"Poodle Noodle Soup": My Viet Nam Food Blog Adventure - by Karlana June Morgan (USFSP Mass Communication & English Lit Major)

Have you ever had the occasion to try ‘Poodle Noodle Soup’?  Well, you are in for a delightful story, whether you have or not.  I know it sounds a bit unusual and maybe even a slightly scary, but I assure you, the food ride in Vietnam is worth the experience and I invite you to tag along.  Being the official “foodie” of our study abroad group, it seemed apropos for me to share about the food experience.

Over the past three weeks, some more than others have had amazing opportunities to try new foods; whether it be an interesting fruit (lychee fruit pictured below), a vegetable, a type of meat, or seafood, we all were willing to try new flavors and brave the culture on the other side of the globe.   It didn’t take long to recognize those who were the braver ones of the bunch, in our first few days in Hanoi.  The issue sometimes was simply that we could not read the Vietnamese menu.  At which point we would simply point to a photo or walk to another table where guests were eating and point!

And there were just some differences, like sweet potatoes in Vietnam are white, whereas in America, they are orange.  A popular squash in a lot of dishes, called Winter Melon, was green and had the consistency of melon rather than squash but wasn’t sweet.  The grapefruit are twice as big as the ones in America and (I think) much better!  They are not as juicy but have a fuller, bolder flavor and are easier to peel and eat because they are less juicy.    
Spring rolls were always on the table for us to enjoy and they were ALWAYS fabulous and an explosion of yumminess in your mouth! As a matter of fact, spring rolls were such an important part of this experience that they get a separate paragraph in this blog!

One of the first places we had dinner at was an adventure just getting seating.  The restaurant was called “New West” (I believe this was the name of the establishment, but I can’t confirm for sure) the first floor was open air, and as the waiter led us through the maze of tables to a flight of stairs, it seemed as if we were headed right into the kitchen!  Instead, a narrow flight of stairs led us around to the next floor and then the next.  

I lost count, but I believe we ended up on the third floor, where they put tables together to accommodate our group.  It was loud and busy and exciting.

Our main waiter had the greatest smile that lit up his face and eyes, we couldn't resist a photo op.  

This place, the food was delicious, but not too adventurous.  The spring rolls were amazing and the sweet and sour chicken was wonderful.  The dishes all came to our table at different times - when it was cooked and ready, not all together like in America.  (Which is the way it seemed to go everywhere we went to eat).  My first food order that evening was a mango, avocado and chicken salad, but when I got it, it smelled funny, like dirty feet - maybe something in the dressing used, but needless to say, I had no desire to consume the plate of salad.  It was after lots of convincing from the group to order something else, that I chose a dish that seemed safe and ordered the sweet and sour chicken, which totally redeemed my early salad experience.

Breakfast in Hanoi was complimentary at a lovely cafe across the street from our hotel and I quickly discovered dragon fruit and an instant love for the pink and white fruit.  I know, it might seem that I am simply partial to the pink, but not so!  This fruit tastes a bit like a kiwi, it is white with hundreds of tiny black seeds and the skin is fuschia pink.  The consistency is firmer and less juicy than a kiwi and less sweet, but melts in your mouth like butter.  By far, my absolute favorite on the trip.  And to note, by the end of our time in Vietnam the rest of the bunch was loving this fruit as much as I.  

It was really only at our dinner meals that the food adventure had the most flare, and one evening we went to a nice place - well it seemed upscale - the way it was set up and in our dining room, we were required to take our shoes off at the door.  As we began to look over the menu the excitement grew quickly at some of the items we discovered.  Fried ants and crickets were ordered for everyone to try.

Ok, so I drew the line here and set a food boundary.  No ants or crickets for me.  The thought of putting them in my mouth made me gag, so I ordered a pitcher of hot green tea to start, to keep my mind occupied and it was served in a lovely little ceramic pitcher with four little mini tea cups.  

About the same time, the fried insects arrived and I again, declined the numerous offers to try the poor little creatures.  All but two of us, had crickets and ants for the appetiser that evening and the crickets were reportedly much better than the ants.  In either case, I will note that a few people felt a little under the weather the next day, bellies unhappy over something they had consumed.  Hmmmm?  Could it have been...?  

The food was always very good and artistic in its presentation at most places.  Some fruit or vegetable was always arranged or cut into the shape of a flower or transformed somehow into a beautiful floral design, which absolutely delighted and fascinated me, as an artist.  

The care that the chefs and cooks took for each dish or presentation at the breakfast buffet was impressive.

There was one essential condiment that we quickly learned about and needed it for every meal.  The chili sauce! In some areas we found that it is more spicy and in other areas, it is sweeter, but so yummy everywhere, I don’t believe one of us didn’t use it on some food, and several of us swear we will purchase a bottle at a local Vietnamese market when we return to America.  I am now a self-proclaimed chili sauce junkie, after quickly becoming addicted to the lovely smooth, spicy, sweet flavor it adds to just about everything.

A constant at every meal, was cucumber and tomato ‘salad’, either accompanying the entire meal, as a dish itself or as flare to a main dish.  It was always presented very artistically in thinly sliced pieces of tomatoes and cucumbers in a light seasoning.

The food in Ha Long Bay was also very authentic and full of flavor, but nothing really out of the comfort zone of any of us.  I did have to keep a vigilant eye and nose on the dishes to see if they had seafood in them or not.  Being that I am highly allergic to shellfish, especially, it was integral that I stay on top of the ingredients-the meat ingredients anyway-in the dishes, and shied away from all fish too.  For good measure, I did not want to experience anaphylactic shock all the way across the world.

