I would like to dedicate today's blog to Vietnamese food. We have been here for two days and have been offered enough food for 2 weeks!
Our Day of Food: At Mitchell's Aunts' houses
First, Mitchell's dad takes us to a coffee house to sit and drink coffee. Now this is nothing like a coffee house in the United States. We sit in plastic chairs around a plastic table outside in the heat. They like to drink iced coffee here. Sometimes they will even mix their iced coffee with fresh jasmine tea(which is served for free to anyone buying coffee).
After coffee, you must go eat breakfast. The Vietnamese do not distinguished breakfast food from other food, so you are just as likely to eat a pork sandwich or pork and small rice for breakfast as you are for lunch or supper.
Once breakfast is over we go to see a water bottling company that Mitchell's Aunt owns and operates. As soon as we walk in the door, water is being served to us. Then we are asked to have a seat. After a few minutes of talking, Mitchell's aunt leaves and returns with a big plate of fruits. We had pineapple (which was WAY better then any in the US), mango, rambutanan, sweet-sop, and logan. I posted pictures of them on our MobileMe Gallery.
We then leave that Aunt's house to visit another aunt. When we arrive there, we are once again asked to have a seat. She proceeds to bring in plates full of snacks. One was a weird green layered snack that Mitchell's dad loves. I laughed when she tried to offer us some chocolate candy, which come to find out had been brought to them the week before from another family member from the United States(Snickers, Butterfingers, etc.) They just seemed so out of place.
Finally, it was lunch time. We were presented with a table of food. Three types of fish dishes and two types of beef dishes. Rice and french bread were of course served with it. The Vietnamese people are very big on serving you. If they notice you have not tried something on the table, they will just go ahead and get a piece for you and place it on your plate. It is very hard to refuse to eat. When the main course is over the fruit plate always appears. This time it was mango and pineapple.
An hour or so after lunch, the snacks reappear. Today we were offered dried fish and dried beef (like beef jerky). A few minutes later clams appear at the table. Then more fruit.
Before you know it, it is time to eat supper. Let's just say, both days Mitchell and I have turned down supper because we are sooooo stuffed. What amazes me more is that although these people eat so much food, they weigh nothing. I will give them one thing, the food here is MUCH healthier than anything in the United States.
More pics from the day are posted at: http://gallery.me.com/mitchellandwendy#100016
