Certain foods can trigger flashbacks. Tombstone pizza: slumber parties with your third grade posse. Anything deep-fried: freshman (fifteen) year.

Bich Minh Nguyen, Chicagoan and author of Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, knows all about it. In fact, she named the chapters of her charming new memoir after a popular snack or restaurant from her childhood. (Samples: “Toll House Cookies” and “Pringles.” Mmmm.)

Equal parts pop culture, food diary, and history lesson, the book tells the story of Nguyen and her Buddhist family, who fled Vietnam in 1975 and eventually settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her attempts to acclimate to the Midwest involved bullies, a new stepmother, and — you guessed it — American junk food.

Hilarious and poignant, her words will go straight to your heart.

Which is way better than your hips.

Available online at amazon.com. For more information, go to bichminhnguyen.com.