A monk (Nguyen Thanh Nam) living on an (Pheonix) island in Ben Tre province survived for 81 years eating and drinking coconuts alone!!!!! "Poor bugger," I thought, he must have been a regular vistor to the toilet....but what an age! I can see the diet appearing in Hello magazine soon.
Joking aside, the food in Vietnam just gets better with each meal. Its a cuisine defined by freshness,(everything is cooked from scratch, every vegetable and herb is bright green, every fish was alive before cooking)The abundance of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs has amazed me too. Regardless of social status, nobody eats badly here.
A Sicilian man in his seventies once told me that when you finish a good meal you should not be bloated but still left wanting more. Vietnamese food induces this feeling perfectly. Their noodle and rice soups for example are clean, light and amazingly well balanced.
Sure, there have been some oddities, duck embryos for one, raw snake blood, dog meat, fried insects, steamed bat, grilled camel (Lac da Nuong) mouse (Chuot) and weasel coffee (the coffee beans have been swallowed then excreted by the animal for a distinct flavour!)
One Chau Doc menu listing read, "fish bowels served with grease and unripe eggs."
When I mentioned to one Vietnamese guy that the Cambodians ate spiders he called them barbarians!!! (bit rich)
However, like the girls in Vietnam, there have been some corkers.
Indeed, the Vietnamese Tourist board were very quick to quote Anthony Bourdain when, on his "Cooks Tour," of the world he was asked which food he enjoyed the most out of all the countries he visited. He replied, "almost everything I ate in Vietnam"
I agree entirely. Failing to appreciate Vietnams world-class food might indicate that you were either, stupid, sensless, ignorant or American (sorry Anthony)
So what's good for breakfast? - The French may be long gone, but their baguettes are far from stale. I have eaten consistently good, crusty, "Bahn Mi" with pate and with butter and jam for breakfast. I won't even compare to English bread as there is no comparison - ours is universally bad.
One thousand years of Chinese rule has also left pockets of deliciousness. "Bahn Bao," a white steamed bun filled with pork, egg, spring onion and manioc is a tasty, early morning starter or mid day snack.
My welcome into Vietnam was, "Chao Long." Dont be put off by the contents of pork, liver, blood, herbs, some intestine, bones in a soupy rice. Just pour on a little Nuoc Mam (fish sauce.)and enjoy. Its a phenominal dish. This is sometimes eaten with long, golden, very light, doghnutty things called, "quay."
So, what's good for lunch? - Like pubs in Newcastle, food stalls are one after another on all streets. Unlike Newcastle you emerge from them sober and with all your teeth intact.
There are placards everywhere for, "Com" (rice), "Pho" (national dish of clear beef broth) "Hu Tieu" (one of my all time favourites - white noodles with pork, chilli, herbs and fish sauce) "Bun Bo Hue" (soupy noodles with beef, pork or waterbuffalo) "Chao Ga" (rice soup with chicken)
Heres a lunchtime combination I tried.
1. Try "Goi Bap Chuoi," if you fancy a light salad of banana flower, pork, sesame seeds, shrimp and lime juice eaten with prawn crackery things.
2. "Canh Bi," a clear, peppery soup containing pieces of cooked green melon (not the sweet variety.) also order, "Com" (rice) and the ever so tasty "Ca nuong," (snake head fish.)
3. Finish with, "Suong Sa" - a better option than the disappointing, "Rau Cau," this is an ever so light clear jelly of coconut water topped with a lightly sweet coconut milk served inside a coconut. Not too sweet, not too filling. Stunning.
Alternatively eat the wide selection of fabulous exotic fruits. Some fruits, like green mango and even pineapple are dipped in a mixtire of salt and chilli before being eaten.
So, what's good for dinner?
It depends where you are (and who you're with to a degree) but if you visit the Mekong then fish, frog and eels will be natural first choices.
I ate "Luon" (eel) minced with lemongrass and chilli and scooped on to the traditional, "Bahn Trang," a crispbread of white rice and black sesame seeds.
"De," Goat is a must try. Intensely flavoured its good roasted or in a soup.
If you want to try frog (ech) then ask for it grilled without skin (if you want to avoid eating a handbag.)
One night try "Banh Cuon," a light dish of starchy rice gluten wrapped around pork, mushroom, fried onion, lime and beansprout. Its like spring rolls but with a completely different texture. I loved it.
The ironically named "Muc," is actually squid. Mine was treated with care and dignity. Steamed with ginger and lemongrass it was tender to the bite.
With every meal expect "Nuoc mam," (the best is from Phu Quoc island)as a condiment or dipping sauce. Also expect chilli paste, free green tea (ask for no ice or purchase a multi-pack of Andrex on the way home)
To dink sir?
With the exception of Banana wine, I didn't drink wine once in Asia.
There are many beers to try including regionally brewed stuff like Saigon and Can Tho. Alternatively fruit juices are great. I had a white puree of custard apple the other night. Very good indeed.
Coffee is often iced and served with condensed milk. It ain't my cup of tea! although the coffee-shop ambiance is - so an ideal place to savour time, writing, sketching and dreaming.
My Vietnamese diet began on 1st May 2007 and I don't intend to stop.
Notes to self - Pronounciations
Pho - far
Chao Long - Chow lowng
Com - Cum
Hei Tieu - Ho-deeo
Bun Bo Hue - Bun-Bo-Ho-e
Ech - ett
