Great Vietnam Eats III: Cha Ca

Cha ca is perhaps the quintessential Hanoi dish - more so than pho or even bun cha. I kept hearing people talk about cha ca, but went four months without having ever tried the famous fish meal. Finally, I decided it was getting ridiculous and it was time for me to try cha ca.

The most famous cha ca place is the oldest restaurant in Hanoi - Cha ca La Vong on Cha ca street. Yes, cha ca is so important in Hanoian history that it has a street named after it. However, there is also one on Giang Vo, which happens to be much closer to my office and my house. I ate cha ca for lunch for the first time one day and was back a few days later for my second.

The fish is delicious - yellowed from tumeric and presented in a big hot pot. I was so grateful that it was not at all bony because I once got a fish bone stuck in my throat. Alongside, each person receives peanuts, noodles, fish sauce, a scallion and dill mixture, and coriander. Each person gets a little bowl and can add ingredients to their fish at their heart's delight.

Cha ca is more expensive than most traditional Vietnamese meals - about 100 000 VND per person, but totally worth it. It is super healthy and delicious.

See what Vietnam News has to say about the dish HERE

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

Driving up to Fresno from San Diego, I had time to reflect and digest my last few months and the most current events that have occurred in my life.  While coasting up the 5, I also got to stop at In-N-Out burger and then digest the secret menu...

Now that I am back in the US for a few weeks, I am able to take a step back and consider how I have changed from living in Vietnam for the past few months. For one, I have realized that it is almost impossible to faze me. Everything seems so easy, relaxed, and comfortable that it is almost eerie. Where once I might have gotten anxious or freaked out, I now take a deep breath and stay calm. Also, I am now used to feeling completely anonymous in Vietnam. When I feel anonymous, I am more likely to do silly things. Even though I speak the same language as people now that I am back in the US, I am still feeling anonymous and making a fool of myself - i.e. this video. Finally, I have spent my months in Vietnam with a beginner's mindset, always exploring and searching. I might have grown up in the US and been to California a million of times, but I now look at it differently. I now find myself searching, exploring, and really trying to understand the culture around me. The outcome of all of this? My first Flip-a-mentary:

Great Vietnam Eats II: Bale Well Restaurant, Hoi An

photo credit: vietnamesegod.blogspot.com

I can't believe it was just last weekend that I was in Hoi An. It was a spur of the moment decision to come to the central part of the country and go to the beach. Had we planned ahead, we could have found cheaper plane flights - but sometimes my spontaneous nature does not allow for such foresight. Anyway, I'm so glad I made it to Hoi An. A short weekend was not enough and I hope to get back there soon.

The town is so cool. It is famous for its delicious food, great tailorshops, and nice beaches. I'd say we took advantage of everything Hoi An has to offer. For less than one dollar/day, you can rent a bicycle and ride around town and to the beach. As opposed to in Hanoi where motorbikes rule the roads, bicycles still have the power in number in Hoi An.

Sunday morning was a little rainy so after a run to the beach and trying on all our tailored clothes, we decide to sit in a cafe. From the window I see my friend Linh and he invites us to join him and some of his buddies for a very local lunch. I should not have been too surprised to run into Linh in Hoi An because as he says, San Francisco is his favorite city and Hoi An is a close second.

Linh led us down the alley and to a restaurant where he knew the owner. She immediately came over and brought us pork skewers, fried shrimp, leaves, fresh vegetables, rice paper, and the most delicious sauce I've ever tasted. She taught us how to roll the spring rolls. I love DIY spring rolls and stated that all food should be wrapped in spring rolls. Someone corrected me, "no, because some food needs to be wrapped in tortillas." Touche - I agree with that.

Anyway, I thought this place was a real find because it was outside of the main town and we would have never stumbled across it or thought to eat there. It turns out the place is quite famous and actually written up in the New York Times, tour books, and blogs. Still, it seemed really authentic to me and it is a favorite of the locals.





*stay tuned for more about Hoi An and a third in the "Great Vietnam Eats" series

How to make the most of a ten hour layover

I am headed back to the United States for a family emergency. It is not a happy time and it is not an easy trip. The trip has been made more unpleasant by a random ten hour flight delay. I could have been miserable, but decided to invoke Eloise and make the best of my situation. Here are some tips if you ever find yourself in this situation:

1. Scour Duty Free stores for samples of chocolate. Look like you are studying the package very carefully and need to sample because you intend to buy. Then, when no one is looking, grab a few of these samples and put them in your pocket. Save for later. I think the world would be a better place is there were more free chocolate.

