Aronson (02:35):

Yeah. So watching, you know, we, we never had a measuring spoons, anything. I learned how to measure with my Chinese eyeballs. hard. Yeah. Uh, also, uh, we mostly, we didn't have a oven, so in the Chinese cooking we use a mostly just walk, you know, the pots cook on, on a stove cooking. So I learned a, of, uh, scales, like how to cook in the walk, the high heat and a lot of, uh, cooking just in, uh, pie, steaming or boiling our stew or steam buns. Steam buns. Yeah. We make a lot of home.

Jaymee Sire (03:09):

. So talk to me about, um, when you, you know, eventually came to the United States at age 27, what was that I guess experience like for you? How much of a, of a culture shock and obviously language learning. Um, did you have to do,

Vivian Aronson (03:26):

Uh, yeah, first it was a language learning. Uh, I probably speak very basic English. Uh, that time I was even afraid to order food in a restaurant. I remember the first year I always say, I always say why the witches come where say, say, blah, blah, blah. I say, what you talking about? I got my name cuz in China, nobody come over. Hi. And my name is, oh, Viv, I'm your server or something. Uh, then they say so many specials today. I don't know what they talking about. So my husband, my husband always have the order for me. Then I took some like a freshman English CLA uh, English, like a speech class. Mm-hmm even, even I'm much older than the older kids in school. And I think that helped, but mostly helped me was, uh, I was watching a TV show at home. That time was called very popular show. It's a desperate Housewives.

Jaymee Sire (04:11):

Yes. I remember

Vivian Aronson (04:12):

That 2005, but I probably took me three hours to watch 40 minute show because I have to write down all the words. I don't understand. I pause, look at the subtitles and write it down. Have a little like little notebook. So I look over, oh, here's some new words I learned today from desperate Housewives. hope I learned some good words.

Jaymee Sire (04:34):

Yeah. I I'm sure that there were some interesting, uh, words that you probably learned that you did not learn in English class. Yeah. Why desperate house wise? It just because it was so popular at the time you figured that would be, you know, a good way to, to kind of learn some of the English slang and that kind of thing.

Vivian Aronson (04:50):

Because I turned TV first. My husband loved to watch news. I found news. I don't understand what the news even faster. And I find so fast. I, so I thought, oh, I wanna some conversational, uh, I wanna talk to people. So I thought desperate. Right. But I watched them, they talk, they don't talk so fast and they actually have a conversation in people's houses. Yeah. But the whole thing is very new to me. So I said, oh, okay. I watched that show seems easier than the news. .

Jaymee Sire (05:21):

What about like cooking shows? Did you watch any of those just to, to learn names for ingredients or cooking utensils and that kind of thing?

Vivian Aronson (05:29):

Uh, so, uh, the cooking show actually after a year or two living here, I start watching more TV because I can understand more food network. Of course. Uh, when I always watching, of

Jaymee Sire (05:40):

Course,

Vivian Aronson (05:41):

I like to watch some high energy show, like a Bobby fly Throwdown. I thought that's interesting. I didn't watch that a lot.

Jaymee Sire (05:46):

Yeah. Yeah. That was a good one for sure. Um, and, and now you have four children of your own, your circus. Yeah. As you lovingly call them, how do you keep your kids involved and curious in the kitchen?

Vivian Aronson (05:59):

Since they always around me in the kitchen, can't avoid them. So I can just say, go away. Like, no so they always run there. So when I'm cooking, I always show them the ingredients. A lot of ingredients, you, maybe you, they won't be able to say on TV because on TV's a lot of Western cooking, American cooking or other Italian cooking, for example, like a whole fish mm-hmm uh, I actually, I moved here from China first place. I lived in Minnesota. So in Minnesota people, when I cook whole fish, I, I have some neighbors. So I invite come over sometime I was shocked that people, oh, I never seen whole fish on the table. so I find where whole fish I eat all the time. So that's something I show my kids. I say, how I prepare the whole fish, they touch the fish, they learn how to make it. I always let them to touch the food and look at the food, something different, some different ingredients, uh, or, or if I make a dough, they feel how the dough feeling. So I think that got their curiosity. They wanna help me more find the things very interesting. Um, yeah.

