Dear Friends,
I think I'm getting the hang of the blogging thing - after I sent out my blog link to a bunch of you, although not too many of you have commented directly on the blog, many of you sent me emails with a variety of comments...all inspiring me to share some things I would not have thought of sharing.
Irene suggested that I should be okay in Vietnam because there are a lot of Buddhists. You would think that in a country in which many people are Buddhist, it would be easy to be a vegetarian. But I'm not sure whether the buddhists are distributed everywhere in Vietnam or concentrated in some regions. We had a person from Vietnam Team 5 (that recently returned from their trip) attend some of our team conference calls and she said that there was one vegetarian person on their team who sometimes struggled to find things to eat in certain places that they went. We also heard that everyone had to get used to eating rice and noodles every day. I'm a little bit lucky because there is one other person on my team that is vegetarian. He doesn't even eat eggs. With the company of at least one additional vegetarian person, I'm sure we'll go exploring and find some reasonable options for us. But it does mean that we may end up eating dinner in different places from the rest of the team. I've packed some protein powder so I can make protein shakes, as an emergency. After spending a year in Trinidad, I've learned that sometimes I just crave a box of Triscuits from home. We get so used to all the choices in food we have, especially in Toronto, that it's hard to imagine how limited the options in many places are.
One interesting thing about eating in Vietnam. Apparently, in most places, you don't wait to be served. You just go and start looking at the pots of food and point at what you want to eat. Also, forget about explaining any dietary restrictions or allergies to the staff. The recommended approach is to get the hotel to write out any specific directions about what you can or cannot eat in Vietnamese and carry the card with you, show it to the staff and hope you get something you enjoy. I'm sure that I will be posting some entries about my actual dining experience in Vietnam.
I'm personally keen to check out the exotic fruits, vegetables and seaweed that will be available...I'm adventurous, as long as it doesn't involve meat of any kind, including snake hearts (I'm not kidding...apparently this is a real delicacy in Vietnam!)
Until next time!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Diet on the road is an interesting challenge. I've generally found that breakfast is the meal where cultural issues emerge most frequently. Somehow, people seem to be able to handle variances in lunch and dinner, but just waking up, we somehow revert to basic natural instincts.
ReplyDeleteAfter a few weeks, you'll discover the foods that body really misses. Since I'm accustomed to a rice-based diet, Asia would seem to be an easy place for me. However, I find that Chinese food has cooked green vegetables that really aren't common in Vietnamese (or Japanese or other) foods. Salad vegetables aren't enough for me, and I end up seeking restaurants (often local Chinese variations) that help my body feel better.
I agree with you. Breakfast is my most important meal. So I had packed oatmeal with me. But I am very lucky that the hotels we are staying at in Hanoi and Halong City both provide a very nice buffet breakfast that includes western breakfast options. But I must admit that having pancakes or french toast with honey, instead of real maple syrup is compeletely unappealing to me. So I stick to the standard omelet, potatoes, fruit, baguette and tea. A perfect start to the day to ensure I don't get hungry for quite some time!
ReplyDeleteSounds like that kind of work would need plenty of carbs, more than perhaps we would normally need in our fairly sedentary 'day jobs'.
ReplyDelete