ARIEL CHACHOFFAUGUST 1 , 2013

FN 3260-Project 2 Eating at Ethnic Restaurant

Vietnam Culture

• -Capital: Hanoi-Language: Vietnamese-Population: 99,388,000 (2012 Census)-Currency: dông -GDP (nominal)$138071 billion-Education is divided up into 5 categories; kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, and universities (the same as the USA) - The education systems are ran by the government and are expensive.

Cooking Methods

Cooking techniques Many Vietnamese dishes are fried. For example, the

meat in the meal would be deep fried and then mixed together with items such as vegetables or rice.

The sticky rice is made by steaming the rice in either metal trays or a steamer-woven bamboo.

Stewing and stir-frying are also two techniques used to add different flavors to the meal.

A simple technique would be a Fresh Wrap. Boil the ingredients first and then wrap in rice paper. Very fresh!

Cooking Methods Continued

Utensils for Cooking: Utensils for Table: Wok Bowls-small and

large Spatula Plates Lade Chopsticks Mortar and Pestle Spoon and fork

Spices

Two important spices used in dishes are garlic and ginger. Ginger is used in

seafood as well as braised food and garlic is found in every dish.

5 spices commonly found in every house: Sugar, gia vi, salt,

pepper, and poultry powder

Dried chilies are used to had extreme spiciness to the dish as well as color.

Gia vi is a combination of salt and pepper with a little of MSG.

Dining Etiquette

Table Manners Wait until you're shown

where to sit Oldest sits first Use both hands to pass

the dishes Try and finish everything

on your plate When finished eating,

place chopsticks on top of rice bowl

Served family-style Hold spoon in left hand

while eating soup

My experience

I decided to go to Mekong, which is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant

I have never had Vietnamese cuisine before so that is the main reason why I choose it.

It’s located in Sandusky, Ohio and has been opened for 1 year https://www.facebook.com/MekongRestaurantSandusky (Their Facebook page)

My Experience continued

Wonton soup

Appetizer: soft and crispy spring roll, fried jumbo shrimp, and others

The sauces: the red one had a sweet flavor and the brown was a honey ginger( I did not like it!)

Part of the appetizer. It tasted like French toast sticks dipped in syrup!

I tried the soft roll that had rice, shrimp and pork, and I did not like it. The texture was too different for me.

The same ingredients, but cooked differently. Which one do you think is the healthier option, soft or crispy??

Soft and crispy

My meal: honey chicken, sautéed with green peppers, onions, and bamboo shoots with white rice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O8IXsUBfbQ&feature=em-upload_owner

I took a picture of this bottle of Soy Sauce because it says that it contains less sodium than the average bottle. The back said that in one serving there is 575 mg of sodium compared to the typical 900 mg. This is important to the health of Vietnamese people because having too much sodium in your diet can cause healthy conditions such as high blood pressure. I appreciate that the restaurant is on the track to purchasing healthier options for their patrons.

Experience of eating

While I was at Mekong I ate some foods that I never thought I would.

The food item that I did not like the most would be the soft spring roll. The texture was too difference and the items wrapped in the roll were not appetizing.

I enjoyed trying to use the chopsticks and I was the most successful I have ever been!

Continued

My meal that I had definitely had a unique flavor.

The honey chicken was just the right amount of sweet and mixed with the different vegetables evened out the taste

The bamboo shoots that were mixed in my meal were not very good. They were not soft so they were crunchy and had a different taste about them.

The rice defiantly was sticky! Even though it was the easiest food to pick up with the chopsticks.

continued

By looking at the entire menu, I got the feel that everything Vietnamese eat is all meat, vegetables, and rice.

They do have a balanced meal with the protein, vegetables, and starch. The rice would be a little healthier if it were brown but the white rice is traditional.

Reflection

All and all I enjoyed doing this project because it opened my eyes to another culture out there.

I accomplished going out of my box and trying different food items I never thought it would.

This project taught me different aspects of the Vietnamese culture such as the many etiquettes there are for dining.

H T T P : / /E N . W I K I P E D I A . O R G / W I K I / V I E T N A M # L A N G U A G E S

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References