Jaymee Sire (07:00):

Yeah. No, I think it's, I think it's great. It's, it's, it's very wholesome and it's so fun to see, you know, them popping their little faces, you know, in, in the camera when you're trying to film and that kind of thing, but I'm sure that, you know, getting their feedback is very honest. And you have, you know, AMA this following across all of your different social media platforms, including 2.6 million on TikTok, what compelled you to post that first video? And do you remember what it was?

Vivian Aronson (07:28):

I don't know exactly, but I think that was just film on my phone. I would just, uh, cooking, just so that like my everyday cooking, I said, oh, what if I just make a video about, uh, what I cook for my kids, my family. So I was a filming someday. I was chopping and I was doing a steamy, I think I was esteemed ribs or meat. Meat. Dish. Yeah. It's a traditional dish I was making. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (07:51):

And how does your, your style kind of evolve since those first videos that you put up there on TikTok?

Vivian Aronson (07:59):

Uh, I think the style involve is more probably the talking or the editing style change. So I wouldn't just talk something, drag it too long. I wanna fast cuz the one minute video you're gonna be fast. I wanna do the recipe. So it's hard to doing a minute. So I try to be fast. I also give people a recipe. They can actually follow sometime I talk so long in the beginning and then the, the little mini is done. You know, I can't even do a recipe. Try to be a little fast on my style so I can give the whole recipe.

Jaymee Sire (08:30):

Yeah. What's the story behind your, your handle cooking bomb.

Vivian Aronson (08:34):

First I started this, I wanna do a page. So I thought cooking of course, got the cooking counter I one, my name was social cooking. Uh, also I from Suran China and we eat a lot of spicy food and the, the chili pepper I use and do, but it's not a chili bean paste I use all the time. So it's kind of like a bomb explosion spicy. So I said, oh perfect. That would be my name.

Jaymee Sire (08:58):

what, what was the moment that you realized that, you know, things were starting to pick up some traction go viral and people were obviously loving and engaging with your content and you had like this moment where you're like, okay, this might be, I might be onto something here.

Vivian Aronson (09:18):

Yeah. So for a while, probably my video just getting hundred views, 200 views. I said, oh, okay. Not great, but not better. Some 200 people watching me and one day, and then, then I was, I remember this summer I did a video that was, uh, barbecue lambs skirts. And they saw, they got a lot of views that video. I said, oh, are people really like some traditional recipes? So I did lambs, skirts, spicy lambs, skirt. I was grilling on my backyard. The different that I did is, uh, I did, I like to do some video effects. So that kind of, so I was prepared a lamp skirt. Then I put, I said, okay, lemme just go to the backyard through the window. So I just like so I just jumped through the window. I was outside. Okay. Just of course, like a videoed magic mm-hmm people saw, this was funny. Then I jumped to the backyard with my tray of a lamps, skirt start barbecuing. Uh, I also showed the recipe how to make it, um, yeah. People find it so interesting and yeah, it was fun.

Jaymee Sire (10:20):

I mean, what's that feeling like to, to know that you are reaching so many people across the world and you know, maybe introducing them to a cuisine that they are not super familiar with.

Vivian Aronson (10:33):

That's funny that when I realize that people, they always say, oh, I'm from, or they give me a comment. They say, oh, thank you. Um, I actually live in Germany. I actually got a fan male from Germany handwriting letter. So this girl who grew up there, uh, didn't know about Chinese culture, but she Chinese, she was adopted by a family there. So she wrote me this letter. I really it's something I really feel good and help people understand the culture. She said, thank you, helping me to understand the Chinese culture. Actually, I, I was adopted, I never had a chance to go back. So I watch your videos. Oh, I still touch by what works. She said. Yeah. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (11:12):

That's amazing. Yeah. I mean your, your videos, you know, as you've kind of mentioned, focus primarily on cooking, creating, tasting Asian recipes and snacks, how much of what you cook is familiar to you and how much of it is something maybe you are researching and trying for the first time?

