24 Apr 2019

A Glimpse Into The Foods Of Vietnam – Hanoi, Vietnam

by | posted in: Adventure, Cooking Advice, Sabbatical | 0

After 7 months of traveling and doing research for my sabbatical… “How Culture’s View of Communal Cooking Fosters Rich Human Connection” while I was in India and Thailand, it was time for me to just be with myself and explore Vietnamese food and if opportunity came for me to cook with the families I’m staying with, then great. Of not, then that’s ok too. As I wrote the last two lines I could feel the beautiful lifelong connections I had made with people and the sinking of my tender heart having to say goodbye to them after such deep dives of connection in a short amount of time. It’s amazing the duality of the human experience that can be felt both at the same time.

I decided to stay at this Airbnb here in Hanoi, Vietnam because of their great reviews and because the host loves to cook and has cooked a little bit for their guests. Now that the children are in college and out of the house and she does much less cooking. I found many kitchen electronic toys in the kitchen. Things like, air fryer, slow cooker, pressure cooker and one that has me very intrigued… an Induction Heating, Pressurized Rice Cooker. I tasted the rice cooked in this thing and it was like I’ve never tasted rice before, really incredible. I think I must have one of those things. It germinates brown rice and then cooks it… called GABA.

After spending all this time in Asia, I saw how many different kinds of rice are grown in this area of the world. There are about 20-30 different kinds of rice grown here in Vietnam. Other countries have their own different varieties. So, of course, the best rice cooker would come out of this area in the world.

I got a list of street food I needed to try when I got here. Things like Pho (beef, duck, snail, eel, crab), Banh Mi, Rice Pancakes, sticky rice breakfast, and porridge. My intent is to continue to see cooking as a “simple” practice… even if some things might be time consuming, like making stocks/broths, the process needs to be seen as simple. Some things definitely require skill and practice to make which takes time, determination and effort. But, it’s the cooking process, in the mind, that needs to continually be seen as easy. Or no one will do it. And guess what… COOKING IS EASY!

What the Pho?….

duckphoIt’s all about the broth… one of the things Vietnam is famous for is a soup called “Pho”. You can find Pho everywhere on the streets and in many flavors. I’ve been fortunate to sample several different flavors (duck, paddy crabs, chicken and beef) of Pho from street vendors who make the same few things to sell every day. I tend to know I’m in the right place because I’m one of the only westerners around, not many people speak English and the restaurant/vendor already has their English translator ready to call over to help.

duckpho02Your creation is only as good as the quality of the ingredients you choose to use and the time and attention (love) you give to your final product all throughout the process. Yup… still… even when halfway around the world!

soupbaseNot only in French cuisine do they talk about the process of “clarification” … as in the making of a consommé. In Vietnam they talk about how clear, sweet and umami rich their broths need to be when serving them in Pho.  How people will cook their broths for hours through the night under close watch so the liquid never comes to a boil but, only to a gentle, gentle simmer. This way the small food particles don’t get a chance to impart any bitterness and the liquid remains sweet extracting the flavors that NEVER happen with high boiling temperatures.

In addition to varying the meat/seafood flavors of the broth which is typically made from beef bones… there are many variations to what constitutes Pho. The kinds of noodles, preserved vegetables, many different sauces/dressings and the many different varieties of herbs, shrubs and vegetables unique to Vietnamese cooking. The flavor profile possibilities are endless. And people know what good broth is all about here in Hanoi.

Baby Got Back – “Banh Bao” …

baoAnother thing that I’ve always remembered being intrigued by in my life are pastry filled savory items. Things like ravioli, dumplings, perogies, potstickers, kreplach, samosas, momos, dal fara, and stuffed breads. I remember these things called “curry puffs” in Thailand. In Vietnamese cuisine there are chopped meat filled sweet milk stuffed bread things called “Banh Bao”, or steamed buns, and they make for great snacks and appetizers. I thought that since I was here in Hanoi, Vietnam I should at least go out and see about them.

What I found was pretty interesting. There is a lot of street food in Hanoi and there is a trend to bringing home more prepared food and finishing or re-heating at home, like in Thailand. And items such as Pho and Bao that takes a long time to prepare/cook will be the things that stay popularly made on the street.

Banh Bao are one of those items that are sold on the street and typically produced by the family and sold by one of the family elders. I tried a few different kinds, and nothing really stuck out for me as, “this is something fantastic” like I thought I remembered them from the BBQ pork steamed buns back in the states.

