Bún chả

Rice noodles, pork meat and some broth; simple yet delicious!

Street food

I was strolling down the road the other day when this lady offered to sell some snacks that were unknown to me; I gladly accepted the offer and discovered it was some glutinous buns that were tasting like prawns... Not exactly what I had in mind but hey, at least now I know ;).

'Fuh'?

 

Ladies and gents, please allow me to introduce you to one of Vietnam's culinary institutions: not Phở 24 which is just a restaurant chain, but rather to the phở itself; if you have come to Vietnam one day in your life you must have tasted this yummy rice-noodle soup dish which variations are almost endless. The most common one will have minced beef in it (but other meats and organs are allowed, too), flat noodles and some seasoning in the form of fresh onions, lime and bean sprouts in a clear broth.

 

The pronunciation takes a little while to get used to, though - if you want to be understood with an English accent you should say something like 'fuh'!

Thịt chó

Okay, I must confess I hesitated to post this one.

 

Eating dog surely is a taboo in our western cultures, but it's not here - and it's actually considered almost as a delicacy.

 

For those who were contemplating coming over to Vietnam and who are now reconsidering, please don't let this fool you: you will not be served dog's meat if you don't specifically request it. It is only served in some restaurants advertising 'Thit cho'.

Some will argue that it's wrong to eat dog, and the purpose of this blog isn't to debate about it, but rather to open our eyes to a different culture - because it feels nice to see that we're not all alike.