Vivian Aronson (11:29):

Uh, I would do something new. So probably I would say 70%, it's something I'm familiar with. I would just film what I cook for my family every day. And there are 30%, I wanna do something new. It's more of a Western cooking. So I do more research. For example, uh, baking is something I learned when I moved here from China because I wasn't baking much in China. I didn't have even have an oven

Jaymee Sire (11:52):

so,

Vivian Aronson (11:53):

So I wanna do some more baking, say Asian dessert, I need a baking. So I will be blending some Western technique with Asian dessert. So that's something I'm gonna research on. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (12:04):

And, and what's your process like for deciding, you know, which recipes you're going to create or display on your social media or, you know, just the kind of content that you wanna create on a daily basis

Vivian Aronson (12:18):

On a daily basis? Actually, it's the food I'm gonna cook today for my family, because all the food I cook, they eat my kids, my husband, they all eat the food. So I was watching the videos, the creators, they cook these fancy food. They have nobody to eat with, I guess other times say who's eating that food on my neighbor. I came to my neighbor like

Jaymee Sire (12:40):

.

Vivian Aronson (12:40):

Yeah. So, um, I, my family actually eat all the food, so I, I would plant the content and so my family will eat it. So it wouldn't be a name waste.

Jaymee Sire (12:48):

Yeah. Yeah. No, that's great. I mean, have you ever made something that they all just absolutely hated?

Vivian Aronson (12:55):

Oh yeah. You got recently I post a video. I made a piggy ears.

Jaymee Sire (13:00):

okay.

Vivian Aronson (13:01):

Yeah. And my husband, my kids actually eat the most of stuff. I cook my husband even taste chicken feet, but he just cannot take the piggy year texture. He said

Jaymee Sire (13:10):

okay. Yeah.

Vivian Aronson (13:12):

And the people really hate, hate it. Say your husband. So UN respectful. He comments about him. He say, yeah, now I'm now I'm a hated man on the internet. oh, no.

Jaymee Sire (13:26):

So funny. Tell him not to look at the comments.

Vivian Aronson (13:28):

Yes. Yes.

Jaymee Sire (13:29):

I mean, what's your, what's your production process? Like do you really film and edit everything on your own?

Vivian Aronson (13:36):

Yes. Yes. I, I have two cameras. I pop on the tripod nobody's filming me. So I always film myself and edit the videos myself.

Jaymee Sire (13:46):

I mean, did you, is that something you just kind of had to teach yourself? Like how did that whole process come about?

Vivian Aronson (13:53):

Actually, it's so funny. That back 2005, I moved here. I have no friends of no, uh, my family's in China, my friends in China. So that time I had a lot of free time. So I started actually making videos about cooking video back then. Wasn't popular. yeah. So there is a Chinese video platforms called five, six.com. So it like a real tube type. I think YouTube wasn't even started at the time. uh, so anyway, so I just sit home. I got this video cam with you recording on the tape, this small tape. Oh. So I started making those videos about my life and some like a lip sync. I'm the one on the first one making lip sync videos back then.

Jaymee Sire (14:33):

You're a trendsetter. Yeah.

Vivian Aronson (14:34):

So I post these phone videos, a little editing effects, like a singing or life. I would travel a lot with my husband. So traveling on a Chinese platform because I didn't speak much English, so I actually got popular. Oh, okay. In China. I had a following there that time. Uh, so I, I haven't experienced like making videos back then, but I stopped making videos until yeah. 2000, 19, 20 20, and start making cooking videos again. So I have the, actually a little scale back then say, oh, pick it up and I'm do it again.

Jaymee Sire (15:05):

Yeah. Yeah. And now you've got all the, the different fancy, you know, apps and, and computer programs that can, can help make that a little bit easier.

Vivian Aronson (15:14):

They're easier, a lot easier. And TikTok, you can even use just the phone with the green screen effects back then. I had actual, real green screen. Yes.

Jaymee Sire (15:25):

Wow. You had quite the production set going, huh? Yeah. Yeah. Do you have a favorite recipe or video that you've done to date?

Vivian Aronson (15:35):

Uh, favorite recipe? Yeah, still my meatballs. I cook a lot for my kids too. I probably gotta make again tonight. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (15:42):

how often do you make those meatballs?

Vivian Aronson (15:45):

Oh, at least once a week or every other week. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (15:48):

And how many, you know, people out there do you think have made those meatballs now?

