The next month is going to be a culinary and cultural enlightening. We (my other half, two ankle biters and myself) are heading to Vietnam, and as I write it’s only just a week away. There are many reasons why we are going: to cook, to immerse ourselves into the culture of another city in this world, to chill out, to experience Christmas and New Year in a different environment, and mainly to have a jolly darn good time.
This trip has been a few months in the making, and the great thing is that we have rented an apartment for a month, in the middle of Hanoi, with a fully operable kitchen, the experience of a truly remarkable Vietnamese cook at hand (we are informed) and we have four weeks to discover anything we want.
I am going to spend time learning the essence of Vietnamese cooking from its famous street food, to the food that the locals eat when out to a restaurant. I will be learning, replicating and sharing any recipes, tips or words of wisdom passed on to me and anything else that may be of interest, which I know is subjective, over the next month. I am expecting lots of fresh and fiery ingredients with the fusion of the French influence. Most of all I want to discover the perfect Pho Bo, which apparently is like finding a needle in a haystack, given the number of purveyors of the famous Vietnamese dish.
Finally we finish in Singapore, where I will be trying to find the best recipe for the iconic chilli crab, as well as frequenting Singapore’s famous food markets (…and the zoo, Sentosa Island and some other toursity stuff). I look forward to you joining us in digital spirit, if not in person.
