Food

I wanted to use photos with this post, but am unable to at the moment.

Food on the trip has been pretty mundane compared to what I had imagined originally. That's not to say that we haven't had some fantastic meals. I had a bowl of wonton soup (photo was linked previously) that after some bland cuisine, was outstanding. Liberal use of fish sauce, fresh noodles, and vivid bits of cilantro made that bowl of soup stand out in my mind. Since then though, I've had one bowl of pho and a few bowls of cau lau (I think it's spelled this way) that have increased my standards.

Pho was on the top of my list of food to try, especially with the explosion of pho joints in the greater Seattle area. The quality of the broth is definitely better, less salty. Sadly, most pho in Vietnam consists of a delicous broth, a few bits of meat, cilantro, and noodles. No limes, no bean sprouts, no green onions. I was sadly disappointed.

We've tried local food when we could, but in the end, it's a lot of noodles and rice. There's only so much of that type of fare that we can eat before we start craving vegetables and fiber. Western food is prevalent here, but not quite to the "standards" that I remember from home. Pizza has been an adventure that we've tried a few times. The first time Em ordered a pizza, it was at this little bar in Chiang Mai called Pirates Cove. We tried it just for the novelty of the name and decore. Her pizza consisted of a tortilla with ketchup, a few basil leaves, and a few sliced tomatoes. We laughed at the time. I ordered a burger that was so salty, I almost couldn't eat it. Lesson learned, I've avoided burgers until tonight. More on that later.

I broke down and ordered a Denver omelette in Hoi An the last morning we were there just so that I could remember the taste of bell peppers. We've both been ordering a lot more fresh fruit plates and steamed vegetables vs fried. If I ever see another fried noodle dish in my life, it will be too soon. Back to pizza...we've split probably close to a dozen pizzas on this trip and each one is a surprise. The standard so far was a fairly plain pizza: tomato sauce, oregano, and cheese on a crust that reminded us of naan bread. I believe we had this in Luang Prabang but I could be remembering incorrectly. Other pizzas have come out tasting burnt or tasting more of ketchup than tomato sauce. It's an adventure.

One night in Vientiane, we attempted to find local food at the riverfront. There was a stretch of about 3 blocks with open air "restaurants" consisting of an open kitchen, tanks of fresh seafood, and mats or chairs under a wooden awning. My stomach wasn't doing well at the time, so I tried to order a noodle salad without meat. Em ordered something similar and was asked if she wanted it spicy or not. She said not spicy. When the orders came, both were so spicy that I almost couldn't eat them, and my tolerance to spicy is pretty high. My noodle salad also came with a pork sausage that I couldn't handle. We gave up about 1/5 of the way through our dishes, walked down the street, and found a French place to have pizza at.

Also in Vientiane, two good items. We found this place called Noy's Fruit Heaven. It became a favorite of ours, and we dropped in 4 or 5 times before we finished the passport business. Fruit shakes were the speciality, but they also had a decent breakfast. I ordered a banana pancake and they arranged the banana pieces into a smiley face. Cute touch. The second place was a little hole in the wall Japanese place run by a real Japanese (as advertised on the sign and menu!). We ordered gyoza, pork teriyaki, and a few other things and while the meal was expensive, it was definitely worth the price.

We've also eaten baguette after baguette after baguette. Some with butter and jam, some with hamburger, others with tomatoes and onions. What I wouldn't give for a slice of whole wheat toast.

And lastly, tonight's dinner. We dropped in on a Texas BBQ place that had just opened 7 days ago by an ex-pat from Florida. He originally traveled to Vietnam on a whim, met a woman, and decided to stay about 8 years ago. Nice enough guy, he exports shells to Florida for vendors to sell on the coast (which means the shells out there are not local, go figure!) and imports beef, chicken, and beer (Coors and Bud) to Nha Trang. I had a bacon cheese burger and Em had a BBQ pork sandwhich I think. Both were good. Bacon was the best reminder of home food that I've had since we started this trip. Even the fries, likely frozen, were reminders of home.

Speaking of home, we've been craving specific foods. I have wanted a fresh fuji apple for weeks now. I had a dream last night about cooking: black beans, tomatoes, onions, salt, pepper, cumin, and lime juice on crunchy toast. I woke up drooling. We both want fresh salsa. I want lasagna. The list grows bigger each day.