Casey Space

A lot of people commented about how much delicious food I was going to eat. I believe this is true if you know how to read Vietnamese and are excited about eating all kinds and parts of meat.

I am not vegetarian, but I am weird about meat. I am an opportunarian, which means I will eat what is put in front of me. But, sometimes that entails disassociating from reality while eating because I can’t let my brain think about what I’m chewing and swallowing.

I’ve tried just asking for what is most popular and that has gotten some weird meat stuffs put in front of me. So, I’m working on better understanding the language to be able to get what I like. And, mostly focusing on cooking at home.

Cooking at Home

Grocery store shopping is also challenging. I have cooked a few Vietnamese dishes in the states, but that didn’t prepare me for what I find (or didn’t find) at the grocery store. There is a whole half aisle devoted just to fish sauce.

The simple task of buying shampoo, conditioner, hand soap or lotion requires a phone with Google translate camera because all the packaging looks the same, it’s all in the same aisle, and everything is in Vietnamese.

Vegetables look a little different and what’s available changes every day. So I may have a recipe in mind and not be able to get half the ingredients.

Going to the market, like, the farmers market, in the morning to get the best stuff from the stalls seems to be how people do their shopping. I need to get used to going to the market first thing in the morning, pretty much daily. My days of one weekly run to WINCO are gone.

Cooking Class

Josh and I took a vegan cooking class to become more familiar with what to do with stuff at the grocery store and gain some more cooking skills.

We were introduced to the morning market, with a tour of the produce stall, introducing many new leafy things and unusual fruit.

Then we continued to a beautiful French villa where we chopped and chopped. “Theennar,” they said, to remind us to chop the lemongrass, garlic, carrots, and hot peppers thinner.

In class, we learned how to make:

Banana Blossom Salad

Tofu Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce

Mushroom Noodle Soup

Lotus Seed Dessert

More than that, it boosted our confidence in being able to go to the market and make something delicious at home.