Street Eats..

Today Graham, Jordan and I were booked for the "Street Eats and Market Tour" and I was excited. The thought of roaming the streets of Hanoi with a guide tasting the various foods of the Veitnam cuisine sounded like great fun. The tour, sponsored by the Hanoi Cooking Centre would be led by an experienced chef. 

So, as we were getting dressed I received some news that put me on edge,..Jordan was not feeling well and would be staying at the apartment. So that meant Graham and I would be heading out into Hanoi ALONE. I've never been one to shy away from an adventure, but going out in a city where I can not speak the language and I don't have a phone was a little unnerving. After talking through our original plan with Jordan, Graham and I left the apartment. To say I was a little anxious would be putting it mildly. 

So off we went into the busy Hanoi morning. Thank goodness Michelle had written down the address of the cooking school. I showed the address to the taxi driver, he nodded and off we went. 

We arrived safely to our destination, the Hanoi Cooking Centre, where we paid our fare and were greeted warmly by smiling faces. We were ushered into the courtyard where we met Fiona, a woman from South Australia, who would be accompanying us on the tour.

 

A British woman welcomed us, whom I later discovered owned the cooking school. Then we met Hung, our guide for the day. Hung is the head chef at the culinary school. He was very engaging and immediately put my fears at ease. This was going to be a fun day. 

 While getting acquainted we were offered a cup of tea. Tea that comes from this plant..

After a cup of tea and good conversation we were off for a traditional Vietnamese breakfast -- Pho Huyen or chicken noodle soup. The soup is a staple in the Vietnamese diet. Hung shared that older men like to eat their breakfast soup early in the morning with additional parts added to the broth....the chicken's head and feet. I asked why,...he replied, "It's crunchy."

After we finished our soup we hit the streets of Hanoi. Often stopping at various street vendors. Hung was very informative as to the types of food and how they are used in the Vietnamese diet. People in Hanoi shop at the market everyday, buying foods they will use for lunch and dinner. Everything the Vietnamese serve to their family is fresh.

Various Types of Rice

This plant was very sponge-like

Lots and lots of fresh produce

Hung introduced us to a fruit (don't remember the name, couldn't pronounce it or spell it anyway) that is popular in Vietnam. It looked and tasted like a plum, juicy and sweet.

As we moved inside the market, the activity and noise level jumped dramatically. I've never seen anything like it. Anything and everything you might think about eating (and those you wouldn't) were ready and waiting for sale.

Many types of eggs are available on the street. Some very expensive to the average Vietnamese household. Hung joked about "the happy chicken"..the chicken was "free range". I'm not sure what he was talking about but he thought it was very funny.

Crabs

Snails

Silk Worms... 

People eat them raw.

Ribbet.. 

 These chickens were clucking in someone's barn yard before being submerged in a pot of boiling water. These chickens were very fresh.

The animals are slaughtered in the wee hours of the morning. Hung said it is "very interesting" to see the men bring the fresh meat to the market on the back of motorbikes. (I believe I'll pass on that sight seeing adventure, but thanks.) We were told by the owner of the cooking school that the fresh meat arrives very early in the morning and is usually sold by noon. Another fresh batch arrives around 2:00pm for the people buying for dinner. There's something about meat being left out unrefrigerated for hours...

The fishermen bring their fresh catch daily,...which includes everything (and i mean everything) that lives in the sea.

Squid

I will not go into detail as to the specifics of these items. Let's just say they are taken from the "insides" of various animals...
Wilbur no!!

I thought it was interesting that all of the workers in the market were women. Cutting meat, fish--all women. It appears to be the norm.

Hung then took us to a restaurant for a mid-morning snack of steamed rice pancakes. This woman (in the photo below) learned the art of making these pancakes from her mother, daily selling them on the street for many years. After her mother passed she continued the tradition, opening up a small restaurant. She works all day 7 days a week making these pancakes. In true Vietnamese style she cooks out on the street. The steam produced to make the pancakes combined with the heat and humidity, she has a very HOT JOB,..it was almost unbearable. Hung told us she has trained her family and opened 3 additional places within the city. In his words,..."She's the boss!"

 These pancakes were delicious. Similar to a dumpling, but very light and thin.

While we were enjoying our pancakes, Hung left and returned with a jar. A jar of very large roaches,..he called them water bugs. Evidently the "water bug" has a venom sac. The "juice" as he called it, is considered a Vietnamese delicacy. I said, "that's poison", he agreed. 