Is it called a… Hoagie? Sub? Italian? & The 3-Tastes

banhmi01One of the influences the French had in Vietnam was in the creation of a single serving sandwich made out of baguette and is called “Banh Mi”.

banhmi012A bánh mì sandwich typically consists of one or more meats, accompanying vegetables, and condiments. Common fillings include steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pâté, pork floss (not a typo, google it), grilled chicken, chicken floss, canned sardines in tomato sauce, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce (xíu mại), head cheese, mock duck, and tofu. Accompanying vegetables typically include fresh cucumber slices, cilantro (leaves of the coriander plant) and pickled carrots and white radishes in shredded form (đồ chua). Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, Maggi seasoning sauce, and mayonnaise.

Sticky Rice Breakfast

stickyricebreakfastOne of the things popular with the locals is eating “Xôi xéo”, or sticky rice…  for breakfast. Sticky rice can take a long time to cook… up to four hours to get it to the right consistency and therefore not very practical to stay at home to make unless you have a special rice cooker. The ingredients to make xôi xéo are the same everywhere: glutinous rice, mung bean, turmeric powder, some liquid fat, fried shallot or pork/chicken floss. And there are a couple variations with corn/hominy as well. Not bad for $0.50US either.

The Ongoing Lesson

Remember the lesson from Thailand? “Sam Rot”? … the three tastes. Sweet, salty and sour combinations and those tastes should be balanced out in the Banh Mi as well. This is a lesson that travels all through South East Asia. This is also a skill that takes practice… to be able to balance the tastes out on the culinary palate.

The best advice I can give to emerging palate developers… “you can always add more, but you cannot take it out once it’s in”. Also, take the time to educate your palate so you can find the balance in the three tastes that I’m describing to you here. Getting the balance between something sweet, sour and salty takes time and practice.

 

25 Mar 2019

10 days in Hanoi, Vietnam

by | posted in: Adventure, Love, Sabbatical, The Human Condition | 0

hochiminhmuseum02I arrived here in Hanoi, Vietnam after 9 days in Cambodia tropical paradise. I managed to allow myself to come to a complete halt after weeks of being on the go in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh before heading to another busy city like Hanoi. The decision to come to Hanoi was due to the northern geographical location and the weather. After months of dry 95F (35C) temperatures and no rain, I wanted a little bit of relief from the heat. Plus, unlike Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), I was told more Vietnamese culture had been preserved here in Hanoi post wartime (1970’s ish).

vietnamrevolutionAfter my trip to South Africa and not having done any historical homework of the region, I wanted to make sure that anytime I am traveling to a new unfamiliar country I was going to make sure I did my homework to learn about the country’s history. A lot of us already know a little bit of something about the Vietnam War. When I was taking history classes in Chicago Public Schools I don’t remember going over anything about the Vietnam War, could just be my adolescent lifestyle that prevents me from remembering.

THAM-LANG-BACFortunately, we live in an age where information is close by and at our fingertips when we need it. I was walking through Phnom Penh and came across a store that sold DVD copies of just about anything you could possibly want. USA copyright laws non-existent. I bought the 10DVD (20+ hours) version of The Vietnam War by Ken Burns, and watched The Post with Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep. From those productions I learned a lot from the perspective of the United States and knew there was more for me to learn prior to the 1950’s.

bombsDid you know….

In the Vietnam war the United States used 29 kinds of destruction bombs, 13 kinds of anti-personnel bombs, 25 kinds of mechanic detonators and 10 kinds of electronic detonators.

Between 1965 and 1972 the United States dropped about 5,382,000 tons of different types of bombs on the North and South of Vietnam. By the end of the war, 7 million tons of bombs had been dropped on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia – more than twice the amount of bombs dropped on Europe and Asia in World War II. The U.S. Bombardments in Vietnam killed more than 80,000 people and injured more then 200,000 others.

Between 1965 and 1973, the U.S. dropped 2.7 million tons of explosives — more than the Allies dropped in the entirety of World War II — on Cambodia, whose population was then smaller than New York City’s. Estimates of the number of people killed begin in the low hundreds of thousands and range up from there, but the truth is that no one has any idea.

vietnammilitaryhistoryWilliam Shawcross, in 1979’s Sideshow: Kissenger. Nixon and the Destruction of Cambodia, was the first to advance the theory that the meteoric rise of the Khmer Rouge was not in spite of the U.S. bombing campaign but because of it. “The impact of this bombing… is clearer than ever,” they write. “Civilian casualties in Cambodia drove an enraged populace into the arms of an insurgency that had enjoyed relatively little support until the bombing began, setting in motion the expansion of the Vietnam War deeper into Cambodia, a coup d’etat in 1970, the rapid rise of the Khmer Rouge, and ultimately the Cambodian genocide.”