2. Go to a different Duty Free store and try on the make-up and perfume. You will feel much better once you look and smell more glamorous. Today I tried on some Kiehls lotions and some Chanel No. 5 perfume.

3. Jog around the airport. Sitting all day long when I know that I have a fifteen hour flight ahead of me just makes my legs restless. I did some track drills and some speed walking and did not mind all the funny looks I was getting. I just held myself back from doing some yoga head stands in the middle of the airport.

4. Catch up on emails, blogging, video-making, haiku-writing, or whatever creative thing you like to do but never have enough time. This will make the time go much faster.

5. Check the deal on your airline's lounge. For this particular instance, it made sense for me to pay to use the United lounge - free internet, food, alcohol, and showers. I drank some wine, took a shower, and felt like a princess. Maybe someday I will be so accustomed to airport lounges that I enter them with detached blase, but for now - this little luxury has kept me sane. And smelling nice.

6. Make some friends. Notice the people in your same situation (ie delayed flight) and try to strike up some conversations. Knowing that you are not alone in the matter is comforting. And a girl can go crazy if she doesn't talk to anyone all day!

Video: Climbing Mount Fansipan

It took an eight hour delay at the airport in Hong Kong for me to finally sit down and get this video done.... but, better late than never. Sapa is a really easy trip from Hanoi because you can sleep both ways on the overnight train and fully maximize your time. It takes at least two days to hike up the mountain. I consider myself a pretty strong hiker, but even I was exhausted from this hike and unable to walk for a few days afterwards.

It was nice to escape from the honks of Hanoi for a few days and actually be able to see the stars. The base camp of Fansipan seems more like a refugee camp than some place anyone would choose to spend a night, but it added to the overall adventure of the weekend.

I'm a girl of words, but I think this video says it all. What would I do without my Flip?!

Jesse, making the minority women laugh during a well-deserved day of hanging out after the trek

Great Vietnam Eats I: Bun Dau

My sister likes to ask me what Vietnamese foods she should try at her little Vietnam restaurant in Fresno, California. There is so much food here besides pho - every week I am discovering new delicacies. So this series is dedicated to my sister Becky.

After being an almost-vegetarian in the US (ie stuck up and only willing to eat grass fed beef from Whole Foods), I now happily eat meat almost three times a day. It comes in smaller portions and I can feel better that there is no factory farming. However, some days, I still feel like I need a cleanse and want a vegetarian meal.

On a day like this last week, I decided to go to a bun dau stand on an alley not too far from my office. Bun is noodle and dau is tofu so its literally pressed rice noodle chunks and fried tofu. It is served with a basket of greens and either fish sauce or for the more daring - shrimp sauce. Shrimp sauce is purple and oh-so pungent. Considering the sauces and that it is often served with some sausage-type of meat, this is not a meal for real vegetarians. However, I consider it a refreshing alternative to bun cha (the lunch of choice in Hanoi - similar to bun dau, but with pork and served with a soup).

Travel Wish List/Dreams from my cubicle

I think I have done a pretty good job of taking advantage of my surroundings. Since August, I have:

1. Rock climbed in Halong Bay twice
2. Trekked in Sapa
3. Trekked in Ha Giang
4. Relaxed in Tam Dao
5. Visited Ho Chi Minh City
6. Visited the Mekong Delta

                                                                                      
It is also easy to spend the weekends in Hanoi - going to parties, brunches, shopping, and relaxing. However, there is so much I want to do while I am living in Hanoi that I thought I would start a to-do list of trips to take and places to visit. These are just some places on my radar right now -  I am sure this list will get longer.

Here are just some ideas, so please feel free to suggest other MUST SEE places in Vietnam or Asia!

Vietnam:

1. Phu Quoc Island
2. Mai Chau Lodge
3. Hoi An
4. Hue

Outside of Vietnam:

1. Hike in Tiger Leaping Gorge, China
2. Scuba in Philippines
3. Adventure in Burma
4.  Yoga/surf in Bali
5. Eat in Singapore
6. Ashram in India
7. Visit friends in Bangkok/enjoy in Thailand
8. Become a bento box in Japan
9. Find my soul in Seoul

...And of course go to Laos and Cambodia. It is funny - before I came to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia sounded like made-up backpacker dreamlands. Now that I am here, almost everyone I know has been to these countries. Expats who live in Hanoi seem to disparage backpackers. But I still really want to go!

Now lets see how many of these dreams can become a reality! I think I will start by taking a weekend trip to Hoi An - the land of beaches and tailor shops.