Where Creativity Lies: Vietnam From The Back Of A Motorbike
When I told people I was visiting Vietnam for my next food adventure, I received some mixed responses. Vietnam is a vacation spot that's either loved or hated; there's no middle ground. Some acquaintances didn't understand the attraction; others had been there while serving in the military and didn't have fond memories of the place. It's a destination I'd always wanted to visit, so I disregarded the naysayers.
It was off the beaten path and definitely not the typical vacation destination with pre-planned tour group opportunities. But that's what I loved about Vietnam; it was full of the unexpected. I believe that life is all about making memories and experiencing new things, and that's just what I did.
One of the many unexpected experiences was meeting American chef Chad Kubanoff, who has worked at some of the best restaurants in the United States, such as Alinea and Daniel. He opened a cooking and street food touring company called Back of the Bike Tours in Vietnam. The tour — given entirely on a motorbike — has taken Ho Chi Minh City by storm.
5 Street Food Dishes That Made an Impression:
Exploring Vietnam from the back of a motorbike was probably the most fitting way we could have experienced the food. Vietnamese traffic is insane — the roads are filled with motorbikes. Cab drivers zoom past you, blaring their horns. Stop signs, lights, and the sound of roaring engines overwhelm your senses.
Even with all this, the food was still the most exciting and exhilarating part. My guide led me to unexplored street vendors all across town. We visited more than 15 vendors, including a medicinal bathtub rice wine vendor, who delivered his products in old Fanta and Aquafina bottles. The taste — like rubbing alcohol mixed with grape Fanta — was one I'll never forget. As always, however, I had a few favorites:
1. Our first stop was to try the Asian classic green papaya salad (goi du du kho bo). Most neighboring countries have their own version of the dish, with varying condiments and pungency (derived from fish sauce). Typically, the Vietnamese version is sweeter. Its additional ingredients made this one original: dried shrimp, puffed shrimp croutons, peanuts, basil, and beef liver jerky. We ate at the edge of a park while children ran the food between the vendor and customers.
2. While fish balls and fruit ice cream may not sound like a great combination, these two treats went perfectly together. It was like dipping french fries into a Frosty — sweet and salty melded together. The vendor sold the dish from a room that was smaller than a one-car garage. Of course, the environment made the food all the more exotic.
3. The third best dish I had in Vietnam was a bánh mì. I'd had it several times before, but this one left a lasting impression. This giant sandwich was stuffed with six different kinds of charcuterie and spicy pickled vegetables, then topped with bacon mayonnaise. Holding it all together was a toasted hoagie roll, but the best part was the price: only $1.25.
4. Of course, we had to stop at the popular offal rice porridge vendor before the dish sold out, which usually happened in less than two hours. I got one of the last bowls of the day and was glad I did because I had never tasted anything close to it. The slightly al dente rice was paired with pickled garlic and chiles, giving it the big kick of spice it needed to offset the creaminess of the rest of the dish. The hearty bowl only set me back $2.
5. The street food that truly epitomized Vietnamese street food, though, was banh trang tron, or shredded rice paper salad. But I wouldn't call it a dish — it was more like a bag of ingredients tossed together. We didn't even have to leave the motorbike to grab our food. Instead, I selected the ingredients I wanted from different bags, and the cook mixed the rice paper ribbons, dried beef liver, quail eggs, green mango, dried shrimp, kumquats, toasted peanuts, and chiles. He flung the finished product at me with chopsticks, and we continued on our tour. It was delicious (and cost $0.25!), and I was able to eat it while dodging traffic.
From the extremely affordable yet exotic food to our motorbike tour and exploration of the Mekong River, there was no shortage of adventure during my trip to Vietnam. It wasn't a likely tourist spot, but for an aspiring chef looking to broaden his cultural and culinary horizons, it was the perfect place to visit.
Blake Beshore is the co-author of the James Beard Award-winning book, "Notes from a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession," and is the co-founder of Tatroux LLC, a growing culinary arts publishing company. Connect with Blake on Twitter and Google+.