Food ways
04/08/2009
The sun is out and I have a number of reasons for feeling good today. First, and most obviously, I was able to wash and dry my clothes! Second, the pill I took for my stomach ailment seems to be working and I am feeling much more energetic after more than a week of wondering why I was so listless, tired and had no appetite. Third, I've been able to collect statistics from two other academic libraries and these will be useful in the assessment document I'm preparing. Fourth, I've finished a draft of my History of the Book syllabus for the summer. And fifth, I'm having dinner with some British volunteers tonight. With all these good things to think about, I won't dwell on the things that are proving to be a bit frustrating. Instead, I'm going to write a bit about food.
Let me start with drinks. When I go out to eat, I usually have either hot green tea or a club soda in a can. Occasionally I have a 7-Up or Pepsi. And then there's the coffee. I've been remiss in not writing about Vietnamese coffee, a thicker, sweeter, and very strong drink that takes a little getting used to. You can have it hot or iced, black or white. They prepare it by putting the coffee grounds in an aluminum cup that sits on top of your coffee cup, and it takes forever for the water to drip through it. Usually, in the bottom of the cup, there is a bit of sweetened condensed milk. Once it is done, you stir and stir and stir. Sometimes you add ice and stir until it is melted. Either way, it is a thick, creamy, and very tasty drink. One odd thing--they often serve you free cups of green tea to accompany your coffee.
Next, let me talk about a couple of typical dishes. First, there is the hot pot (pictured above). A waiter or waitress will bring a bubbling pot of hot broth to your table and place it on a warmer with a substance burning inside. While it simmers, other ingredients are placed on the table and then added to the pot one or two at a time. They may include thinly sliced meat, seafood, leafy vegetables, mushrooms, and similar items. It is a communal meal, and lots of fun too. In the pot pictured above, I found shrimp, oysters, and tuna.
And now for the beef! I am not a big beef eater, and expected the beef here to be tough and stringy, so I was pleasantly surprised. It is generally shaved very thin, marinated in a tasty sauce that includes garlic and ginger, and then cooked on a grill like you see pictured here. The raw beef in the foreground was more than enough for our dinner party, plus we had shrimp, tuna, chicken, and a hot pot!
There are often two other dishes on the table when I go out to eat--stir-fried morning glories (with garlic) and French fries. The morning glories remind me a little of spinach, but tougher, and the French fries are...delicious!
Okay, I'm making myself hungry. Time to get back to work!