Vivian Aronson (15:53):

10,000 meatballs or more

Jaymee Sire (15:55):

Vivian Aronson (15:56):

The people always tag me, tag me in there. If I said, please just tag me if you'll make the dish from my videos or book. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (16:03):

Yeah. I mean, what's that like to see, you know, not only, you know, you get these comments or, or the letter that you had mentioned, but you actually get to see like photos or videos of people making the recipe that you taught them over over the internet.

Vivian Aronson (16:17):

Yeah. I pretty amazing. Nowadays with the internet, you can teach, teach something just over. Maybe the person live the other side of the world. Yeah. Mm-hmm amazing. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (16:28):

No, it's so cool. What are some of the other go-to meals around the house, aside from the meatballs that your family loves?

Vivian Aronson (16:34):

Uh, noodles. Uhhuh to try style noodles. I, I, I eat noodles a lot when I grow up probably three or four times a week. The lunch is noodles

Jaymee Sire (16:44):

wow.

Vivian Aronson (16:45):

Yeah. So I, so, so noodles is like a quick meal for me. So if something, even I say, oh, I don't have time to cook, but I always have time to make a quick noodle dish for my kids.

Jaymee Sire (16:54):

that's true. Okay. Let's talk about the 16 year old pickle, Bryan, almost 17. I thought

Vivian Aronson (17:01):

Almost 17. I'm gonna make a birthday video. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (17:03):

I love that. What, uh, what's the actual ate of the pickle? Bryan. I

Vivian Aronson (17:08):

Believe it's, uh, August, but I never like write down the birthday. So I'm gonna decide her birthday. It's in August, uh, 20, 20 something, 20 the end of this month. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (17:19):

I mean, how did this pickle Bryan come to be? I mean, it kind of reminds me of everybody's, you know, prize sourdough starters that we are hearing all about, you know, during the pandemic, but you have this, this pickle Bryan that's been going for almost 17 years now. How did it start and how do you maintain it?

Vivian Aronson (17:36):

Uh, when start, uh, when I started is even before I moved here, I say, I'm gonna make pickles. That's some tradition. My, uh, home girlfriend is a grandma. We always have pickle jar in the kitchen, have fresh pickles all the time. Uh, so I, I got a Pico jar in Chodo in 2005 before I moved here. And that's a clay jar. Uh, I actually hold a jar rapid with a fabric or a scarf. I forgot it's carried on. I didn't wanna break it. You

Jaymee Sire (18:00):

Carried it on the plane.

Vivian Aronson (18:01):

Yeah. I carried on the plane with my Pico jar. Yes. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (18:05):

This is obviously before, uh, you know, the, the three ounce restrictions of

Vivian Aronson (18:10):

Oh no, no, it's empty, empty jar. Empty

Jaymee Sire (18:12):

Jar. Oh, it was empty. So wait, empty jar was empty. Okay.

Vivian Aronson (18:15):

Yeah. Empty jar. I was worried if I had putting a check back on a break and I, I, I just know I would not get this pickle jar somewhere in Minnesota, you know, I would not get it. Yeah. So I borrow empty jar, uh, to Minnesota. Then I said, I'm gonna start this pickle brand. So I started the recipe, the jar, but the, the pickle brand, it only takes long time to get the right bacteria to taste. Good part, least three to six months. Yeah. To taste. Good.

Jaymee Sire (18:42):

And then do you have to do anything, you know, to maintain it like you do with like a sourdough starter? Or is it just because you use it so often it just continually like, you know, collects more flavors and that kind of thing.

Vivian Aronson (18:54):

You do have to take care of like a baby to me, uh, there's a water seal around the jar. That's how that keep the bad stuff. A bacteria out of the pickle. Bri. So the water seal have to constantly have to watch, oh, it's dry. If it's a dry, you forgot about it. Then your pickle brand will go back. It's like you, you forgot to, uh, put the lay on your jar. If you mm-hmm, doing caning food. So that's a seal. So you have to always keep eye on if it not dry out. So people always ask, what do you do? You don't go on vacation. What do you do is vacation yeah.

Jaymee Sire (19:27):

What do you do?

