FOOD FOOD and more FOOD....a bit of a culinary recap

We have been her for a month now. Lots of interesting things to mention, and photos to share....

They don't seem to eat very much western food here. My friends are as excited to eat western food as much as we want to eat Vietnamese food. The problem is that our kitchen is not equipped for western cooking (we have a microwave, 2 burner cook top, 1 frying pan, 1 pot with a lid, no oven, no dinner plates, no cutlery). I did manage to pull off Easter Brunch. There is no sausage or bacon. I managed to make some sausage type patties with a random pack of grilling spice; french toast with fruit and yogurt, hash browns, and scrambled eggs. We needed to crowd around the couch to eat as we have a tiny dining table. It all worked out well. They all really enjoyed brunch and Steve and Natalie enjoyed some much needed flavors of home.

Steve cutting up amazing fruit (mango, banana and grapes for brunch)

the gang enjoying the feast

Then a few nights later, we made chicken stew in a pot with garlic toast. Everyone really enjoyed it and asked me to make it again. The chicken stock was a blend of a few creative ingredients including packages of flavoring from instant pho noodles. I made a large pot and everyone had a few helpings.

This is a big building we are staying in (about 1500 residents I think). We can order food for delivery to the door. People in the building make it. There is a whole economy in the building from flowers to plants to food and other things. The food thus far has been delicious. At about $1.25 per plate, there is no point in me cooking! We order in Vietnamese through FB messenger and it arrives like magic. The language barrier has not been much of a challenge. We have had our friends to help and get us started. There is a picture of our favorite dish called "fried Pho" that we often order. It is puffed rice noodles topped in a stirfry of veggies, meat, garlic with herbs on the side and nuoc cham (the classic Vietnamese dipping sauce).

We go to our friends house for dinner each night. I have attached a photo of the table with the traditional meal which includes fish, veggies, rice, eggplant, kohlrabi, sweet potato leaf soup (that goes in the bowl with everything) and fried peanuts. It is a blend of food they eat in the city, and traditional rural food from our friend Nga's village.

There is a lady across the road quietly (she is supposed to be closed) selling Vietnamese sandwiches called Banh Mi. There are a number of different types of Banh Mi. These are pretty delicious. Natalie has been working up to ordering them herself. Natalie tends to attract less attention than Steve and I do. These sandwiches are about 90 cents each for locals, $1.20 for foreigners.

After we had been here for 1 month, Nga figured I was ready for the wet market. I could talk so much about this- it was an amazing experience. At about 6:30 every morning, some of the narrow windy streets close by, that are just wide enough for 2 scooters to pass each other, becomes lined with people selling everything.
They don't see foreigners here very often- I was a little bit of a spectacle but tried to blend in. Likely without luck. This is clearly the heart of the community. You can buy the usual things- veggies, fresh made tofu, eggs, meat and many types of fish and seafood. They have live chickens, ducks, quail and pigeons. You can buy them alive (if you don't want to eat it today and don't have a fridge) or they will slaughter it there for you.
It is called a wet market (I think) because there are many tubs of water with live fish, eels, shrimp etc (and air tubes aerating the water). The most interesting thing I saw was someone buying a celophane bag of live frogs. They were all kind of tumbling around in the bag. Not sure how they would traditionally prepare them.

My goal is to learn the prices, get quicker with the local currency and go to the market by myself. It is a lofty goal!!!

I tried to sneak a picture when no one was looking..