Vietnamese Food Part II

Arriving in Phu Quoc was a bit of a shock. Just when I was getting used to eating cheap, delicious street food, I was suddenly surrounded by signs boasting the “best burger in town”, “PIZZA”, and “Western food”! Phu Quoc caters to tourists who want a beautiful tropical island beach paradise with all the comforts of home… So much for authenticity.

Since then, I’ve managed to find a few decent Vietnamese places. But the prices are three times what I was paying elsewhere; it’s putting a bit of a dent in my research budget, unfortunately. It’s really hit-and-miss with the street food, but I figure I’ve got four months to find all the best ones.

Noodle soup for lunch with three kinds of unidentifiable meat!

Fried noodles

One of my favourite places on Phu Quoc is the market, which is jam-packed with people selling fresh food every day. Whether I’m buying fruit or eggs or herbs, I get overcharged because I am blonde and foreign; but as I learn more Vietnamese it gets easier to bargain and get better prices.

Fish eyeball - yum!

Then there is the night market, which is a bit of a gong show – tons of people staring at odd seafood creatures floating in tanks waiting to be consumed. It’s quite pricey to eat at the night market; but I quite enjoy people-watching there … Vietnamese families chatting away, kids running around high on mango juice, and hoards of tourists, their faces puffy and sweaty from a day in the sun, snapping photos of giant crayfish and rays. There is SO much seafood on Phu Quoc – I’ve tried all sorts of interesting creatures, from jellyfish to snails to squid.

Thanh and I trying octopus for the first time ... chewy.

SWEET SNAIL

My favourite meal by far since I’ve been on Phu Quoc was at a pagoda on the southern part of the island. Thanh spends a few days there every once in a while, meditating and studying Buddhism. He’s familiar with the monks, so he took An and I there for lunch one day. It was delicious (and vegetarian!); we had spicy tomato tofu with ginger, soup, and some boiled vegetables. The best part was the fruit plate for dessert – dragonfruit and mango. It was a scorching hot day, and sweat was pouring down our faces; biting into the soft, sweet, juicy mango was like heaven.

I tried an interesting local drink and am now addicted – it is made by pressing the sweet, green juice out of sugar cane stalks, then served over ice. A glass costs about $0.50.

MMM SUGARCANE