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Food Story: Vietnamese Cuisine

by Nadeen
October 1, 2012
A A

Segun recently had the pleasure of visiting Vietnam with his sister who was there on a business trip. Based on his colorful pics on facebook of Vietnamese cuisine, I asked him to share his experience with us.

To truly understand and appreciate Vietnamese cooking, you must first surrender yourself to the fish paste (mam). This is the staple in almost all Vietnamese dishes. Regardless if they are cooking with chicken, pork, or beef, this fish paste is used as a stock to flavor every soup, broth, and sauce. The mam is prepared by fermenting fish (often anchovies) with water and sea salt. Everything is arranged in a box, and then left to ferment, and the resulting product is ground into a paste. The paste is intensely flavored, and very pungent. On my trip up the Mekong Delta, I unfortunately floated by several fish paste factories. The smell is at once recognizable, and never forgettable.

 

I will not bore you with which restaurants my sister and I frequented, because we stuck to a tried and true principle, and had all our meals in our 5 star hotels. Vietnam is not the place to become an adventurous gourmand. We were warned that if the menu in a restaurant was written entirely in Vietnamese, you could guarantee that all your meat dishes would be dog. However if the menu was in English and Vietnamese…the likelihood was greatly reduced. We decided not to gamble with those odds. Luckily our hotel (5 stars) had several restaurants that specialized in Vietnamese cooking, so we were afforded the experience of eating authentic native cuisine…without actually having to seek out the natives.

The highlight for me was the sea food. If you have had the good sense to read my FaceBook posts, you would know that I have dined on river prawns the size of lobsters.

 

Shrimp curry, that was sweetened with coconut milk and spiced with red chilies. Fried rice that was infused with ginger and scallions. But the piece de resistance was the Pho.

Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef or chicken. The soup includes noodles made from rice flour, and is flavored with Asian basil, saw tooth herb, cilantro, green onion, lime juice, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is having the Pho. The dish is associated with the city of Hanoi, where the first Pho restaurant was opened in 1920. Though my sister and I were in Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, Pho is universal, and can be found in almost every city around the world.

It is important to know that Vietnam was once called Indochina. At that time it was occupied by the French and their influence can be seen in the sauces and preparation of many Vietnamese meals. Colors and textures are very important in Vietnamese cuisine. Fragrant rice flavored with jasmine, or coconut is not uncommon. A dazzling array of fruits and vegetables are plentiful. And considering that Vietnam is a tropical country littered with river ways and bordered by the South China Sea, the variety of seafood is staggering.

 

I cannot express with enough grace, the patience, and welcoming manner of the Vietnamese people. Sure it could have been because black people are not typically seen in Southeast Asia, or that I was typically a foot and a half taller than everyone…but I was immediately disarmed by their serenity. This goes to their Buddhist faith, and again is found evident in their cooking. Meals are balanced in an almost harmonic way, never being too heavy and always proportioned to leave a person satiated without feeling distended.

Vietnam is a place worth putting on your list of places to see. Their cuisine while not as readily known as their neighbors in Thailand is worth exploring…should you possess either the luxury of a 5 star hotel, or the courage of a cast iron stomach.

Segun Oduolowu

 

 

 

 

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Nadeen

Nadeen

Dr. Nadeen White is a "Blogger by Day, Physician by Night". She is an award-winning travel blogger, Amazon bestselling author and speaker. The Sophisticated Life Blog covers affordable luxury travel, culinary travel and wine. Her domestic and international travel guides gets people to the destinations of their dreams. So, if you are living the sophisticated life or desire to do so, this is the blog for you!

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  • Let’s Normalize Getting Rest!!! 
Right @tomiko.harvey ?!!!
It’s OK to take a break once in awhile and give your body, your mind & your soul a break! I have to even remind myself of this! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I am the ultimate multitasker. Ask my husband @parrishu70 lol 😆 

I like to keep busy especially now that I’m not traveling 🧳 
But my brain 🧠 literally gets exhausted and I’m on the computer or my phone 📱ALL Day!! 

That’s why my recent staycation @canopyatlantamidtown was so awesome. I actually put on pajamas and opened magazines for the first time in ages!! And their canopy bed was so comfy!!! 

If you are looking for staycation ideas in Atlanta or in your own neighborhood, head to the “latest blog posts” link in my profile and check out my post on Canopy Atlanta Midtown. @canopybyhilton has locations all across the US that cater to that local city 🌃 which is very cool!! Have you stayed at a Canopy 🏨?

