Instead, inspired by my best friend (who said, “maybe you should think about writing something about what you DO like”), I have written about a few things that I DO actually like-but also threw in some other things…I couldn’t help myself!
Fruits that I love IN VIETNAM
THE POMELO-A massive citrus fruit whose likeness resembles what we refer to as a grapefruit, that can come in both the yellow and red variety. It’s about 4 times the size of a grapefruit, also similar in taste, but milder and sweeter. Think Goliath grapefruit, but a little bit nicer, with a sprinkle of natural sugar on top.
THE MANGO-Duh
THE WATERMELON-Also duh. But there is a yellow flesh watermelon as well (tastes almost exactly the same) but more fun to eat because it’s yellow, of course.
THE PAPAYA-for those of you who don’t like papaya, you have not tried the Asian variety then…delicious.
MINI BANANAS-Actually I like all bananas, but Clayton loves the fact that the entire banana can be eaten in 1 bite. (The rest of us will still need to take 2+ bites.)
THE MANGOSTEEN-scrumptious little white pieces of fruit that melt in your mouth.
THE DRAGON FRUIT-Comes in both white flesh or a deep purple flesh. It’s texture is similar to watermelon + apple with tons of little poppy seed like kernels for a little crunch. Even when at times it is almost totally flavorless, its worth the effort just for the party in your mouth.
Fruits that I DON’T love IN VIETNAM
THE DURIAN-There are definitely some foods that the Western palate finds unpleasant and the durian is notably one of them. This is the same fruit that is not allowed in taxis or airports in Singapore (seriously) because it smells like a overripe, fermented tropical fruit that an elephant ate and then pooped out.
THE CUSTARD APPLE-Most of the fruits that I do not enjoy have a few things in common: funny texture, super sweet taste or off-putting smell. The custard apple has 2 off the above to blame for my distaste. The grainy texture and super SUPER sweet flavor is too much for more than 2 semi-unpleasant bites-and what’s the point of buying a fruit for 2 bites?
THE JACKFRUIT-Very similar to the Durian, except that the smell is only of an overripe, fermented tropical fruit (minus the elephant part). Plus it is way to sweet. The combination of these 2 things are just too much. I’ll stick to the traditional tropical fruit please.
There are more that I don’t like…but these are the main ones that are very common. The rest I can uncomfortably swallow in case of necessary politeness.
Obviously eating here is different than what I am accustomed to-that I think needs no explanation. Luckily, HCMC has a large variety of international foods to break up the monotony of eating the same thing, every day. Many of you have said how happy you would be to eat Vietnamese food every day, all day, forever. But trust me, you would get tired of it too. It’s like only getting to eat American food all day, every day. Boring. Not that I am complaining, just saying it’s nice to have the option for some variety. If you are happy eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for every meal, every day, then your opinion does not count here (FYI).
However, just because the restaurants serve “international” food does not mean that one should assume the service would also be similar-as we have learned. We are still learning “dining lessons” here. Here are a few to write down and keep in mind ;)
Lesson 1: If you all wish to eat your meal at the SAME time, you must tell the waiter, please bring out our meals “at the same time”. Otherwise chances are you will be eating separately.
Lesson 2: If you order an entrée salad for your meal and your dining partner orders a meat dish, even though you have requested an entrée salad DO NOT assume you will get to eat together. (See lesson 1) Generally you will get your salad and as soon as you are done, your partner will get to eat (they are very kind and wait for you to finish your salad before brining out your partner’s actual main course).
Lesson 3: If one of you wants a salad as a starter, then orders a main but the other only orders a main, good luck communicating who gets to eat when. To complicate matters more, try ordering an entrée salad instead of the traditional main.
Lesson 4: Don’t be a picky eater. If you want to modify a dish on the menu, eat at home or do it yourself once you get the meal. Like a friend said, “I asked the waiter for no avocado on the burger, but all I got was a bun and avocado when he brought it out.” Be careful what you ask for.
Lesson 5: Always point at what you want on the menu. NEVER assume they have memorized the menu or would understand your English “accent”.
Lesson 6: You will be waiting all night for your check if you don’t specifically ask for it. Even if you are dining alone and everything is cleared from your table and you have turned down an offer for dessert or an after-meal coffee and you have been sitting x# of minutes at an empty table and there is a line out the door waiting for a table. If you don’t ask you will never receive.
Lesson 7: Just because you are at a “traditional” Italian, Indian, Japanese, American, Mexican (especially Mexican), etc restaurant, you are STILL IN VIETNAM. There is only so much that is imported here…
There is one more thing that I love, and a great finish to this blog entry! It’s the “Vietnamese coffee”. Not the actual coffee beans… It’s the style of coffee that is most popular here. My favorite is the cà phê sữa đá, or the iced coffee with milk. But the “milk” is sweetened condensed milk that gets stirred into the hot coffee before it is poured over ice. Delicious (and cheap). I have to limit myself to one per day. Here are the steps and a picture slideshow just to make you swoon!
Step 1: Order cà phê sữa đá. Don’t worry so much how you say it, likely the waiter will know what you are taking about since it is the most popular drink here. Plus you are pointing at the menu as well (see Dining Lesson 5 above).
Step 2: Wait for water to finish dripping through the individual press while simultaneously keeping your over-watering mouth from leaking.
Step 3: Remove coffee press and stir strong freshly brewed coffee with the sweetened condensed milk stuck to the bottom of the cup (its just hiding, don’t worry).
Step 4: Pour into glass of ice
Step 5: Stir coffee and ice, possibly wait for ice to melt into coffee a little for a reduced coffee rush effect.
Step 6: Enjoy!
