Piece Comment

Review of Head over Heels for Cooking


From the start of this piece, there is a sincerity in Dinh To’s voice that grabbed on to me and didn’t let go. The way she weaves her story - from the way she was before coming to South Philly, and the way she changed- is amazingly smooth. The transitions in her script and the editing of the piece are equally fluid.
While To brings attention to her passion for cooking with her title, she does a wonderful job uncovering all the layers that are connected to that passion. She brings in the struggle of moving to a new country and learning a new language, experiences that navigated her toward cooking. She also ties in the importance of family and how it keeps her grounded. All this, she does without sounding preachy or overly sentimental.
In addition to the beautiful balance of topics in this piece, To illustrates her story with a great use of sound; the Vietnamese music in the beginning, the sound of a simmering skillet, and various voices from Food Network makes the story alive. The snippets from To’s sister are also valuable in enhancing the content of the story, and the conclusions that To herself comes to.
This is a great piece suited for cross-cultural youth based programing, however it will work well as a standalone piece as well.
“Head over Heels for Cooking” undoubtedly deserves to be heard, for its sincere and vibrant presentation as well as its ability to pull the listener into the story and into the shoes of the storyteller.