I learned the Vietnamese fought and struggled for their country’s independence and their own identity for a long time. Since the Mid-1800’s where China, France and Japan both had an interest in what they called “Indochina” during that time. The unification of what we know as Vietnam today has only been in existence since the mid 1970’s and Ho Chi Minh was a pivotal player in making that happen. You can do your own historical research.

vietnammilitaryhistory02During this week I made my way to the Ho Chi Minh Museum and Mausoleum, The Vietnam Military History Museum, Hanoi Street Food Tour, cooking with my host family and lots of walking around the Old Quarter of Hanoi. I’m headed to ĐÁO XUÂN Festival on Saturday/Sunday and looking forward to some live music.

The political climate that the United States is in now has been created by the people because we have fought for the democratic freedoms that are still fairly new for the Vietnamese people. I have learned to appreciate the freedoms that come along with living in the USA that are still being developed in some of the countries in S.E. Asia that I have visited. You won’t find a family of 4 all riding on a motor scooter transporting a freezer down the sidewalk while the driver is texting in the USA but, you will find equal opportunity (mostly) for all citizens. I realize that statement is open for question and debate.

hochiminhmuseum01I am incredibly privileged to have the freedom and been given the chance to travel like this. From being granted a sabbatical from my academic place of employment, having managed my finances properly to be able to afford it and having a brother stepping up to the plate to help care for my father who is dealing with many health issues and dementia.

I met someone who told me they couldn’t read some of my writing because I was complaining about one or some of my experiences. My intention is to write about my well rounded experiences that include my disappointments and my return to joy. It’s hard to hear that kind of feedback from someone that doesn’t really know me. I sure hope that I’m not writing and complaining about everything and missing all the joys in life and all the gratitude I feel for being able to live this life.

vietnampropagandaMy landing into Hanoi has been slow and with intention. After a couple weeks of dealing with a cold/cough in Cambodia, I decided to see someone about it and was given some antibiotics for a bacterial lung infection which is common in this part of the world. My cough went away and a few days later while my body was building back antibodies post antibiotics, I came down with the flu the day before I was scheduled to travel to Vietnam. UGH. Then after a couple days of rest, I tweaked my back not doing a thing. I’m doing everything I can to keep a positive outlook and take care of my health and my body. I’m resting a lot, walking to keep my body moving and eating good yummy food.

Time will tell what is in store for me, I’m still planning on going to Ha Long Bay next week, Da Nang the following week and winding all of this up in Indonesia – Denpasar, Bali, to be home in May after all the snow has melted and see about going to the Montreal Jazz Festival the end of June.

 

19 Mar 2019

Some of What I Learned After One-Month In Cambodia

by | posted in: Adventure, Sabbatical, The Human Condition | 0

outwardlyrulebuddhaIt was REALLY hard to leave the white sand beaches and sleeping in a hut on top of the ocean on the island of Koh Rong Sanloem. It was everything I imagined that a mostly undeveloped island was going to look like. I’d highly recommend anyone to make the trip to this island. I’d make the strip sooner, rather than later because the place continues to develop rapidly. There are places with modern amenities like air conditioning and other places with yurts and cabins. It’s really your choice how much money you want to spend.

Siem Reap is a cute little hipster town that caters to the millions of tourists who make the trip to see the beautiful Angkor Temples spotted all over the place there. I got the 3-day temple pass and a motorbike, so I could more easily get around. I could have easily got the 7-day pass and spent more time in Siem Reap and less time in Phnom Penh. It was so darn hot every day… almost 100F. I found that getting an early start was the best option for me… about 5-530am and then taking a break during the middle of the day for lunch, shower and a nap, and then heading back to the temples for the sunset. Definitely made for a full day. The trip into the jungle waterfall and the national park (Thanks to Leen) was the icing on the cake for my time in Siem Reap.