#canopypartner 
#canopybyhilton
#canopyatlantamidtown
#blackhistorymonth2021 #blackhistorymonth #blackcontentcreator #travelcontentcreator 
#atlbloggers #atlantablogger  #ig_atlanta #weloveatlanta #discoveratl #discoveratlanta #visitatlanta
  • #WineWednesday What a beautiful sight! 🍷🍷🍷😍😍😋😋

Let’s talk about allyship for a sec. What does it mean to you? Have you seen true examples of this in the past year? I know this word has been overused and beaten into the ground since last year followed up by being a “performative ally”. But when I see someone making an effort and doing something to make a difference, it’s worth applauding. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

A fellow @oprahmagazine Insider told me about Master Sommelier @andrearobinsonms because she was awarding scholarships for her virtual “Great Wine Made Simple” course to women and BIPOC wine students & enthusiasts interested in furthering their wine studies. She thought I would be interested in applying. I did. Andrea reached out & asked me to take the class but play a supporting role based on my previous experience as a wine blogger, author & WSET Level 2 wine certification! I was honored. The class has been very informative interactive & fun! 

Andrea has picked stellar wine professionals as mentors for the scholarship students taking this course. They are from all different backgrounds & experiences across all niches in the wine industry. I am sure they are having an amazing experience!!!! This is what being an ally looks like. Using your privilege, connections, and experience to open doors and provide opportunities for others. The wine industry, like so many other industries, is lacking and needs more Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. So Thank You. 

Oh back to the pic. This was just 1 delivery 🚚 📦  for the course filled w wines from Italy, Spain & Germany! 😋😋😋 

 #wineblogger #wineandtravel #travelbloggerlife #winenot #winewithfriends #winewriter #blackcontentcreators #blackcontentcreator #womeninwine #blackwomeninwine #winewriter #winelover #oenophile #blacksinwine #buyblackwine #sommeliers #mastersommeliers
  • #DopeBlackDoctor #IssaMood
Happy Monday Everyone! I’m trying to go into the week, the last week of Black History, with this mood and attitude! 👏🏽

You may have seen my post on National Women’s Physician Day that only 2% of all Physicians are Black women. We are truly unicorns and I stand proud to represent this profession and to make my ancestors proud 🩺 

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Could it be because I’m female? Black? Both? 😡🤬

Ever since this pandemic started I have been on top of it. My first blog post on COVID19 went viral and I appeared on @cnn I did countless webinars and podcasts informing and educating the public including the travel community. This year I published an article on the COVID19 vaccines 💉 and shared my experience receiving the vaccine on social media. But STILL when I simply comment on a thread on social media as a medical expert to correct misinformation I face backlash and MEAN comments! Even in predominantly Black travel groups. It’s exhausting. I had to take a break. I tried again today and the person deleted the thread. I’m at a loss. People do not want to be informed. I don’t get it. 

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📸 @parrishu70 

#blackdoctorsmatter #whitecoatsforblacklives #blackfemaledoctors #blackdoctorswhitecoats #covid19vacccine #pandemiclife #wokedoctors #covıd19 #covidvaccineadvocate #covid19usa #physicians #blackcontentcreator #blackcontentcreators #socialmediadoctor #whatadoctorlookslike #blackhistorymonth2021
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I’m celebrating Black winemakers this weekend by attending the first annual International Winemakers Summit being held by @urban_connoisseurs and @uncorkedandcultured 
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

When I first started my blog over 6 years ago I always had a WINE section. I have also always supported and blogged about Black-owned wines and winemakers from @mcbridesisters @houseofmandela early on to 5 1/2 years ago when I had the pleasure of visiting the first Black-owned winery in Napa Valley @brownestate during my Bachelorette weekend 
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  • Since it’s #nationaldrinkwineday I thought I would share a few pics of one of my favorite wine 🍷 tours and wine areas that I visited in 2019. That was such an amazing year of travel!!! 

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Have you been to Porto or tried port wine? 

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There is this constant rumor that goes around that Black Travel Bloggers are hard to find. NOT TRUE!!!! Travel brands and DMOs are heard saying that they can’t find any to work with. 🤔 
How hard are they looking?!! 

If you simply Google “Black Travel Bloggers” my blog post on “50+ Amazing Black Travel Bloggers You Should Follow” has been sitting at #1 for years and only recently at #2 due to another great post by @travelandleisure on Black Influencers. There are tons of blog posts on this topics on the web. 
PLUS...

Travel groups that have been around for years filled with talented travel content creators like @nomadnesstribe that has held several @audacityfest conferences with seminars & lectures featuring these content creators. Not to mention platforms like this one & Facebook & LinkedIn 
PLUS...

@theblacktravelalliance was formed last June that features Black travel content creators from all over the globe 🌎 in all different niches. Black travelers do everything-luxury, adventure, couples travel, budget travel, culinary travel..we are here to change the narrative and prove that Black Travel Content Creators are available to do anything and everything in this industry from writing & editing to TV hosting to photography to videography. 

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Head to my profile to read my blog post and PLEASE drop the handle of your favorite Black travel content creators in the comments! 

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