Really, I could write an entire book about the food experience in this beautiful country, so I struggle here deciding what to write about and what to leave for later writing endeavours.  By the time we reached the central part of the country and our primary destination of Vinh City, we were learning a plethora of new tastes, some we liked, some we loved, and others we could do without experiencing again.  

Dr. Biafora warned us that the food in Vinh City would be more true to the central culture of Vietnam and that the fish sauce (a staple at every meal) would be more potent and the overall cuisine a little bit bolder.  We were pleasantly relieved when we found the food to be absolutely phenomenal and so tasty.  Dr. B was fooling us all along!  There was eel and squid and parts of the cow and chicken I had not ever been privy to prior to this journey to Vietnam.  

Dessert is not a big part of the meals in Vietnam.  We were always served fruit after the main course meals.  On one occasion when we were visiting Hue, we had a pleasant and very delicious surprise after dinner!  Fried banana crepes, with chocolate sauce drizzled on top and garnished with chopped peanuts.  What a heavenly delight that was!

One of the last nights we had dinner in Vinh City with the Vinh University students, one of the dishes served was chicken heads; I was not brave enough to stomach the beak, brain and comb of the poor chicken’s head, but several of the Vietnamese students thoroughly enjoyed this meaty obscurity.

Another dinner occurrence was related to fish.  When the fish was served whole, with head and tail, one of the Vietnamese students, Lizzie, found the eyes of the fish extra delicious; while I, on the other hand, could not stomach even watching her pop the little morsel into her mouth with chopsticks.  There were just so many dishes at every meal while we studied at Vinh University and overall, they were all very yummy and fulfilling.

The vegetables were always a hit with me and so many new greens to look for at the Vietnamese market when I get back to America.  Morning glory has been a very common dish at the meals, often served with fresh garlic and sliced red chilies.  One of my favorite greens had little green balls, part of the plant leaves or seeds and often served with sliced beef, all sauteed together.  These greens, I do not know the name, but they were scrumptious!  

Probably my favorite and a hit for the entire American group, was the banana flower salad.  Oh my goodness!  It is so good and refreshing.

Made with banana flowers, sliced spaghetti thin, in little coils of light green, shredded carrots, spicy red chilis, lemon leaves, and fresh basil and salt.  This dish is very refreshing and a lovely cool summer dish.

I would be remiss to not write about the Pho, (which is properly pronounced, fah!) and the true experience of have beef noodle soup in Vietnam, which is basically what Pho is.

 

The Pho pictured here, I ordered from a street vendor and got to watch her make it right before my  eyes! And she let me ‘get it to go’ with a 15,000 VND deposit for the bowl, spoon and chopsticks.  When I brought the items back the next day, she refunded me my deposit. The flavor and love that goes into this wonderful soup, that the people of Vietnam eat every morning for breakfast and often for lunch or dinner too, is beyond compare.  

Pho is made with the broth of bone marrow, from a cow, which must simmer over a long night to get all the flavor of the marrow.  The broth is the base, then fresh rice noodles are added, along with bamboo, green onions, a touch of salt, red chili peppers, fresh sliced garlic, and last, the raw sliced beef.  All this is reentered into a boiling pot of the Pho broth, to cook the meat, then removed in a matter of seconds, and garnished with fresh, crunchy bean sprouts, red chili paste, and a dash of soy sauce if you are so inclined.

Speaking of soup, are you wondering why there has been no further mention of “Poodle Noodle” soup?  Well, I am pleased to inform you that it was just a clever ploy to get you to read this blog!  As a disclaimer, I assure the readers that not one poodle (or any other kind of dog-for that matter) was consumed during our Vietnam adventure, although dog is a common fare in Northern Vietnam.  The food was definitely an experience all on its own and I am excited to get to the Vietnamese market here in town, to pick up my favorite items for my own home.  

And a special remembrance of our final bus haul from Vinh City back to Hanoi with just part of the crew.  We stopped along the way, somewhere remote on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, to search for some sort of resemblance of lunch and to find a WC (Water Closet-toilet).  The assortment of edible goods we ended up with were strictly chosen by the packaging. We really had no idea what would be inside.  

There were ‘fruit pies’ that were not really all that fruity and a couple had mold.  We had ‘One-One’s’ which were rice crackers with a sweet sugary coating on top, some pretty tasty crackers and a package of what appeared to be cookies; however upon opening the product inside was nothing like the picture and moisture had seeped into the package.  The ‘cookies’ tasted like cardboard!  Literally!

Thank you Vietnam and all the beautiful people who prepared the amazing dishes we consumed in our time abroad.  And to the Vietnamese students, Mai, Nham, Lizzie, Trang, Hoai, Robinson, and Mickey; thank you all for helping us learn more about each dish, what the ingredients were and how the dishes were prepared, how to say the name of the foods in Vietnamese, and just being so attentive to all our questions over our wonderful meals together.  And a final thank you to all my fellow travellers; Ashley, Olivia, Emma, Blake, Joseph, Patrick, Prof. McCoy (aka Papa Fred), Prof Biafora (aka Dean B) and Prof Sarath, for being adventurous and willing to try this country’s cuisine and share the laughter and family experiences together!  My soul is forever changed.