Project Runaway

Research shows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  Experience shows that eating the free breakfast included in most establishments saves you money.  As I like to be healthy and cheap this arrangement works well for me.

From Europe to Asia the breakfasts have been diverse. In Italy: a cappuccino and a cornetto; Turkey: cay tea, a boiled egg, feta cheese, and cucumber; London: eggs, beans, and bangers; Malaysia: nasi lemak (rice cooked in coconut milk served with tiny fried anchovies in hot chili paste); Laos: melt in your mouth French bread and good good coffee; and Vietnam, home to phở (pronounced “fur”).

Pho Ga

Phở is a noodle soup that is clear chicken or beef broth flavoured with ginger and coriander, which has rice noodles, fresh cilantro, green onions and slivers of chicken, pork, or beef. I never feel too full or not full enough. It is not too rich nor too bland. It is the perfect blend of carbs and protein. Without a doubt it is the perfect breakfast.

Vietnamese food has always been among my favorites. I thought, naively, that I knew what Vietnamese food covered. I mean, I have had Bún thịt nướng (#18 at Saigon Nights) and Gỏi cuốn (salad rolls) more times than I can remember.

But the food here is much more diverse and there are dishes that are specific to regions and even cities. Our start to the culinary goodies of Vietnam was in the city of Hoi An. This is a charming city near the infamous China Beach, where the United States had a large base during the Vietnam War. It consists of old French-influenced buildings and is known for the many tailor shops. It is also known for 2 dishes, white rose and cao lau. White rose is a translucent shrimp dumpling, and cao lau is a ‘dry’ dish of noodles topped with pork and fresh greens and a crunchy crouton/wonton thingy. Like all Vietnamese cuisine these dishes consist of fresh fresh ingredients and amazing flavour.

White Rose

Cao Lau, Yummy!

Hue a few hours north of Hoi An was home to the Nguyen Emperors. It has the walled Citadel area and within in it the walled Imperial Palace. Here we had banh khoai. I really liked this simple but savory dish. It is a crunchy crepe or cake made from grated cassava or taro and it is folded in half and filled with shrimp and bean sprouts. Chased down by a nice cold Huda beer there is nothing better. It was really hard to just eat one of these in a sitting as they were so good.

Hanoi is our last stop in Vietnam. It is home to over 3 million people and is my favorite SE Asia city. The Old Quarter and the French Quarter have lovely buildings and scenic green spaces. You can stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake then stop for a cafe and a sandwich on a soft fresh baquette, or you can try bun cha. Bun cha is basically a combination vermicelli plate with grilled pork meatballs (usually) and vermicelli noodles are served over a bed of greens (salad and sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. It is fairly close to my #18 in Canada. I even had it served with the pork in a broth type liquid in which you added the noodles and herbs to it.

Bun Cha and Beer

My memories of Vietnam will consist more than just great food. It will be of insane traffic, drivers with nerves of steel, incessant horns squawking, communist pep talks blaring over loud speakers at the crack of dawn, sleeper buses, beautiful beaches without a soul on them, charming cities and towns, and many warm and friendly people. If you weigh the good and bad of this chaotic country of 84 million, I would say that there are far more reasons to come here than stay away. You should at least come for breakfast and try one of them.