It seems you dip the end of your chopstick into the juice and then submerge it into your soup or broth. He wanted us to try it. I made him do it first. I tasted it. It was potent...and pretty nasty. He laughed. 

Hung's idea to take a picture of me eating the bug. "Make friends think you eat bugs in Vietnam. Haha"

Motorbike clipped this woman's produce, sending her baskets swinging. 

Don't have a clue...

Weasel Coffee,...I'll tell you about that later

He explained to us the Bia Hoi "cheap beer". (US $.16 a glass.) Bia Hoi establishments are VERY POPULAR in Hanoi: They are everywhere, on every street corner. Little stools and tables usually occupied by a group of men. This type of beer is freshly made every night and delivered early every morning. Below is a local Bia Hoi, evidently the Americans and Australian were causing quite a stir.

So Hung thought we needed to experience a "Bia Hoi". 

Hung thought it was interesting that neither Graham nor I ordered a Bia. (There is no legal age in Hanoi.) He wanted to take a picture, so I grabbed their beers. 

While we were enjoying the local hangout, I asked Hung a lot of questions about life in Hanoi. He was very open and forthcoming, probably my favorite part of the tour. 

While sitting at the Bia Hoi, an older gentlemen pulled up behind us on his motorbike. Without removing his helmet, order two Bia. Hung said something to him, they both laughed. (I guess he was thirsty.)

Next on our adventure was Vietnamese Prawn Cakes. We had to wait for a seat at the street side table, but the wait was well worth it. 

These things were crazy good.

After consuming the prawn cakes it was time for dessert. Hung took us into the food market, ...another crowded and bussling place.    Food stalls everywhere, selling anything you might want to eat. Hung said "It is lunchtime. Many women leaving offices to come and find lunch. Very busy." Women, children, motorbikes... 

Hung knew specifically where he wanted us to get dessert so as we stood waiting for a place to sit...I heard music - someone singing. At first I thought it was a stereo but soon I realized it was "live". Then here he came with a cart, big speaker and a microphone. Mr. Karaoke,..Walking and singing through the small confines of a busy lunch hour food market. When he saw that I had taken his picture, he reacted as if I was an adoring fan. Very funny. 

This was evidently "dessert heaven". Many people were waiting for a seat at the table. Hung is evidently well-known in the market and was able to secure us 2 stools. Then he asked "What do you want?" We all just stared at him. He laughed. Fiona told him to order us a variety of typical flavors. He rattled off something in Vietnamese and soon we had 3 mystery concoctions.

Here are two of them.  They were yummy. I wasn't sure what I was eating,.. a little pineapple in one, some jello, caramel,... berries, ...My favorite was the drink. Very refreshing,.. made with some kind of  sour fruit. All of the Vietnamese women and children were watching as we tried our "desserts",..waiting for a reaction. They got what they wanted.

These precious children were waiting their turn..

And of course after dessert came the COFFEE. We arrived to the coffee shop; one of the best Hung explained.  We entered a very

narrow space with a low ceiling and climbed a set of stairs to another narrow room. It was hot in this enclosed space,..fans were running in every corner and the sell of coffee filled the air. Hung began to tell us about the different types of coffee, then asked us what we wanted. Not being a coffee drinker, nothing seemed too appealing. So, he started making suggestions. We took his advice and ordered 3 different types…

While waiting for our coffee he left 

and returned with a jar container. Earlier in the day Hung had told us about a special coffee,..one that comes from weasels.  (Disclaimer: This is not going to be pleasing to the senses. So prepare yourself.)   

The Vietnemese feed coffee beans to weasels. Evidently the weasels like the taste of the beans. Then people take the weasel's excrements (yes, their poo) and use them to make coffee. Sometimes the people squeeze the weasels to increase their pooh production. It's called weasel coffee, a Vietnamese delicacy and evidently very expensive. 

The waitress brought our coffees -- Fiona had the straight black variety: Graham the coffee mixed with condensed milk and I had the coffee made with black sticky rice mixed with yogurt. 

"this is quite strong"
with Aussie accent

"Boy, this is good"

While walking back to the Cooking Centre we passed a street vendor. Fiona asked Hung to show her how to tell if an avocado is ripe.

What an enjoyable day exploring the Eats in the Streets of Hanoi! We made a special friend from South Australia and learned many things from a Chef named Hung,..a very enlightening and entertaining experience.

To add to the success of the day we found our way back home without incidence.