Sanderson Media

yummy Vietnamese food with cruel pirates and boat people

Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Many who sample Asian cuisine have found their way to the Warner Chinese Restaurant near the Petrie roundabout on Gympie Road, Brisbane.

While there you can eat great food and hear a top story from Darren Tran, originally from Vietnam with his family.

Darren’s parents sailed with their children left Vietnam in an overcrowded, rusty, rickerty boat about 30 years ago. The family was one of the original “boat people” fleeing the turmoil of a Vietnam consumed by war, turmoil and suffering. They, with many others, risked their lives for a better life in Australia, also an Asian country.

The couple had three children, Darren and his two sisters.

Chatting during visits to the restaurant, you might learn that the boat children risked not just drowning but attack by pirates, on the journey to a better life.

(After reading this story you might need some vietnamese recipes )

Children covered in grease

They remember vividly one day when pirates were closing in on their boat. Mr and Mrs Tran rubbed their three children down with axle grease and dirt from the rusty boat’s engine room.

The pirates took everything that wasn’t bolted down, except for the Tran parents and their greasy children and a couple of dozen other asylum seekers.

It was a stroke of genius because pirates who often raped boat refugees and they avoided the three greasy children.

After time in a refugee centre, the Trans settled in Brisbane The children attended school and quickly learnt English. The two girls attended University, gained degrees and went on to lucrative careers.

Darren Tran found himself a bride and organised a large wedding.

Brisbane Boat-builder and friend, Rob Noble, remembers: “They were so proud to have us as their Australian friends at their wedding but we were very proud to have Vietnamese friends.

“To this day it is obligatory that our family visits the new Tran restaurant, Warner Chinese Restaurant at the corner of Samsonvale Road and Northern Road, in the Brisbane suburb of Warner.

Many have taken the cultural journey at Darren Tran’s restaurant.
“Everyone hugs each other and the food tastes better than ever,” said Rob.

Always with an eye on the country’s skills base, Mr Noble says his friend Darren will probably employ lots of Australians as the years go by, so the country’s skills base and tax system has done quite well out of those boat people.

Have you tried a yummy vietnamese recipe

(Sanderson Media's breezy writing style and great images can get your message out to the world) contact john@sanderson-media.com

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