I made a promise a while back that I would talk about the food in Vietnam.

I unwrapped it like a tasty gift!

Since I’m not feeling well, writing a blog post about food seems a bit counterintuitive but I’m a little bored and it’s either this or Bob’s Burgers which ALSO has food so... here we are.

Vietnam was my first trip out of North America. I was 22. I had a lot to learn and luckily, Vietnam was exactly what I needed, and when I needed it.

We did nearly die in a Tuk Tuk accident but that a) was in Cambodia and b) deserves a whole other blog post.

I guess I should start with my relationship with food before I went. I hadn’t really experienced food. My palate could be described as underdeveloped. I have always loved eating, but my favourite food was (and maybe still is a little) sandwiches. You can get pretty fancy with a sandwich but… well they aren’t exactly fine dining.

I got to Vietnam and it was a whole new world in so many ways. In regards to food, everything was so fresh! We were in walking distance from a market or a vendor selling fresh seafood, fruit or vegetables. And since we were staying in Ho Chi Minh we could choose from anything. There was German, Indian, Korean, Australian (which seemed a lot like North American), Japanese, Italian, Chinese and of course, Vietnamese.

Good morning Vietnam! You fancy some Italian?

There were things I didn’t try though. Like snake, or scorpions. At least, I didn’t eat any snake that I know of.

I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Maybe next time. Would you eat snake or drink snakey alcohol?

We were addicted to those tiny bananas. Every morning we would buy more. I had to make my friend go into the fruit shop though because I developed a very strong hatred for the smell of durian. Nature is so weird to make a fruit that smells like dead things.

Also, I’m proud to share that I learned how to pretty much use chopsticks properly on the trip. Before Vietnam my friends used to make fun of me and even bought me those beginner’s (they called them something different) chopsticks that are connected.

I also can now pronounce Phở.

I don’t have any pictures of it, but one of my favourite restaurants was called Ganesh. I think we went there at least twice a week (for six weeks), and we would just order a bunch of Indian dishes and all share. I started to develop a love for spicy food.

Every dish we ate in Vietnam was beautifully presented. When I cook a meal I’m just happy when I don’t burn it or poison anyone. These cooks are artists!

I’m afraid I don’t have the foodie language to describe the different flavours and aromas I experience, but suffice it to say, other than durian, everything smelled and tasted pretty damn good.

Oh, and P.S. the best sandwich I've ever had was a Bánh mì from a street vendor in the Backpacker's District of Ho Chi Minh. And that's saying something, because I've had a lot of sandwiches.

Thanks!

If you're interested in reading another travel-ish post here is the last one!
New York City and Always Look Up