I don't know what it's called, but it's really good!

I thought I knew Vietnamese food before I got here, but I was wrong. San Jose has a very large Vietnamese population, so I grew up eating pho (vietnamese noodle soup) and saw the proliferation of Vietnamese sandwich shops (Lee's sandwiches, anyone?) all over the city in recent years. Pho, Vietnamese sandwiches, fresh spring rolls, three bean drinks, and those green gelatinous squares were staples. When I moved away, to shall we say "less diverse" parts of the country, I looked forward to a big bowl of pho every time I went home for Christmas.

So I thought, Vietnam, no problem, I know my pho. Well, it turns out my relationship with pho wasn't as intimate as I thought it was. There are intruders to the party here: mint, water cress, other greens and herbs I can't identify. They don't give out basil and bean sprouts like back home. There's no hoisen sauce and red chili sauce to mix together to dip your meatballs in. There are no meatballs at all. I have found little squares of kidney in the broth though. And there are necks and bony pieces of chicken parts on display, but no tripe. I've had a few mediocre bowls of pho here, surprisingly, but only at pit stops and places where they know you've not got much choice in the matter. Most of the time it's excellent. I've had it for breakfast and lunch and dinner. Not all in the same day, of course. Nearly all of it has been on the street, sitting on a little plastic stool, bent over a little low table, trying to keep the broth confined to the table as I slurped, as opposed to my clothing and hair and purse. Not very easy to do.

What has really surprised me is the culinary world outside of pho. In Hanoi, there is a northern "dish" called "bun cha". As part of the meal, you are presented with a bowl of rice vermicelli, a bowl of fish sauce soupy deliciousness, a plate of fried spring rolls, a huge plate of greens and herbs, and a bowl of marinated meats sitting in more fish sauce broth. I didn't have a native to teach me how it all works, but I know that somehow they're all supposed to end up together. By whatever method, it's pure joy to eat! In Hoi An, their specialty is cau lau, which is broad chewy noodles with sprouts and greens, roast pork slices and fried pork skin squares, mixed with a slightly spicy sauce. The water used to make cau lau is supposed to come from one special well in Hoi An, which gives the dish its distinctive flavour.

The Vietnamese are genius at mixing disparate flavours and textures together. And it works, it really really works. Like for breakfast this morning, I had a plate of these white circular nooodle disk-like soft things, topped with crispy fried garlic slices, green onions, and a drizzle of fish sauce concoction. The one common denominator for most foods here is the fish sauce, mixed with other things - I'm not sure what- that reduce its fishy potency but add sour and sweet flaours that are superb. Yesterday evening on the street, I had a similar dish, but the white noodle-y thing encircled a litle shrimp.

Perhaps one of the best dishes I've had, which is an exemplary lesson on textures, was in Hoi Ann. I saw a corner stall crammed with school kids and other locals and went over to see what all the excitement was about. Turned out it is a type of salad...but unlike any I've ever had. She put down a bed of greens and herbs, then arranged these savory batter-fried crisps on top, put a little fried vietnamese sausage on the side, and drizzled the whole thing with, once again, a fish sauce and chili concoction of geniousness. One of the best things I've had, anywhere. A couple of tourists, the only other foreigners, said to the lady as they paid, "We'll be back tomorrow!"

The other memorable thing about street foods, other than the food itself, is the ladies who run them. Some of them have been so kind and patient with me, showing me how it's done, when I don't know a scrap of Vietnamese, nor they English. Best of all is when they laugh, even when they're laughing at me.

I haven't been exactly judicious about cleanliness in my selection of street foods. But usually I go where there's a regular flow of locals, so that's one safeguard. But I have been very lucky and have probably got an iron stomach as well, handy for travel in southeast Asia!

From Hanoi, I moved south to Hoi An, and now I am in Nha Trang, "Vietnam's Beach". Really excellent, cheap food here. Tomorrow I head to Dalat, another Vietnamese vacation spot in the mountains, once used by the French colonists to get away from the oppressive heat in Saigon. After Dalat, it's Saigon and the Mekong River delta before I take off for Singapore on my circuitous journey home. Lots more excitement and gastronomic delights yet before I land in SFO in a couple of weeks!