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From Eating Out
Posted by Cathy Danh, April 30, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Living in Saigon, I’m constantly adding new Vietnamese words to my vocabulary. It’s fascinating how some terms stick straightaway, while others, regardless of how many times I run into them, refuse to integrate into my lexicon. For instance, I can’t seem to remember the words for menu, even though I ask to see one practically every day. However, just one tasty encounter with soft-shell crabs was all it took for the words cua lot to be forever seared into my mind. I guess the part of my brain that processes new information is directly connected to my taste buds.
I visited Quán 94, a restaurant specializing in crabs, a few weeks back with a travel journalist named Peter. I was so stoked about the place after my initial visit that I returned less than a week later with a posse of friends because great food begs to be shared.
A section of the restaurant’s entryway functions as a makeshift kitchen, and the soft-shells are prominently displayed front and center. There’s something strange and yet strangely appealing about seeing the crustaceans alive and kicking prior to consuming them.
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From Required Eating
Posted by Cathy Danh, March 28, 2008 at 10:00 AM
It’s bloody hot in Saigon.
The dry season is in full swing, and the days of motorbiking in the rain while donning ponchos are now a distant memory.
Unlike most foreigners, I love the heat. It’s probably the product of my Saigon genes and SoCal upbringing. And even though it’s already suitably warm right now, temperatures will likely continue to soar until June. I hope I don’t melt.
On those occasions when a cool wet-nap just isn’t enough to keep the heat at bay, here are ten truly local delights to keep from going bananas during the long months before the rains return.
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From Required Eating
Posted by Cathy Danh, March 20, 2008 at 2:00 PM
One of the aspects that I appreciate most about Vietnamese cuisine is that nothing goes to waste. From bones to meat to blood and guts, each and every part of an animal is put to good culinary use. Cháo lòng turns piggy odds and ends that most butchers would toss out with the garbage into hearty and soothing rice porridge.
Cháo Lòng is one of the rare offerings in Saigon that is served from morning until evening. The dish is hot, satisfying and easy on the pocket at only 6,000 VND a bowl. Street vendors dishing up cháo lòng can be easily spotted with their giant metal vats and glass display cases filled with piles of offal and stacks of golden fried dough (giò cháo quẩy).
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From Eating Out
Posted by Cathy Danh, March 7, 2008 at 8:30 AM
There are some very interesting meats available for consumption in Southeast Asia. I’ve seen bugs, ostriches, dogs, snakes, bats, and even cats for sale. While I draw the line at domesticated animals and insects, I’ll pretty much eat everything else, just as long as it was prepared with love, looks appetizing, and smells good.
With the year of the rat in full swing, a group of friends and I recently ventured outside our comfort zones to try a Mekong Delta specialty—mouse.
The breed of mice served in local restaurants are not native to the city and are in fact from the countryside. These mice resided in rice fields and feasted on whole grains prior to meeting their makers. If this were America, the words “grain-fed” and “organic” would be touted on the restaurant menus serving up these little guys.
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From Eating Out
Posted by Cathy Danh, February 18, 2008 at 2:45 PM
One would imagine that in a society where roughly 85% of the people are practicing Buddhists, vegetarian restaurants could be found on every corner. While this may be true in some parts of Asia, it is certainly not the case in Saigon, where eateries specializing in com chay are few and far between.
Exceptions to this general trend appear on the first and fifteenth of each Lunar Calendar month, when all Buddhists shy away from meat. On these particularly auspicious days, nearly all workers’ lunch establishments (com binh dan) serve vegetarian options.
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From Required Eating
Posted by Cathy Danh, February 5, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Photograph from johnlemon on Flickr
I woke up super-duper early this morning to witness a very special tradition—the making of Bánh Tét. With the Lunar New Year days away, my grandma’s sister and her two daughters-in-law gathered for their annual ritual of making this holiday specialty.
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From Required Eating
Posted by Cathy Danh, January 29, 2008 at 9:45 AM
Or, 'Looking Your Dinner Square in the Eye'
At first glance, I thought the woman was frying up some bánh tôm tây hồ—battered and deep fried julienned sweet potatoes with shrimp. Upon closer inspection, I came to realize I did not recognize what was bubbling away in her oil-filled wok.
It is truly a red letter day in Saigon when I stumble upon a food that I have not heard of or tried before, and my encounter with bánh cóng on Vuon Chuoi Street (toward Dien Bien Phu Street) in District 3 was no different.
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From Required Eating
Posted by Cathy Danh, January 22, 2008 at 3:00 PM
After six months of living in Saigon, I haven’t even come close to sampling all of the fruits and vegetables available. I love how every "season" brings a plethora of new delights to try. Sugar apples have been my favorite fruit for quite some time, but they may soon be replaced by vú sữa.
In English, vú sữa kinkily translates to "milky boob." Hubba hubba. The fruit earned its name based on its appearance and the process by which it is consumed. After the fruit has properly chilled in the fridge, one needs to massage it thoroughly before eating. When the milky juice and flesh are ready, the vú sữa feels pliable to the touch.
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Website: http://gastronomyblog.com/
Location: Saigon, Vietnam
About: Cathy Danh is spending her Odyssey years in Saigon, Vietnam where she works as a copy editor and writer. She aims to eat five-a-day and avoids trans-fats like the plague.
Favorite foods: Bananas, caramel, peanut butter, Golden Grahams, Vietnamese sandwiches, bo kho, thit kho, muscadine cobbler, blueberries, hot fudge sundaes, papperdelle, fresh bread, marmalade, runny eggs
Last bite on earth: Toro straight up.