In the Vance household, meals are never just about food. They’re about memory, experimentation, tradition, and a bit of joyful chaos brought on by three curious children. And yes, sometimes, they’re about dosa—especially when Usha Vance’s father is visiting.
“He actually makes very good dosa,” Usha shared with a laugh during a rare and intimate conversation with NDTV during
Her family, originally from Andhra Pradesh, holds on tightly to their culinary roots, even thousands of miles away in the United States. “My mother and grandmother are both excellent cooks,” she added, with evident affection. “And we usually have a vegetarian household—sometimes it’s just sambar and rice, sometimes my mom pulls out all the stops and makes pulao or a few different dishes.”
But what caught everyone’s attention is that the Vice President of the United States, JD Vance himself, has turned into quite the home cook. “He’s very experimental. He’ll try anything,” Usha said. “He’s done everything from channa masala to various lamb dishes. Lately, he’s been focusing on desserts—our children especially enjoy that.” It’s a far cry from his old “meat and potatoes” lifestyle, and a sweet metaphor for how the couple has blended their worlds.
Meals are just one part of what seems to be a deeply thoughtful and engaged family life. Usha and JD Vance are raising their children with a sense of curiosity and openness that’s rooted in both her Indian heritage and their shared American experience.
Books, especially, play a central role. “My parents brought with them many traditions of scholarship, of respect for knowledge,” Usha reflected. “That translated to the way they built their household, and that in turn has translated to the way we’ve built ours.” Their children are already hooked on stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, often recognizing mythological references in art and performances during their travels.
It’s not all intellectual, though. During their recent visit to Amer Fort, the kids turned the historic site into their imaginary battleground. “They were up there imagining themselves defending against an army,” she said, smiling. Even their youngest—just three years old—thinks she’s seven and doesn’t want to be left out of any adventure.
And when they’re not pretending to be warriors or asking questions about ancient Indian history, they’re dancing. “They really enjoy dancing themselves—without that level of skill,” Usha said with a grin, recalling how mesmerized they were by a puppet show featuring flying Hanumans.
“We had a traditional Hindu ceremony and a traditional American ceremony,” Usha said. “It was important to me to have both elements. I grew up seeing my parents’ wedding photos, and it shaped how I imagined my own wedding would look.”
That idea—bringing two distinct lives together without losing the essence of either—seems to run through everything the Vances do. Whether it’s finding the right Indian outfits for their kids before a diplomatic visit (“I did all the shopping,” Usha confessed) or taking time between official events for pottery lessons and peacock spotting, there’s an emphasis on connection—between cultures, generations, and each other.
This trip to India, which Usha calls “a trip of a lifetime,” was more than just diplomatic duty. It was a chance to bring her children home, in a way. “We always knew that when that opportunity arose, we would all come with him,” she said. “It’s been something they’ve been dying to do—and we’ve been dying to do with them.”
