Vietnamese Sniff Kisses

Growing up, I only spoke Vietnamese in the home, only ate Vietnamese food, and played with my Vietnamese grandmother, Ba Ngoai. We were the typical Vietnamese family with a domineering father, intelligent yet obedient mother, and nurturing grandmother who raised the grandkids. Affection was far and few between. However, when I was very young, I remember receiving these quick little sniffs on my cheek, forehead, arm, wherever.

I never paid much attention to these "sniffs" until Peanut was born and I naturally started sniffing him. I would've thought it was some animalistic maternal thing left over from our Neanderthal ancestors, but my entire family showers Peanut with these little sniffs too. They refer to it as kissing. I asked my mom why they give these sniffing kisses versus the puckered Western style lip smacking kiss. She explained that babies smell so good; sniff kisses let you enjoy their special fragrance. She also shared that sniff kisses usually go away as babies grow up into stinky school-aged children because they start playing outside and smell "sun-smoked". Nice!

Even though I am fully "Americanized", I still find it so strange hearing the 'smack' of the Western style kisses my husband gives our baby boy instead of the airy 'sniff'.

Instructions on how to give your very own Vietnamese sniff kiss:
1. Curl your lips into your mouth to create a flat plain under your nostrils.
2. Place your nose against the subject.
3. Inhale, then quickly pull your head back 1-2 inches away from the subject.
4. Repeat.