A young Vietnamese woman came to pick me up in her motorbike.  She had nice long flowy hair, perfect skin and a round face that said friendliness all over.  She also spoke perfect English.  I liked her immediately.

Mandy was my guide for the day. She would be taking me to the Thanh Toan Village for a tour, then to the cooking class.

Mandy studied English as her major in the university.  She said that most Vietnamese learn English as their second language now, although French remains the next most popular foreign language.  I had a very nice conversation with her about Vietnam.

Abundance at Thanh Toan Village

The azure of Vietnam’s sky brushed the sights in Thanh Toan with a stroke of upbeat mood. Rice paddies and duck ponds rolled into view, one after another, as the motorbike passed by. The Vietnamese typically plant two crops of rice per year. The farmers have already planted the first crop of rice for the year.  They expected the harvest to come in May.

Mandy asked me if the Hong Kong people eat ducks, I said most certainly. We like them roasted.

I noted that the village was well-kept with nicely-paved roads.  Tourism must have helped this village?  She nodded to that observation.  Thanh Toan is clearly prosperous, and the villagers do continue in farming and livestock rearing.

Our first stop was at the local market.  She showed me the sweets that they use for worship in the Tet (the lunar new year).  The village would soon be decorating for the Tet, perhaps in a few days.  I asked her about the wrestling matches.  She said that the wrestling matches took place during the Tet. I would have returned to Hong Kong then.

In this local market I noticed that there were salmon, and she said that fishermen go out to the sea not far from Hue. Salmon is a sea catch. I noticed bunches of green bananas harvested while still attached to their stems. She told me that these green bananas were for decoration at the worship altar.  That makes sense, as food are constantly placed before the worship altars and green bananas last longer.

The Japanese Bridge of Thanh Toan Village

We then toured the beautiful Japanese bridge.  The tour websites say that this is the same bridge as the one in Hoi An, but Mandy told me the difference.  This one in Thanh Toan was wholly built by the Vietnamese people although in the style of the Japanese Bridge in Hoi An.  Back then, the village was too poor to construct the bridge.  Villagers used to either swim or boat across the river.

A woman who had no children wanted to do good, so she donated all her money to building this bridge.  She still didn’t end up having children, however. The villagers remembered her for this everlasting contribution.  The altar inside the bridge is dedicated to her.  Mandy said that during the summer, the bridge is very cool inside.  That’s why many villagers would bring along their pillows for naps.

The Flooding Pole

Flooding is a very serious problem in Vietnam.  I have discussed the experience in a previous entry on Hoi An.  Here in Hue, the problem is just as severe.  The flooding pole is an indication to the villagers the rise of water levels.  From this tall pole you can see that the flood can be so serious to reach its top.  The plates next to the markers denote the water level of various floodings over the years.

The Cooking Class

We arrived at the Thanh Toan Eco Home, an airy open kitchen beneath a thatched roof. I was pleased to see a bamboo boat as the working table for my class.  The effort to make this a village cooking session in a subtropical environment was gimmicky, but I liked it.  It is a thoughtful touch.

A Delightful Welcome Drink

I was the only one on that tour.  Mandy introduced me to the teacher.  We then sat down for a welcome drink.  She asked me what’s in it.  I said there are herbs.  Then she named lemon, honey, lemongrass and still others.

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

The class began and I was in earnest.  The chef first showed me the ingredients for the spring rolls.  There was meat (uncooked), lots of coriander, scallion, shallots, wood ear, carrots and etc.  He instructed that I shred and dice them. The egg yolk served as the binder.  There was also no “sealing” with egg whites of the skin (it’s rice paper). Due to the texture of this rice paper, the rolls are formed completely when they meet hot oil.  When I have mixed the ingredients, he set it aside and showed me the next dish.

Vietnamese Stir Fry

This second dish would be my favorite out of the three.  Diced pork, some shrimp, lots of herbs again, and the Vietnamese fig.  The soul of this dish is actually the oyster sauce.  After me chopping up the fig, he dried it by twisting in a towel.  Then all ingredients pan fried to perfection, with perfect seasoning, and served on shrimp crackers.  By this time the open kitchen was filled with delightful aroma.

I can easily gather the same ingredients back home, save for the fig.  I asked Mandy if people eat the fig raw.  She said yes, some do, but when eaten raw, it is rather bitter.

Mandy tried my cooking.  It pleases me that I could “cook” Vietnamese food for a Vietnamese.  I then looked forward to the Banh Khoai next.

Banh Khoai

The chef did not show me how the batter was mixed together.  He just said 1 tablespoon of rice flour, one tablespoon of flour and two tablespoons of water.  What gives the “taco” (the crunchy pancake wrap) its yellow color is turmeric.  I would not have guessed that.  Then the ingredients inside consist of small pieces of cooked pork, scallions, shrimp and a quail egg.

I was most excited when he showed me how to fry the taco.  First, one full tablespoon of oil.  Wait for it to heat up, then pour all oil back to the bowl, and cool just a little before pouring one ladle of batter into the small frying pan.  When the pancake is half cooked and formed, keep pouring oil to the rims of the pancake, then put the ingredients in.  I broke the quail egg then.  Then fold the pancake into half, and thoroughly, thoroughly brown both sides.  I thought it was slightly too brown and also too much oil at the rim, but I could certainly experiment when I am back home.

I think the Banh Khoai is the most Hue-specific food on the menu for this day. It was yummy.

Then we pan fried the spring rolls with generous oil.  All done!

A Scrumptious Vietnamese Meal

Mandy and I sat down for our meal. There was additional pumpkin soup and lemongrass chicken with rice.  When we had the meal, she asked, “do people here think that you are Vietnamese?”  I told her I was very flattered hearing that.

She said that what I cooked that morning were common food for the Vietnamese people.  This was made the rustic, village-wholesome way.  I was very thankful for that introduction.  The soup, the rice and all the food was fantastic.  In fact, this was the only meal in Hue in which I felt too full.  Generally, portions are small at the restaurants.

The chef was then busy with another couple, so Mandy took me back to the hostel.  She asked me what I did for a living.  I said I did translation and writing, and she said she also did translation on the side.  Her home village was near the Royal tombs, but her family moved to Hue.  It is uncommon for the Vietnamese young people to move out from home before they get married.  Surprisingly, her parents have not pressured her to get married.  I then told her how I find my single life to be carefree.  She agreed with me.

When we were on our way back I asked her about the nice apartments I saw on the way.  She said that those were mostly for the young, newly-married couples.  The family would buy them these apartments as their matrimonial home.  They cost around US 50k.

It was not even 1pm yet when I returned to the hostel.  I debated and eventually decided to take a look at the fishing village of Bao Vinh.