You won't find a Safeway's or Albertson's in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) but you will find a few markets that are more than interesting. One of the biggest in HCMC is Binh Tay Market in the Cholon (Chinatown) area. Walking through and around the market is an eye-opener for anyone who has never been to Asia or any developing country.
Well.......let me take you on a tour and give you a sample of what you will see.
This is what it looks like outside the market. The number of stands selling all kinds of edible and non-edible stuff is just astounding.
Here is a butcher selling pork - unrefrigerated. My Vietnamese friends tell me that if it's refrigerated, buyers will think it's not fresh. Good thing they cook the pork thoroughly.
There is such a variety of fresh vegetables, some you don't find in American supermarkets. Most of the vegetables are consumed the same day or next day. They are seldom refrigerated.
They come from farms outside of Hanoi so you know they were picked a day or two before.
You can even get a fresh coconut drink, right out of a young coconut. Add a little rum and you'll have Pina Colada.
(just kidding, that's not really the recipe)
It's so humid you don't need a sauna.
How about some frogs for dinner? They are farm-raised and are common on restaurant menus.
I thought this might be snakes but I think they are eels.
Snakes are common food items here too.
If you prefer chicken or duck, you have to slaughter them yourself.At least you know these chickens and ducks have their feet touching the ground. Most of the chickens you get in the US are factory-raised or should I say, factory-produced, with hormones to make them bigger. Actually, these farm-raised chickens don't taste as good. They are a little tough.
Pass the bread, please.
Vietnamese love baguettes. You find them everywhere.
I like Vietnamese sandwiches, or Banh My (pronounced as mee) Pate'. You put some luncheon meat in the sandwich. You can also add eggs in it too. Costs about 10,000 dongs or 50 cents without the eggs.
Meng,
ReplyDeleteLooks pretty interesting, especially the fresh foods. Someone like me who doesn't know how to cut up a chicken would have to rely on baguettes for my main meals. Someone as particular as me when it comes to food would have a difficult time putting on some weight. Hope things are well with you.
Jon, I guarantee you will lose weight if you live in Vietnam. Not only you won't eat as much meat, you'll be walking a lot too. And, yes, you will be limited in your choices. There are pizzas and hamburgers here but you'll have to look hard to find them.
ReplyDeleteI am being paid to have a great experience. How can you beat that?
Hey Mr. Tay,
ReplyDeleteI just saw some photos on the flickr blog highlighting places in Vietnam. Thought you might like to take a peek at them too. they're here:
http://blog.flickr.net/en/2010/10/03/on-the-bank-of-the-red-river-hanoi/
Hi Jon, thanks for sharing the pictures on flickr. I think the 2nd picture is the lake where I live. The little piece of land that sticks out into the lake is where my apt is.
ReplyDeleteI see women selling fruits, either on bicycles or carrying them on bamboo poles almost every day. These women are tough. They walk 10-20 km every day peddling fruits.