Ăn Tết literally translates to “eating the New Year.” It is a Vietnamese expression used to describe not only the enjoyment of all the delicious food that marks the occasion but also the traditions and rituals of welcoming spring.

In preparation for the Year of the Tiger, we reached out to friends and fellow creatives to capture the sentiment of the new year through the food that we make, offer and share in. Within the pages you’ll find a collection of food recipes and stories from our Asian diasporic creative community—sharing family memories and traditions around the Lunar New Year. Ăn Tết seemed a fitting title for this zine which gives a taste of how we each approach this time of year.

Many thanks to each of our wonderful and talented contributors who shared moments of their lives with us:

Jeanne Chan @jeannecychan 
Annie Chen @teaphilelife
Windy Chien @windychien
Kristina Cho @eatchofood
Melissa Chou @grandopening___
Janice Chuang @missjanicechuang
Candace Huey @re.riddle
KAAREM @kaaremvn @quekaarem
Selina S. Lee @selina.s.lee
An Nguyễn Xuân @bepganyc
Bao Nguyễn @baomnguyen
Michelle “Meng” Nguyễn @allthingsmeng @mongthusf
Stacy Nguyễn @stacynguyencreative
Minh Singer @minhsinger
Kevin Tang @clawsofmantis
Diep Tran @diepette
Steffany Tran @vyvoistudio
Ivy Vuong @flowersbyivy

Special thanks to Chloe Ng for allowing us to use her images that capture Abacus Row's Lunar New Year Shop in 2021.

The Ăn Tết zine is a production of Abacus Row's Lunar New Year concept shop, which aims to cultivate awareness, share diverse voices, and offer a gathering space to celebrate, honor and grow the traditions we value within and across our communities. 

All proceeds from the zine will benefit Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), a place-based community development organization working for social and economic justice for San Francisco’s Chinatown residents.

2022 March 2 Update 
Thank you for purchasing every last copy of Ăn Tết. Excited to have donated all of the proceeds to Chinatown Community Development Center. Together we raised $1698 to support the great work that CCDC carries out in our area. Immensely grateful for all the show of support for this project and for everyone who celebrated the New Year with us by picking up a copy. Big thanks and so much love to our generous and enthusiastic zine contributors, who shared their memories and traditions with us.