Pho – The Best Hangover Cure?

Amongst many circles, the Vietnamese noodle soup Pho (pronounced Fuh), is heralded as the best hangover cure known to mankind. What do we say? Pho shizzle.

Pho is a magical soup made of beef, broth and rice noodles. Seriously, its magic. I’ll explain later. It is served in a bowl with thin cuts of well done or rare steak. For the more adventurous sort, tripe (stomach), tendons, liver, chicken hearts, or other risky business can be added. The broth is made from a simmered concoction of which only a level 50 Vietnamese wizard may be privy to the secret.

Pho is typically served with lime, been sprouts, basil, and jalapenos. Sauces like sweet hoisin or spicy siracha can be directly added to the broth. This is where the fun comes in. The best thing about Pho is its “choose your own adventure” aspect. During the course of your soup journey, you can change the flavor of the broth, making it a dynamic experience. Continue reading “Pho – The Best Hangover Cure?”

Fish Salad – A Memorable Dish in Danang

If your Vietnam Tour adventure brings you to Danang, then you’re in the right place. Not only was it an educational and commercial center of Central Vietnam, it also lies within 100 kilometers of the best sites and places you can visit in this country. Several UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the ruins of My Son, Hoi An Old Town and the Imperial City of Hue are easily accessible from this natural transportation hub which you will visit one by one on your booked Vietnam Tours.

But perhaps, the most memorable experience you can have in this fabulous city is a taste of their exotic dish called “Goi Ca” or fish salad. You might have heard of this when you have booked your best Vietnam Tours package and you might even have a taste of it back in your accommodation. But if you have tasted a fish salad that features sliced tomatoes all mangled with lettuce leaves that are already flaccid; and served with a few slices of tuna and some small prawns all swimming in mayonnaise, then you haven’t tasted the real thing! Fact is you have tasted the commercial offerings which you can safely call the “Westernized” version. If you want to taste the real Vietnam Goi Ca, then go to Man Thai Beach along Son Tra Peninsula in Danang. Continue reading “Fish Salad – A Memorable Dish in Danang”

Soup’s On

Every country has its traditional trademark soup, be it Vichyssoise (the French chefs can duke it out as to who created it), Asian Pho, Russian borscht or all-American chicken noodle. Commercial soups made their appearance with the invention of canning in the late 19th century,. Dr. John T. Dorrance, a chemist with the Campbell Soup Company, created condensed soup in 1897, changing the way Americans viewed soup and its convenience. Still the largest manufacturer of ready-to-eat and canned soups, founder Joseph A. Campbell, a fruit merchant from New Jersey, and his partner Abraham Anderson, an early icebox manufacturer, started the company in 1869 producing canned tomatoes, vegetables, jellies, soups, minced meats and condiments. It wasn’t until nearly 30 years later that they first introduced condensed soups to the American public, which met with enthusiastic success as homemakers could add to the new concoction or simply try to pass it off as homemade.

Currently, Campbell’s Tomato (the first soup introduced in 1897), Cream of

Mushroom, and Chicken Noodle (introduced in 1934) are the most popular soups Continue reading “Soup’s On”

How to Eat Pho – A Primer For First-Time Diners

When it comes to pho, a Vietnamese would have the distinct advantage of knowing how to eat it. Regardless of whether he or she grew up in the homeland or in an immigrant household overseas, he or she would have a mother or a grandmother who made this heart-filling noodle soup for breakfast each day, cooked using snippets of a recipe and with memories of how it is done in their own mother’s kitchen. Or at the very least, he or she would have a mother who would herd the family to a restaurant every so often whenever they feel the urge. Eating pho is natural to a Vietnamese.

A non-Vietnamese will not have the same experience. Aside from having to deal with the chopsticks, pho will always look and smell foreign to anyone who did not grow up eating it. When faced with a steaming bowl of this noodle, and especially if it is your first time to sample the national dish of Vietnam, you may have a challenge on your hand. Here are some tips.

Simple Process of Enjoying Pho Continue reading “How to Eat Pho – A Primer For First-Time Diners”

Vietnamese Coffee With Naturally Low Caffeine, The Hottest New Trend in Coffee

With the emphasis nowadays on health and fitness, cutting down on caffeine seems to be one of the most often tried and rejected.

Most people would like to cut down on caffeine, but find the taste of decaffeinated disagreeable. Mixing half and half regular coffee with decaffeinated will add a little better taste, but with the emergence of naturally low caffeine coffees… problem solved!

Try Vietnamese coffee with naturally low caffeine, a hot new trend, that is taking the world by storm. If you are a connoisseur or coffee expert, or even a serious coffee drinker, you will already be aware of this exciting discovery. If you’re not, then it is time for you to catch up!

Vietnam is the second largest producer of coffee in the world, after Brazil, so they really know their coffee.

Many of the so-called experts with chains of coffee stores will sell you ‘decaf’ which actually does have a percentage of caffeine, but the majority is removed by chemical processes, which in turn deplete the flavor. These chemical processes entail the use of methyl chloride solution, which is contained in nail polish remover! And they still, unbelievably, are allowed to label it “all natural decaf”. Continue reading “Vietnamese Coffee With Naturally Low Caffeine, The Hottest New Trend in Coffee”

Vietnamese Pho Etiquette

Vietnamese pho is an easy dish to pick up and enjoy. To the casual diner, consuming pho only requires your ability to place your order, and hold chopsticks and spoon in your hands. For those ready for something more, pho etiquette is your next goal. There are specific customs to follow, while other protocols are left to individual interpretation and choice. Here’s a collection of pho etiquette to help you come closer to pho and Viet culture. If in doubt, just remember one thing: showing respect for the elders goes a long way.