In Siem Reap, I spent some of my time every few days at the markets gathering fresh produce, so I could cook. If I were to be there longer, there were a few restaurants I would like to have check out. Here are the few I missed…
http://cuisinewatdamnak.com/menu
https://www.malis-restaurant.com/siemreap/cambodian-cuisine/
http://pourestaurant.com/menu/

Cambodian-genocidePhnom Phen is Cambodia’s capital with millions of people and I got educated about the old Khmer government who was responsible for the genocide between 1975-1979 and the Killing Fields. I love going to the many traditional markets in the bigger cities and even though the stuff there all seems repetitive, they don’t usually get boring for me… Central Market, Russian Market and The Night Market. I missed the museums and the temples in Phnom Penh as I felt a bit touristed out from those kind of places after now, in my 7th month of travel. I learned to continue to listen to my body when in the big cities, I do not need to spend 7-10 days in these places… it’s turned out to be a bit of overkill for me when I’d rather be in more natural surroundings (like the beach or mountains) or historic places (like Angkor Wat).

Not All Money is Real

One of the things I learned was that not all banks are ethical and not all monetary bills are made equal. After getting $200US in counterfeit bills out of a major Cambodian bank ATM, I began to take seriously how to make a transaction with larger bills, not to take any ripped or torn currency and how to discern counterfeit money. I will now only make ATM transactions inside of banks that are open for business or at western union that has an ATM inside. For instance, when paying for something with a large bill like $50/$100, do not allow the person to take the bill away from you, have them bring the change back and then give them the bill. They could take the bill and then return it with a counterfeit saying you gave them a counterfeit. $100US = $400,000 Cambodian Riel and 1kg of rice is about $2500 Riel, so you get the idea of how far the US dollar goes in a poor country like Cambodia.

makingfreedomrealThe Struggle is Real  

The struggle for freedom… economic freedom, freedom to choose, freedom of expression… all the freedoms that some of us take for granted in the USA is alive in Cambodia.

When taking a taxi, use the mobile app PassApp. The taxi drivers on the streets are masters at getting people to spend way more money than they have to on transportation. When I say the struggle is real… this is one way that it shows up. There are so many taxis on the streets that all the drivers are constantly soliciting people walking down the street. I’ve asked a couple of them how they can make a living because there is such an abundance of taxis on the streets. Using mobile apps for transportation in S.E. Asia is the way to go in order to avoid negotiating on the street if you can.

Cambodian government seems to be more and more corrupt. Online social networks are under constant government surveillance. The Cambodian government issued a national decree, allowing the Ministries of Interior, Information, and Posts and Telecommunications to take down content on social media outlets and websites that the government deems to be “incitement, breaking solidarity, discrimination and willfully creating turmoil that undermines national security, public interest and social order.”

A series of repressive new laws and amendments were passed in 2018 that further restricted freedom of association. These included amendments to Cambodia’s Constitution to require that every Cambodian “defend the motherland” and empower the government to take action against political parties if they do not “place the country and nation’s interest first.” The repressive and controversial amendments to Cambodia’s Law on Political Parties, allowing for the arbitrary dissolution of political parties and the banning of party leaders without due process, remained in place.

Democracy and the freedom for the people to choose is at stake. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party has banned the main opposition party, jailed its leaders and other critics and shut independent media outlets. Opposition politicians in exile are urging a voting boycott.

Cambodia needs three main things: the rule of law, social justice, and to ensure peace with neighbors, as long as there is a mutual respect for independence.

 

12 Mar 2019

Development in Paradise and Our Collective Moral Values – Koh Rong Sanloem and Sihanoukville, Cambodia

by | posted in: Adventure, Love, Personal Growth, Relationship, Sabbatical, Spiritual, The Human Condition | 0

trailtoroadToday is my last day in Koh Rong Sanloem before I make my way to Hanoi, Vietnam. This is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen that remains mostly untouched by development and is seeing its share of growing pains and environmental issues that are not unique to this part of the world. Unfortunately, there is evidence that the scythes of development has already made its mark on the last bastion of calm and peace across several spots in the quieter, more up-market island of Koh Rong Samloem. It’s something that deserves another voice, so I thought I’d write about it a little bit more than the linked articles are describing.

pollutionEvery night for the past week I have been awakened by some of the loudest outdoor music I have ever heard coming from The Jin Ding Hotel and Casino until about midnight. A newly opened Chinese hotel and casino on Koh Rong Sanloem. It’s this casino that has been accused of pouring raw sewage into the sea, ruining the beauty of the local beach, island resort owners are telling me. This morning, a guest of the place I have been staying, checked out early to find a more acceptable place to stay for her that might be able to block out the sound better.

