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| morning glory |
We have succumbed to eating Western food a couple of times already. :) We have had hamburgers , spaghetti and chocolate mousse, and they were delicious!
But there definitely is good Vietnamese food here! The best two being different yummy fruit and coffee. Some of the fruit we’ve tried include:
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| dragon fruit - the plant actually looks like a dragon! |
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| mangosteen |
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| custard apple |
Vietnamese coffee is delicious! It is very strong. When it is served, there is a small metal drip filter sitting atop a little coffee cup. The coffee drips through the metal filter into a quarter to half inch or so of sweetened condensed milk. When the coffee is finished dripping, the sweetened condensed milk and coffee are stirred together and usually poured into another little glass filled with ice cubes (they like to drink cold coffee because the weather is hot!) .
As we have become more familiar with the city and what it has to offer, we have discovered a variety of good foods. While wandering around in the city, we noticed many “mom and pop” street side restaurants that are much cheaper than “nomal” ones. The other night a few of us strolled down a side street and decided to try one of these little restaurants. The mother/owner was very warm and helpful as she guided us toward the food she thought we would like and away from the cow (?) tongue, fried scorpions and crabs. We choose delicious green beans and sprouts to go with our heaping plates of rice, which cost us a little over fifty cents. We’ve gone back to this same place a couple of times now, hoping to form a little bit of a friendship with her, even with our limited ability to converse in Vietnamese. It is fun to see her smile of recognition when we return to dine on her tasty food.
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| Julia, me & Nadia enjoying our lunch |
Eating in Vietnam is very communal. There are usually dishes in the middle of the table that everyone shares off of. You just reach for a spring rolls in the middle of the table and grab one with your chopsticks. Put it on your plate (or in your mouth) and help yourself to more food. It has been fun trying new foods and getting to know our fellow teachers while chatting over a bowl of rice and chicken.
It sounds like you are enjoying yourself. Keep trying those new foods, you may find you like something more than you thought you would. (Like scorpion!) JK Well, you never know. Have fun and I look forward to reading more on your adventures.
ReplyDeleteI kinda wish you had some scorpions, just to see how they taste. Anyway, you might be surprised, but japanese people like cow tongues. Usually, we grill/berbecue them and put some sauce on.i dont know how people eat cow tongues in Vietnam, but as long as they are cooked, they are actually very tasty. have a great week, Chrsita!
ReplyDeleteHi Christa! After being on vacation and celebrating my b-day this weekend, finally got to read your blog this morning! Interesting! I LOVE it that you are doing this, and we all get to see another part of the world through your eyes and observations! You are so right about building a relationship with the small restaurant owner. As Nathaniel told us before we went to the Netherlands, get to know the people - that's the way to really get to know a country. He said, "Definitely visit the people - even if it is the cousin of the sister of... I can say I've been to Berlin, but I haven't been in a home there and gotten to really know what their lives are like." (Not a direct quote, of course, /p all these years.) Also agree with previous comments about trying the foods. Tongue IS good! When you come back to the States and are lonesome for far eastern ways, foods, and the sounds of their chatter, I hope you will have the opportunity to meet our Vietnamese friends in Baton Rouge!
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