As I've traveled north I've been liking the food better, but it really varies as to where I go. I eat better at the more upmarket places and restaurants geared towards foreigners, because it's more what my stomach is used to, and I have been opting for many tofu dishes, but I did really enjoy the seafood pho pictured above at the Pho 2000 chain in Saigon. Most people eat beef or pork pho, and they eat it for breakfast at street stalls, sitting on plastic chairs or stools at low tables. I can't imagine eating it for breakfast. Most hotels include a Western-style breakfast of baguette, jam, fried egg, fruit, and tea or coffee. Above you can see some of the delicious fruits of Vietnam at a market. The little purple ones at the left are mangosteen. They look and taste like a segmented lychee inside. The bright pink ones are dragonfrut. The inside is white with black seeds. It's actually a bit bland tasting but a good fiber source I suppose. Other popular fruits here are jackfruit, durian, watermelon, pineapple, various types of lychees, bananas, and coconut. Also mangos, rose apples, and custard apples. Sadly, papayas are not in season here now. I have gone an amazingly long time without chocolate, and am eating less dairy than usual (and sweating a lot), so I am losing weight.
There are some strange canned beverages available here... One is "winter melon" tea, which tastes surprisingly like maple syrup candy, and the other is "Bird's Nest," supposedly a nutritional drink, consiting of clear liquid with white jelly bits. The ingredients listed are: water, sugar, white fungus, and bird's nest. Hmmmm. OK. I've tried to figure out what bird's nest is without googling it. I asked 2 people. The first started talking about water in a bird's beak and the other showed me a picture of white stuff on the wall of a cave. I think the white fungus and bird's nest are the same thing but I'm still confused.
I did have some excellent food in Hoi An, where there is more Chinese influence in the food (as well as the architecture). Also in Hoi An our group took a cooking class, where we learned to make pumpkin soup, green papaya salad, veggie spring rolls, morning glory with garlic (it's like spinach, very popular as side dish vegetable), and fish in banana leaf.
There are many locally brewed beers available in Vietnam, and Tiger beer from Thailand is plentiful as well as Heineken. The best local brew I've had so far was Huda, from the Hue area.