I’m assuming you’re already proficient with a pair of chopsticks, so here we go.

“Sitting” Etiquette

Before everyone sits down, look at your table and the arrangement of the chairs. Decide where the head of the table is (or the most important sitting position) and yield to the eldest or most respected person in the group. But it gets more complicated. If there’s a very respected male (regardless of age,) then he may be the one to get “the chair.” If you’re not sure, just do the safe thing: Hang back and let things fall into place. Someone will ask you to sit somewhere, and that’s what you want. Easy. Continue reading “Vietnamese Pho Etiquette”

Authentic Vietnamese Pho Noodles – A Symbol of Culture and History Abound

Everyone needs to eat. It is a simple fact and has made many entrepreneurs successful in restaurant businesses. There are Vietnamese restaurants throughout the country. Even though this sophisticated cuisine remains largely unknown to the general public. Most popular dish is Pho and is a secret of success in this most popular, challenging, colorful, savory, and time-honored dishes.

Vietnamese cuisine, in general, reflects the influence of a multitude of cultures and histories of the country. China ruled over Vietnam for over 1000 years until A.D 900, but the Vietnamese retain their cooking culture rather than assimilate the Chinese style, leading to a distinctly different cuisine. Mongolian invasions of Vietnam during the thirteenth century also left a lasting imprint on variations of Vietnamese dishes. Then the French arrived, gaining control of the country in the 1887 incorporating Vietnam into the French empire (1887-1954). The Japanese would occupy Viet Nam during World War II.

Continue reading “Authentic Vietnamese Pho Noodles – A Symbol of Culture and History Abound”

Mustard Aficionado

Web search the history of mustard to learn that its use has been traced back to mustard seed residue found in stone age cooking bowls. Over 5600 varieties of mustard have been catalogued. Mustard has a history as a medicine that is as long as its history as a food ingredient or as a condiment (mostly how it is used today).

In the 13th century, Catholic Pope John XXII was a mustard aficionado. He capitalized on the efforts of French Monks who had grown mustard plants around their monasteries since the 9th century, after the Romans brought mustard seeds to them from Italy. The seeds had been introduced to both the Romans and the Greeks, at an earlier time, through trade from Egypt.

Aside from setting in motion the bliss of superior mustard in the region of Dijon, the Pope also gave his nephew a job and a title: “Grand Moustardier du Pape,” which meant “The Pope’s Grand Mustard Maker.” The young man’s previous job had been “a gentleman of leisure.” Dijon Mustard today (my personal favorite) was not formulated until much later: Middle 19th century. Continue reading “Mustard Aficionado”

Online Food Ordering System – An Overview

Conventionally speaking, it is customary of local restaurants and eating joints to distribute their pamphlets, flyers and brochures to advertise the newly opened or already established service outlet(s) in your vicinity. Hope you can already recall a detailed menu printed on a compact four page, lying at your doorstep or portico every other day, encouraging you to call for free home delivery! All sizes and scales of restaurants engage in this marketing strategy to lure orders, and in turn maximize revenue.

Going by ones experience, pamphlet/ brochure/ flyers are often bothersome to keep are relatively costly for the restaurant owners. It often turns out to be a ransack each time you have to find a certain paper ad of a certain restaurant in the nick of hour! Even if you fortunately get your hands on the pamphlet just when needed, getting the phone connected may consume minutes of your precious time. Finally, one of the phone lines may get through and you place your order with relish and anticipation. However, when you actually receive the order, you may find disparities in what was ordered and what is served, all blamed to the bad phone connection or human error while noting down/ interpreting the order during the alleged rush hour. To heighten your frustration, the delivery boy may choose to argue instead of admitting to a mess up. Furious and irritated, you may badly wish to resolve to never order again with the particular restaurant. Continue reading “Online Food Ordering System – An Overview”

Polish Christmas Eve Traditions and Food for Wigilia Dinner

Traditional Polish Christmas Eve Dinner (Wigilia)

In Poland, Christmas eve is a very important night for gathering with the family, decorating and remembering lost loved ones. This night is traditionally called “Wilgilia” (the vigil) and it is a night where people symbolize awaiting the birth of Jesus Christ (which in effect brings more importance to this day than Christmas itself). During this night, Poles cook delicious food as part of the celebration.

Polish Christmas Eve Traditions

On Wiligia, Poles decorate their homes with evergreen, ornament, apples, lights, nut and candles. They also hang “pajaki” (the spider-web like decorations) from the ceiling, dozynki (colorful wreaths) on the wall and a fir tree from a beams in the ceiling. Perhaps the most important tradition is the table preparation. Traditionally, hay is placed underneath a white table linen to symbolize Jesus’ bed in the manger and Mary’s veil. The grandmother of the family places wafers (oplatki) on the table to symbolize the communion. These are usually placed on the best piece of China. When setting the table, an extra setting is laid in case a hungry person happen is pass by, this is taken from this story of Joseph. Lastly, the mother of the family lights candles in the window to celebrate the welcoming of baby Jesus. Continue reading “Polish Christmas Eve Traditions and Food for Wigilia Dinner”