Friday, April 10, 2009

Food in Vietnam


Food is my life. Anybody who knows me well knows that I love to cook and eat things. Cooking is half the fun. And sometimes it's all the fun, especially when a recipe doesn't work out.

It's hard sometimes to stroll the streets here in Hanoi and find something that I can eat. But when I find something, I can't be happier. It's not uncommon for me to be walking completely full from a meal, and to pass by some food vendor selling some sort of delicious snack food and totally cave in. At the moment I'm in love with chè, a gloppy concoction of sweet beans sprinkled with candied fruit or lotus seeds.

Though I haven't yet mastered the art of making chè, I've been quickly trying to learn how to make Vietnamese food. I took a cooking class in Hoi An (in Central Vietnam) and Bangkok. That's one souvenir I want to bring back home with me: the art of making Southeast Asian food. I learned how to make peanut sauce, green and red chili paste, pad Thai, Penang curry, green papaya salad, Isaan, dau phu sot ca chua (tofu sauteed with tomatoes), dau phu xa ot (tofu with lemongrass and chili), banh xeo (Vietnamese savoury pancakes) among others.

Whenever I go back to Montreal, my friends should brace themselves for delicious Southeast Asian feasts.

Start fasting now.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Blowing Bangkok Birthday Bonanza 2009!!!


So I'm back from Bangkok, and now getting ready to take a 15 hour train ride to Danang in North-Central Vietnam.

I'm not rolling in dough, can I mention... Things are just so cheap here.

Thailand was an amazing experience. I think it's ruined my view of Hanoi.

There's something about mixing an elevated light rail system with coconut-based curries that makes me want to pack up everything and move there.

I'll sit on it for the weekend (sitting on the beach in Danang, is exactly what I'll be doing).