Vietnamese experience in Adelaide!
Trip Start
Nov 03, 2004
1
10
Trip End
Nov 17, 2004
Adelaide,
Australia
Sunday, October 31, 2004
On Friday night our Vietnamese friends, Minh and Nhung, took us to a Vietnamese restaurant - Sunflower - on Days Rd. They welcomed us under their wings to teach us the cuisine delights and Vietnamese language.
Minh's wife, Nhung took the lead and ordered for all (in Vietnamese) so we had no idea what we were about to consume. I secretly hoped I had made it clear that I was one of those 'difficult' vegetarians - fish and chicken only.
The first dish presented a stack of rice papers and bundle of ingredients for cold rolls
Chopstick Challenge
. Nhung offered to make my first roll but instructed me to watch so I could do the next. They were delicious! I must have looked awkward in my preparation because Todd made my next roll. The next meals were fish soup and fish hot pot with rice. Again - more delicious fare! Todd "I'll eat anything" was surprisingly sceptical of the floating fish fat in the soup but in true Todd style, tried it all. Minh and Nhung were impressed with Todd's chopstick technique, meanwhile, they asked if I would prefer cutlery...
Long after most of us were full - Todd kept clicking his chopsticks, enjoying the feast and shovelling food into his mouth. I wondered if I would have to roll him back to the hotel after dinner each night in Vietnam.
Towards the end of the meal Minh and Nhung began teaching us some key words. Minh reached into the hot pot and pulled out a piece of bacon. Bacon? Bacon! Despite my internal horror - I remained silent - to be gracious. Minh and Nhung were such wonderful hosts and I did not want to offend or upset them with my bacon dramas. I took it as a sign of things to come that I would have to deal with. The Vietnamese have a saying, "Better to be an honest meat eater than a dishonest vegetarian." I think they wrote that for me!
Our language lesson continued and we learnt important words such as thankyou and hello. Todd also learnt to ask for a specific brand of Vietnamese cigarettes and I learnt to order cold rolls!
Overall it was a fantastic and fun night - thanks to the wonderful spirit and generous hospitality of Minh and Nhung. It has added to the excitement and anticipation of our trip. Only 3 more sleeps!
Love to all, Marina and Todd xxx
