The Book of Salt

Anh Minh, now the sous-chef in the Governor-General’s house, has convinced the Old Man to let him get Binh a job in the kitchen as well. The first lessons Anh Minh teaches Binh are about the particulars of others working in the household. Anh Minh says not to gossip about but to take heed of these various traits. Anh Minh then gives Binh cooking lessons. He acts as though he doesn’t mind Chef Bleriot coming in and taking the head chef position.

Binh sees the futility of his brother’s efficiency: “Anh Minh believed that if he could save three minutes here, five minutes there, then one day he could tally them all up and have enough to start life all over again” (43). Binh enjoys listening to Anh Minh because Anh Minh is the only son who inherited his father’s deep voice but uses it to speak encouraging, rather than damaging, words, distinctly unlike their father.

The Old Man was harsh to all his sons, stating they shared the nickname Stupid. The second-oldest brother became a railroad porter in second class, hoping always to advance to the next level.