Vietnamese Food Part I

The number one question I get asked when I’m chatting to my friends about being in Vietnam is: how is the food? 

Well, that’s a tough question to answer. I try new foods every day – some I love, some I could really do without. I’ve decided that the topic will need to be covered in more than just one blog post. I’ll start with the food in the North – in Hanoi, I wasn’t quite brave enough to sample street food, which is served from small stalls to people sitting in tiny blue and red plastic chairs on the sidewalk. Instead, I checked out a few restaurants and had some delicious spring rolls, rice dishes, and a popular meal: bun cha, little meat patties with noodles.

In Hai Phong, I became a bit braver with the help of the Research Institute staff. I had my first Pho for breakfast at a street stall, which cost about $0.50, and was delicious. I ate the equivalent of Saigon Delight’s #6 and it blew my mind (I have not stopped thinking about going back to have another one in August…). I had a massive meal of seafood springrolls, beef, vegetables, and noodles with one of my Vietnamese supervisors (Dr Bat) and his family, followed by jackfruit for dessert. We also had fresh-pressed juices – so tasty and sweet. I was also treated to a meal cooked by the RIMF staff staying in the dorm, which included fried fish, clams, and lots of rice.

I rarely take photos of food because I think it is a bit ridiculous; however, I have made exceptions here in Vietnam so I can show people the interesting things I’m trying. Check em out:

Dinner with Dr Bat's family - avocado smoothies (mine is pineapple), jackfruit on the right!

Snakehead soup.

Hot Pot (Thai style soup) - fish goes in first, then all sorts of veggies.

Poor man's sandwich. Gluey rice cakes on the outside (the leaves are to prevent your hands from getting stuck) and "paté" on the inside  ... ground pork (?) meat that is squished into baloney-esque thick slices - questionable at best. This may have been the most difficult thing for me to finish since I've been in Viet Nam. There's a story that goes along with it about a young prince that gets to become king because he brings this basic sandwich as his offering somewhere. I don't really remember the whole story, clearly...

Delicious, cheap pho for breakfast.