Vivian Aronson (19:28):

So if I said week vacation, one week, I just put a plastic rack around the jar top, just cover the water part. So that usually will keep the water there for a week or two weeks. That's fine. I said, if you go on the longer vacation, I could go back to China for one month. Right? And there's a little tricks. I will clear out the water seal. I will pour in carefully pour in some vegetable oil. So the oil never dry. So kind of oil seal the jar. When I come back, I just carefully clean the oil, cuz it, if there's a one drop of oil, get into the pickup brander that will go back. So I carefully clean the oil wash the, the lid, everything. So put my water back on the seal.

Jaymee Sire (20:11):

Yeah. Wow. That is, that is some dedication to this pickle, Bryan. It is like, it's like your fifth child, almost

Vivian Aronson (20:17):

Your fifth child. So once I forgot on my vacation,

Jaymee Sire (20:19):

You did forget what happened.

Vivian Aronson (20:20):

I would have to cover the, the jar. That was a water seal, gonna dry out. I called a friend to my house, rescue the jar.

Jaymee Sire (20:28):

Did you have to walk your friend through it? Like, this is exactly what you need to do. Were you on FaceTime? Like how did that work?

Vivian Aronson (20:34):

I just on the phone, I said, please, I forgot to add a water where to add a water. I said, please get a plastic wrap, just wrap on top. And then she actually did everything for me.

Jaymee Sire (20:43):

that's amazing. Yeah. Uh, what are some of your favorite things to pickle?

Vivian Aronson (20:48):

There's a vegetable called the Celis it's water in Chinese green vegetable. It peel the skin. That's one of my favorite, uh, vegetable to pickle. Since my pickle bride is, you know, older. That, that will be really like two or three hours. Oh, quick. Yeah. So very fresh. We call sheets our pulse. She's all means you take a shower so quick. So shower, pickle,

Jaymee Sire (21:09):

Shower, pickle, shower, pickle. Yeah. I like that. Coming up next. Vivian tells us what it was like to write her cookbook and making dessert dumplings for the food network, digital series TikTok challenge. Well, you published your first book last year. Congratulations. By the way. Thank you. The Asian market cookbook and obviously publishing a cookbook is a lot of work yes. To begin with, but publishing one in your second language, I'm sure is no easy feat. Yeah. So I, I do wanna recognize like how incredible that is.

Vivian Aronson (21:49):

Thank you.

Jaymee Sire (21:50):

What was the process like

Vivian Aronson (21:52):

The process? I, I made a list about what kind of recipe you wanna make since it's about Asian market. So there are categories, the ingredients I use each category then under this category, uh, for example, dry spices, I will have of like 10 recipes. I use those spices. And uh, how you pick out the spices? Yeah. In, from the market.

Jaymee Sire (22:13):

What are some of your favorite recipes from the book

Vivian Aronson (22:16):

I've mentioned meatballs. Of course of you've had to, to put some meatballs from the book and uh, also the fresh noodles D noodles. Mm. Uh, that's one of my favorite dump points. That's all the dish I make all the time. What

Jaymee Sire (22:27):

Are some kitchen staples that everyone needs, if they want to kind of dive into recreating and cooking some of your recipes,

Vivian Aronson (22:35):

Uh, first thing you need the soy sauce. Mm. I mentioned in my book, uh, a lot of people said that they're food that tasted but different. They probably use the wrong soy sauce. So I have the brand to recommend in the book. And what kind of, I like to use the H soy sauce. They just make a big difference. Um, in the cooking, not if you use, uh, soy sauce from like you dipping sushi in, it's totally different taste. The Japanese soy sauce for sushi. So you have to get a right soy sauce, Chinese vinegar and cooking wine, Chinese cooking wine.

Jaymee Sire (23:05):

Yes.

Vivian Aronson (23:05):

And Sutra pepper. Corn is one of my favorite dry ingredients. Have you tasted it before?

Jaymee Sire (23:10):

I love, yes. I love it. I love like the tingly feeling that you get. Yeah. My boyfriend isn't so sure. He, he, every time he has it, he's like, I don't, what's going on. I'm like, it's the stitch one pepper cord.

Vivian Aronson (23:21):

You just have to give it to him more.

Jaymee Sire (23:23):

No, I know. I know. Just like feed him more of that. He likes it, but he is just like, wait, what is this what's happening? no, I love it. Well, you are also speaking of dump Blas on an episode of the food network, digital series TikTok challenge, where you made some gorgeous, transparent dessert dumplings with fruit. Um, so first of all, tell me a little bit about, um, you know, kind of coming up with that recipe and what the challenge was and, uh, why you decided on dessert.

