The Vietnamese say "an mot minh dau tuc", "Eating alone is painful"…
Is Hanoi and are 7 am. The city has raised gray and misty. People walk hunched, Sitting and sipping shrunken, as if they had caught cold everyone by surprise and could not get rid of him through. The streets of the old city are bustling with families and workers who make a stop on the way for breakfast. For hanoitas eat on the street is as natural as breathing, a hallmark of basic cultural.
Vietnam did not always have the standard of living. Periods of war and misery, famine and lasted until yesterday need. This forced many families to seek additional means of earning a living. Street selling of garden produce, the little tea shop next to the house or the office of noodles were a reasonable and economical option for survival. So little by little every corner of the city was filled with small restaurants, of food carts, women carrying mobile kitchens…
Dawn is a great time of noodle soups, from the famous Pho, beef and noodles, to the lesser known Bun Rieu
I walked from Ta Hien to Dong Xuan Market without deciding which breakfast. Dawn is a great time of noodle soups, from the famous Pho, beef and noodles, to the lesser known Bun Rieu, field with crabs, A good Oc, with snails. But the smell of a cushy stop me. At La Sirven, fried eggs with sausage and paté. The owner does not smile, I look, do not speak English at all or care that I'm there. Me neither, but I feel happy and guilty to take this delicious and high calorie breakfast. A crusty baguette rice flour and wheat, coffee with condensed milk and ice and no hurry ...
Eating on the street is much more than just "eat". It is an experience for all senses. No it is calle solo restaurant, but to break hierarchies, putting all level, sitting side by side next to people who do not know. It is a world to see and be seen. These are the sounds, passing bikes, talks, the smell and sizzle of grills, Smiles, people chatting and sipping at your side, school children going to school…. It is democratic, local, friendly (or not…), cheap and full of stories and encounters…
Eating on the street I feel much closer to the essence of Hanoi, of popular culture, in the Temple of Literature, Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, or "infamous" Halong Bay
Also owners usually posts heirs of family traditions, old recipes that have been carefully mothers-in-law. The chefs specialize in 1 the 2 plates and are true masters of his own. Asepsis globalized mass tourism versus an easy way to contact with daily life and food culture of ordinary people. So I think that eating on the street I feel much closer to the essence of Hanoi, of popular culture, in the Temple of Literature, Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, or "infamous" Halong Bay.
For lunch the city streets fuming. Literally. It's the time of Bun Cha, the culinary star of Hanoi. Simply meatballs and chunks of grilled pork, accompanied by rice noodles with herbs and pickles. The streets smell of barbecue and flares out from every corner of small grills fueled by home fans.
Another good option is the "Com Binh Dan" or "food for workers", modest family restaurant where you can select from more than a dozen homemade dishes. Sauteed water spinach, chive omelet, fried fish, boiled bacon, peanuts, clear soups, tofu stew, meat rolls on betel leaf… All served with rice. So much comes, both paid. It is a place to get there early, because otherwise the food will be cold and most appetizing is gone.
Groups of backpackers "Banana Pancake Trail" follow his own. 2 x 1, nachos with cheese, pizzas and judicious discussion around a Lonely Planet
When night hangs on the cold streets is accentuated. Groups of backpackers "Banana Pancake Trail" follow his own. 2 x 1, nachos with cheese, pizzas and judicious discussion around a Lonely Planet. The Vietnamese, luckily, also follow his own, as if the invasion of tourists slip them completely, without doing a millimeter change their lifestyles.
People reunites for dinner. Everyone keeps shivering on the street, hunched and clutching a hot soup or a cold beer. Es un momento perfecto para tomar una “Bia Hoi”, craft beer in northern Vietnam. Again crowds trasegando beers and quick dishes to accompany alcohol. The noodles and sauteed in wok are the stars. But also small snacks, peanuts, acid sausages, beef with chilli and lemongrass, Fertilized eggs, grilled frogs ... or if someone is in the mood (and smell atrophied) ration of Mam Tom Thit Cho, dog meat with fermented shrimp sauce ...
I come to make soup. Since morning I have not getting my cold bones. A family looks at me spellbound on TV "Vietnam has Talent". While everyone clap their hands, I'm sipping noodles and I think the only thing that escapes globalization is food ... Or almost…
