Since our friend Ivan is going to Saigon for a business trip next week, I'm doing a quick post about the local food that he can try while he's there.
The black 'horns' of the water lily plant (I think) are steamed and sold as a common snack in Vietnam. We bought a small bag of steamed groundnuts for 30cts (20cts usd)!
I had to try the bánh mì sandwich (baguette with fried egg, pate and fresh vegetables filling) before I leave Saigon! We finally found a stall outside the Handicraft centre and it was hot and delicious!
We had seafood outside the Ben Thanh Market one night. The grilled clams served with roasted peanut was really tasty.
The eel dish cooked in a curry sauce was not too bad either. But the way they chopped up the eel pieces made it look unappetising (to me). I couldn't help it but each time I took a bite, I pictured a slippery live eel. After a few pieces, I just couldn't eat anymore...
The (big) snails steamed with lemon grass looked ok when they arrived, until...
We dug out the meat using a pair of small fork. The entrails (I think) were so long and soft and slimy, I almost threw up after chewing on one piece. It was soft and gooey and mucousy..yucks!
Even this adventurous eater didn't enjoy the snails very much!
If you think the snails are bad enough, they have grilled whole bull frogs which would have freaked me out! The eggs in the foreground are half hatched duck eggs. I wouldn't eat that even if you paid me a thousand bucks!
Alcohol like this (with snakes, scorpions and birds inside) are sold everywhere.
We tried a cold dessert at the roadside stall and prayed that we wouldn't get a tummyache. Well, it was very sweet and refreshing and nope, it didn't upset our tummies.
I bought some dried jackfruit and banana chips as well as nuts. The cashew with sesame seeds is really yummy! I should have bought more.
8 comments:
I'm loving seeing all the different kinds of food on offer. But not sure I could eat it all! Especially the snails.
The Cashew with sesame seeds sounds good!
WOW!!! Interesting pics. I tried snails before in Bandung. They didn't look yucky but I don't like it too much. Haven't tried eels, though they say they are DELICIOUS he he he...
But I LOVE frogs!!!!! Now I'm craving for Mom's special frogs he he he...;-D FROGS FROGS FROGS he he he...Even my hubby loved my Mom's frogs! ;-D
Actually I like snails like escargots cos they're nicely prepared and seasoned. These are big and boiled...hence they were mushy and pretty tasteless.
With eel, it's again in the way they cooked it. The Japanese grilled eel is very delicious. This is quite tasty too but I found the pieces of head in there and then I couldn't eat anymore.
Frogs too. I would eat frog legs that are fried in a dark sauce with onions but grilled whole frogs just look too scary.
Now I am hungry!!!! I'm headed to the fridge!
You're adventurous when it comes to eating :)
Btw, you know I can get the dried jackfruit here? :)
The horns of the water lily plants looked like steamed rats at first glance :)
Pieces of eel head? Oh my...
MH - Oh really? Imported from Vietnam? I remember you gave us some the last time you visited HCMC. YK loves it!
Seagrape - come to think of it, they do look like a pile of baby rats. :-)
I have to be honest with you. And it is not because I am a vegetarian....The snails really look scary leh.
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