Vivian Aronson (23:54):

I always make dumping with meat and spicy dipping sauce. I thought that's just, you know, people always sing that kind of be boring. I'm making that again. Mm-hmm I wanna make a dumpling. People don't think about it's a dessert. So I thought, oh, I'm gonna make a dessert. And also it's something easy for people to find, to make it. And so the filling just fresh, fresh fruit and different color. I wanna show the inside the filling. I thought maybe I make a transparent, you know, people can actually see the filling your meat dumplings. You never really see the filling yeah. You dunno. You don't know why you're eating, you know,

Jaymee Sire (24:29):

No, I love it. They were beautiful. And definitely, yeah. Like inviting to eat. You're like, I know what's in there. I want to try that. You know, you mentioned that you, later on, after you had moved to the United States, started watching a little bit of food network. Did you imagine at the start of your, you know, journey a couple years ago that you would be able to collaborate with a brand like food network?

Vivian Aronson (24:49):

Oh, never in my dream I would collabo with a food network. Never. Yeah. So I would just, uh, oh, just cooking at home as a mom cook for my kids. Never saw my food. People will love so much.

Jaymee Sire (25:03):

No, it's amazing. Uh, what are some of your favorite food network shows?

Vivian Aronson (25:08):

Oh, I said that the Bobby FLA throw down, I watch a lot. And the chopped yes. Yes.

Jaymee Sire (25:14):

a classic. The

Vivian Aronson (25:16):

Classic. I always wanna say, you know, who made it to the end? That's always very fun to see that process.

Jaymee Sire (25:22):

Do you think that there's a food network show that you could be a competitor on and win

Vivian Aronson (25:28):

Competitor on win? Might wanna try chop, right?

Jaymee Sire (25:32):

Yeah. Yeah. I think so. Is there like a food network personality out there that you would wanna be besties with? Like Bobby FLA? Or is there somebody else that you, you think you would get along with really well,

Vivian Aronson (25:43):

I, I think him he's, he's the first one I was watching and he's English. He's easy to understand.

Jaymee Sire (25:49):

I love that. So Bobby FLA helped you, uh, learn English and also, um, you know, expose you to some of the, the Western cooking as well.

Vivian Aronson (25:58):

Western cooking. Yes. Yes, because he cooks so different from me. Um, yeah. I wonder if he can make my meatballs.

Jaymee Sire (26:05):

Yeah. Maybe not. Maybe, maybe beat Bobby FLA would be a good one as well. Yeah. You go on there with your signature meatball recipe, for sure. Yeah.

Vivian Aronson (26:13):

yes.

Jaymee Sire (26:14):

Well, this has been so much fun. We are gonna finish off with a few rapid fire questions for you. And then we have one final question that we ask all of our guests here on food network. Obsessed.

Vivian Aronson (26:23):

Yes. Okay.

Jaymee Sire (26:25):

Favorite Laise flavor.

Vivian Aronson (26:28):

Oh, you know, recently I got a lace flavor. You, I never had ha pack.

Jaymee Sire (26:34):

No, I have not had that.

Vivian Aronson (26:36):

Yeah. It's only available in Asian market. I even made a video about a lace flavor in one video. I thought I got 5, 6, 5, 6, uh, flavors. I was eating with my kids testing out. I really like the hot pot one. And then the spicy pepper, STR pepper corn in there tastes really good. And a beer flavor. Have you tried beer flavor?

Jaymee Sire (26:55):

No. Oh

Vivian Aronson (26:55):

My gosh. Flavor.

Jaymee Sire (26:56):

That's the whole world of, of lays potato chips that I have not tried. Yeah. What, what about the hotpot flavor? Like did it, did it actually, you know, kind of have some of those, those signature flavors of a hot pot?

Vivian Aronson (27:09):

Uh, yes, spicy. And I also, I, I actually can taste the shrimp, corn long tingling there. I really love, yeah.

Jaymee Sire (27:16):

Wow. Uh, best way to scramble an egg,

Vivian Aronson (27:19):

Uh, chopstick of, uh, scramble. The egg with chops is the best. The chops is the best too. I use, uh, 90% of the time for my cooking a lot.