Here is an example of how I witnessed corruption working…
I got pulled over on my motorbike in Thailand and was asked for my international drivers license, which I was unaware I would need and where most people do not have. I paid the $15US fine along with so many others… they were pulling over almost everyone on a motorbike directly in front of the police station and was taking money as fast as they could pull people over. I then went to a coffee shop and applied for an international drivers license and in under 2 hours I had one printed out and in my hands. This happened numerous more times to me in Thailand but, I had my license and was let go without a fine. Here in Cambodia I hear it’s much worse than in Thailand where you pay off the police officers as a “gesture” of complicity and generosity to the local economy. When I rented a motorbike in Siem Reap, Cambodia, I was told the locations of where the “sting operations” were and stayed away from them with success. This is only one example of police corruption.

What I find the most fascinating is the corruption that happens in this part of the world. Koh Rong Sanloem and Sihanoukville are prime examples. There are about 30 casinos in Sihanoukville with about 40 more being built by Chinese investors. A lot of the problem is the political corruption. ALL of the development is being completed by Chinese employees and when the casinos open the Chinese are staffing them. The costs of rooms and food at these casinos are even out of the price range of the locals. This is not bringing economic development to the people or the region. It is only padding a few peoples pockets. All of this is happening because the political system is corrupt and people are getting paid off to overlook domestic and environmental programs so only a few individuals can benefit.

This is something similar that is happening with The Jin Ding Hotel and Casino on Koh Rong Sanloem with the loud music. Domestic ordinances are in place saying any hotel that wants to have outdoor loud music events need to apply for a permit. Makes sense, right? So how do these guys get to play loud outdoor music EVERY NIGHT without recourse? Political corruption. Someone is getting paid off to overlook the issue and there isn’t much anyone can do about it… so they say.

poweralwaysattractspeopleIt’s not any different than what is going on inside the United States, only it’s on a different scale. A grander scale. We all know that eating too much meat and dairy is not a good thing. And yet the U.S. government still financially subsidizes the mass production of meat/dairy products and other items that have been determined not so good for us anymore. We all know that eating more fresh fruits and vegetables is healthier and it is also what doctors tell us… to stop eating so much meat/dairy products and eat more fresh fruits/vegetables and plants. So… why isn’t our governmental money being channeled differently for the benefit of the whole now that we all realize things need to change? Because there are a few individuals in the meat/dairy industry that are currently benefiting.  Something does not make sense to me. We have things backwards right now.

It brings up a question for me about morals and values. What are morals? The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy says the term morality can be used either… “descriptively to refer to some code of conduct put forward by a society or, other group, such as a religion, or accepted by an individual for his/her own behavior or: Normatively to refer to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.” Basically, morality is some code of conduct.

“Morals are necessary because they reflect our values which contribute to the well-being of a society as well as the individual within that society. Conversely, the lack of them can bring about the deterioration of the fabric of a society with ensuing suffering.”, Increasing Moral Development, by Sharon Quinn.

758everythingissomeoneelsesfaultPeople and their governments cannot legislate or mandate morality, just take a look at the president of the united states and the questions surrounding him and that office and how it is operating right now. We cannot mandate equality or personal values or enforce them as “illegal”. There needs to be a shift in a greater group conscious. A shift in the morals and values in the greater collective that recognizes the unity of the whole, the sameness of each other and the knowing of who we really are.

Let’s take a look at the example of how casinos pop up all over the place… here in Cambodia and also in Maine and other places. There are laws that say gambling is illegal and therefore, not good for the health of the people and for the society. Yet the government says gambling is ok in some parts of the country like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Presumably, the government says its ok after it says its not, is because gambling has always been around, and people will engage in that activity anyway. The first reason that gambling is outlawed, and the second reason has nothing to do with our health. It has to do with economics. Another way to say that is, power.

What I’m merely suggesting is that our personal agreements, collective operational codes of conduct and governmental laws be based on an ever-greater understanding and an employ a grander definition of what self-interests are and mean. What most laws are doing, is saying the most powerful among us has some sort of a vested personal interest.

problemslieatsourceofindividualI’m not saying a solution is going to be an easy one. Nor am I saying that I know of a solution that would work. I’m only asking myself some questions as I experience and discover more of the world and attempt to make myself part of world consciousness and not just my own self-centered ego driven one.

One of the basic questions I’m asking myself is: Can any of our individual self-interests ever be replaced by the best collective and common interests of humankind and the ecology of the planet? If so, how? By eliminating all separations. By constructing a new model of the world and holding it within the framework of a new collective group consciousness… knowing we are all the same… we are all brothers and sisters in the same family… connected, even if we are on opposite ends of the planet.

 

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