When Tan Vinh is out and about, many people recognize his face. Vinh is an award-winning food writer for The Seattle Times. These days, more people may recognize him by his voice. He recently launched a new podcast Seattle Eats with Tan Vinh.
When recalling key moments which have shaped where he is today, from his childhood to the present, he referenced luck a few times. He described his family’s experiences as not necessarily unusual for Asian immigrants — somewhat sad, but ultimately “a second act.”
As refugees who fled Vietnam in 1975, his family had a sponsor living in the Washington D.C. area and resettled in Silver Spring, Maryland. His parents worked 70+ hours a week just to make ends meet. His late father, who spoke English fluently, found work as an office assistant. His mother started working at a hotel as a line cook. She learned English on the job and worked her way up to become a chef.
Growing up, Vinh recalled having low self-esteem and mostly just trying to fit in. His peers sometimes called him a “Chink” and made other racially derogatory remarks, sometimes urging him to return to “where he came from.”
“I was ashamed for being Asian, for being different,” he said.
Vinh attended the same public high school as Connie Chung, Goldie Hawn, and other well-known American celebrities, although he described it feeling more middle-class versus elite. His parents sent him there due the school’s proximity to the most affordable apartment they could find. Around his junior year, he started considering writing as a career. Vinh initially aspired to become a sportswriter but shared that as a high schooler: “I wish I were more focused at that age… but honestly, my main goal was just trying to get along with others.”
Being an Asian kid who wasn’t good at math and science meant navigating his aspirations against what his parents expected. Describing them as somewhat stereotypical “Tiger parents,” Vinh’s family initially hoped he would pursue socially prestigious careers, such as engineering or medicine.
He ended up staying close to home, enrolling at the University of Maryland, where he earned a journalism degree. After college, he moved to North Carolina for a year, working for a small newspaper. “I really hated the South and wanted to get away,” he said. Despite this, however, Vinh moved farther south when the Georgia-based Macon Telegraph hired him as a military reporter.
Vinh’s career path took an unexpected turn when The Atlanta Constitution (now known as The Atlanta Journal-Constitution), one of the most prestigious newspapers in the South, invited him for an interview. Using a phone in the waiting area, he checked his home answering machine. Someone from The Seattle Times had left him a message, inviting him to interview there as well. While The Atlanta Constitution offered him the job, Vinh moved to Seattle in 1998 to join The Seattle Times.
“Seattle is like home to me. There are trees here and the tap water tastes so much better. I can see myself retiring here,” he said.
The Seattle Times initially hired Vinh as a hardline reporter. After a certain point, he did not find fulfillment in covering what he described as “the same type of depressing news” and desired a change of pace. He started volunteering to write feature stories on the outdoors, traveling, and vacationing but with a food angle. Vinh explained that until more recently, being a food critic at the time was not considered a prestigious or serious line of work.
Vinh is currently one of three full-time food writers and one of two food critics at The Seattle Times. He generally seeks to review places where the owners are ambitious and take risks with unusual cuisine, although he will sometimes consider reviewing, say, an exceptional pizza joint.
Vinh provided additional insights about ongoing pandemic-related impacts on his work. He described being a food critic as a form of public service, given how the economy, especially inflation, has hit the average American hard.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vinh was regularly featured on Seattle Now, a daily podcast. Listeners consistently gave him favorable reviews. In early 2024, KUOW approached him to propose a podcast show. “Podcasts are like AM radio — you turn a knob on and off just to hear sound. So 80s,” said Vinh. He used the word “luck” again came when describing how his new podcast endeavor came to fruition.
He spends about two hours each week on his podcast and described the process with the KUOW team as collaborative: “We pick topics, like current events, that we think listeners will find interesting, like legal vendors,” he said. Recent episodes include a mix of topics, such as reviews of Seattle’s best pizza and Vietnamese dishes, and an engaging interview with critically acclaimed chef and food influencer J. Kenji López-Alt.
Vinh said that there’s a common misperception that writing about food is a narrow line of inquiry or that “almost anyone can write about food,” yet he believes what sets his approach apart is in his storytelling. Another faulty assumption is that being a professional food critic is like being a celebrity food influencer, but Vinh explained that it’s not.
“A lot of people want to be glamorous food influencers. Getting attention, free food, and more clicks — to be like the rich and famous, which is not what this work is about,” he said.
Vinh reflected that aspiring or up-and-coming food critics need to know how different beverages and foods connect to agriculture systems, climate change, environmental issues, immigration, and much more.
For instance, one of his popular Costco wine reviews led to a robust discussion about climate change. He described how he and the sommelier for this specific review tasted a wine that “smelled like burnt tires.” They learned that the grapes were contaminated by coastal wildfires, which led to a conversation about the wine industry’s environmental impact.
A professional food critic must also adhere to ethical standards. Foremost, Vinh does not accept free meals and uses a work account to pay for everything. He tries to remain anonymous when visiting different spots to provide more objective reviews. Since many people widely recognize his name, some of his friends help him make reservations or he sometimes uses pseudonyms.
Vinh is aware of how his reviews might impact businesses negatively or positively, although he strives to be balanced, consistent, and fair. Rather than describing something as “bad,” he will be more specific, for example, by describing something as being “overcooked” or having a “rubbery” texture.
Business owners generally become upset with negative reviews. While Vinh finds these situations uncomfortable, he stands by his reviews. He is sensitive to the fact that rising costs and staffing shortages have also impacted the restaurant and service industries. Thus, he will generally refrain from commenting extensively on slow service as part of a review if it was outside of an establishment’s control, such as due to a staffing shortage. However, writing about an experience with poor service is fair game as part of a balanced review.
Whether listening to a podcast episode or reading one of his written reviews, Vinh offers his audience an enriching educational experience. He vividly explains how beverages and various types of food connect with diverse people, places, and things. His reviews offer moments for listeners to critically reflect on consumption choices, as they directly influence everything from the environment and labor practices to the vitality of our local businesses and communities.
Rachel Endo is an award-winning educator, leader, and scholar who is currently based in the Tacoma area. She was born and raised in Nebraska and hails from a multi-generational Nikkei family. A first-generation college student, she graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with honors, where she also earned her MA in Education and MPA in Public Management . She holds a PhD in Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. To learn more, including how to contact her directly, visit her website at: www.rachelendo.com