Jaymee Sire (27:29):

Yeah. Chinese tradition that you love sharing with your family?

Vivian Aronson (27:34):

Uh, Chinese tradition is, uh, I make a big meal and Chinese new year.

Jaymee Sire (27:38):

Oh yeah.

Vivian Aronson (27:39):

Love that. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (27:41):

Uh, what's your advice for when a recipe fails

Vivian Aronson (27:44):

Or when the recipe fails, but I think the food still, my, when a recipe fails, I still eat the food. Okay. Cause food tastes probably good a different way. I still tell my kids to eat it even it's even, it doesn't look good.

Jaymee Sire (28:00):

Favorite sweet treat.

Vivian Aronson (28:02):

Huh? Sweet treat you like growing up where I had a lot of Asian, Asian stuff. So I still like, uh, Chinese moon cake. Okay. Something made of beans. My husbands and his favorite treat is chalk. Is it? He doesn't think beans are desserts. So the sweet be paste. You know,

Jaymee Sire (28:21):

most used word in the kitchen.

Vivian Aronson (28:26):

Most word using kitchen probably was in probably in Chinese, but I can translate. I said, okay. Shaana so that means I'm screaming. My kids to come have dinner. Dinner's ready. That's

Jaymee Sire (28:40):

S dinner's ready. Yeah. Uh, your favorite TikTok follow

Vivian Aronson (28:46):

My favorite TikTok follower. It just, uh, there's just so many. Since I cook Chinese food, there is a crater. He cooks a lot of meat mm-hmm and is Western cooking a steak? I always wanna learn the technique, how to cook a good steak. So he's a handle is the max the meat guy. So I watch a lot of meat. Yeah. You know him?

Jaymee Sire (29:06):

Yeah. I know him. Yeah. That's a good one. Yeah. Kitchen tool. You could never part with

Vivian Aronson (29:12):

Taking tool. Of course. My walk. Yes. Yeah. Always of course on my walk

Jaymee Sire (29:16):

um, alright. So our, our final question, and this is what we ask everybody at the end of our interviews, and that is what would be on the menu for your perfect food day. So we wanna hear what you're eating for. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. There are no rules. So you can travel. You can time travel. Anyone can cook these meals for you. You can cook them, whatever you want. We just wanna hear what your ideal menu is for a perfect food day.

Vivian Aronson (29:44):

Perfect food day. Uh, most of on the menu probably be my favorite Chinese food. . And in the morning, I will wanna bowl of a country with some steam buns. Mm. A lunch time it'll be Bo off spicy noodles.

Jaymee Sire (30:02):

Vivian Aronson (30:02):

and dinner time always come with like three dishes, plus a soup, three dishes. It could be, you know, stir fried meat with some vegetable. And there's maybe a cold dish also. Yeah. Usually another vegetable dish, always a soup. Of course it was a soup. And growing up, I wasn't even allowed to drink water on the table. My grandma said, oh, you drink water. There's a soup, drink soup. So we , we eat Chinese me, no drink. We just eat rice, all the dishes and soup. That's why I drink soup. Soup. Yeah. And dessert part, no

Jaymee Sire (30:41):

Dessert, no dessert. Not even a moon cake.

Vivian Aronson (30:43):

Uh, yeah. Moon cake. I only have a moon fashion. I'm just say growing up, but no deer, but here I wouldn't like dessert because here are so many options that Western dessert

Jaymee Sire (30:51):

.

Vivian Aronson (30:51):

Yeah. Uh, yeah. I have a piece of cake or yeah, just, oh, actually I like crim bla. That would be my perfect meal. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (30:59):

There you go. Yeah. Topping it off with some crim light crim

Vivian Aronson (31:02):

Light. Yeah.

Jaymee Sire (31:03):

Well, it's been so much fun getting to know you and hearing your story. Thank you so much for taking the time. Thank

Vivian Aronson (31:09):

You, Jamie. It was so fun. Talking with you,

Jaymee Sire (31:16):

Such a lovely conversation with Vivian, and you can catch her episode of TikTok challenge now on food network.com. Thanks so much for listening. Make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts. So you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoy today's episode, please rate and review. We love it. When you do that, that's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.