Eat it Now and Ask Questions Never

Traveling is so exciting, seeing and experiencing other cultures transformative, and then there’s the food. A bedrock of not only just a healthy daily routine but also of experiencing other cultures is eating the food. Traveling through North America or Western Europe is one thing, but Southeast Asia is entirely another.

Snack Central

During our time in Hanoi, my husband and I took a private street food tour which we greatly enjoyed. The guide had helped explain not just what the food was, or the tradition behind it, but also anticipated what we as tourists would be most willing to try. I recommend this experience to anyone who might have food allergies or other aversions that they would rather not be surprised by.

However, by the time we found ourselves in central Vietnam, specifically Hoi An, we were not only much more confident in our ability to navigate the cultural differences but were also much more open to trying more of the unfamiliar and exotic foods presented to us. Being “open” to culinary diversity was never more important than during our time in Hoi An, as it was a relative cornucopia of new foods to try largely due to the popularity of the Night Market which draws a HUGE influx of street vendors.

One slightly confusing element to the food carts was the subtle use of french words that have woven themselves into the language. Knowing VERY little french myself, but just enough to recognize certain words, I found myself noticing the french word for "dog," which was enough reason for me to keep moving. While in Hanoi, I asked our street food tour guide about the practice of eating dog, and while he said that it has become rarer over the years, it hasn't entirely gone away and is still practiced by elder members of society that believe in more mystical properties.

Come Hungry

We often remarked at the end of each day, just HOW MUCH food we were eating while on that trip, however, we were never uncomfortably full due to the lack of dairy and wheat gluten in the cuisine. Given the extremely inexpensive nature of street food here (most items cost between $.50 - $1.00), we could eat all day long and not feel an ounce of guilt about the quantity of time being invested in eating!

After we returned home to the US, we approached eating Vietnamese food in our hometown very differently. We also realized that the Vietnamese food which is available in our area, is Southern Vietnamese food, with many of the dishes which we had while visiting the North, not being known by them or not being available.