Market Day in Vietnam

2018 | ASIA | LATEST POST | VIETNAM

Early risers… It’s Market Day…NO, I’m not referring to a boring trip to the grocery store which is my most dreaded chore, I’m talking bout an exciting, stimulating trip to an open air market. My favorite part of traveling is getting to know the people, their traditions and what they like to eat. Most countries I visit have huge outdoor markets that always hijack all 5 of my senses and Vietnam is no exception. The bright rainbow of colors in the vegetable & fruit stands heighten your sense of vision. The smells, whether good or bad, always remind you the products are fresh, not preserved. The taste… Yelp , pick up a funky piece of fruit you’ve never tried and WAM you’ve discover a brand new taste. There were several really odd looking types of veggies & fruit this morning and we shopped for the ingredients we needed to prepare our own lunch. And…Of course there were more noise and sounds than my ears could process… especially when the people were speaking another language. The Vietnamese allow the motorcycles to penetrate all the streets of the market, so it’s total chaos, which only makes it more fun. You can feel the vibrant pace as everyone hurries to complete their shopping and get the best deals. All ages are there to buy the fresh ingredients they will need to prepare their meals for the day. They do not have refrigeration, so they will only buy fresh meats. How do they know it’s fresh?…no flies or smell. They cook with lots of herbs and spices… Famous for their cinnamon. One thing they grow is lemongrass… For 2 purposes, cooking and keeping the snakes away from their homes. Maybe I’ll give that herb a try in Texas. I did notice there were many women working the market who appeared very elderly. When I asked why, I was told EVERYONE works in Vietnam because you have no one to pay your bills. No government services.

I must say my favorite thing we cooked was a Vietnamese pancake.. Nothing like our pancakes in the USA, but very yummy. (Oh no, didn’t mean to say yummy…it means “horney” over here. 😜). I never quite got the hang of flipping them in the pan but TR caught on real fast, being the good chef as always.