There are some customs that I have encountered in Vietnam that are certainly foreign to me, and two are in the bedroom. First, the bedrooms do not have closets built in. One must purchase a wardrobe in which to store clothing. There are rods for hanging clothes, and usually shelves and one or more drawers as well. Of course they can be packed up and taken along if one should decide to move to a new residence. Bedrooms may or may not also have a dresser, but it is not the large piece of furniture I am accustomed to. The one in my bedroom has four tiny drawers, a shelf, and a fairly good sized mirror.
Another strange thing I have encountered in the bedrooms is the lack of flat top bed sheets. They simply are not used here. Now in my mind a top sheet is something used to help keep the blankets clean, so they do not need to be laundered as often as the sheets are. When you buy a sheet set here, you will get a fitted sheet, a pair of pillow slips, and usually one or two bolster covers. I have taken to making my own flat sheets rather than constantly washing blankets. Truthfully, I very seldom use a blanket anyway because the nights are so warm.
In several countries in Asia, and particularly in Vietnam, children are taught to pass items to others using two hands. It doesn't matter if the item is as small as a credit card or as big as a puppy, a two-handed pass is more respectful. And the receiver is also encouraged to receive the item with both hands, for the same reason.
At the dining table, if you are not given chopsticks, you will have a fork and tablespoon with which to eat your meal. You will not usually be offered a knife. One picks the food up with the spoon and puts it onto the fork to transfer it to the mouth. Sometimes spoons are used with chopsticks, particularly if the food is soup or noodles with broth. Then the food is picked up with the chopsticks and transferred to the spoon. If a piece of food is too large to eat in one bite, it is acceptable to bite off a piece and let the rest fall back into the dish.
I have had a hard time getting used to watching people eat with their hands. Of course it is something we in the West only do in casual situations, but here it is much more acceptable. If you are eating a piece of chicken for example, nobody (except me) would look twice at you if you were to pick it up and eat it. I guess that there's not much alternative if one doesn't have a knife.
The students in my class are quite young, and I often eat the same lunch at school as they do. We are given a fork and a tablespoon, and sometimes it is a chore for the children, particularly those who are even younger than my students, to eat with a big spoon. The fork is only used to stab the fruit they are given for dessert. They stab it and hold it on the fork like a lollipop to eat it. Sometimes they question me when they see me use a fork to eat my meal, and when I pick up the fruit and eat it out of my hand.
Soup is eaten in a way we westerners would find odd. The rice and soup are served to students in two separate compartments of their trays, and they spoon one or two spoonfuls of soup at a time into their rice and eat the two together. I'm considered an odd bird for eating soup first. Of course nobody is right or wrong, it is just the way different cultures have developed things that work for them.
It has been my experience that the Vietnamese are not "touchy- feely" people, and most would be uncomfortable receiving a friendly hug. However it is not uncommon to see women walking hand in hand, or with arms around one another. Likewise, men sometimes walk with an arm comfortably over another man's shoulder, but you seldom see couple walking hand in hand. Other displays of affection between couples, such as kissing, are strictly not seen in public.
Many times I have been greeted by the parents of my students and others with whom I do not have a close relationship with a bow. Again, this is a mark of respect. I am older than these parents, and they show deference to elders. Sometimes people my age or older will do the same thing, simply because Asians are a respectful people.
I know there are other customs that still evade me, and I am bound to make faux pas from time to time, but I am confident that I will be corrected in the most gentle of ways. I am working at learning to pass and receive with both hands, and am trying hard to learn to pick up my food when appropriate.
Food, Beautiful Food!
Oh, the fruit! Living in Canada, I never knew what fresh tropical fruit tasted like because I never ate any! I was never a big fan of pineapple because it always tasted like the can, or if bought fresh, it was never completely ripe and made my mouth sore. But here, I can't get enough of it! It is so sweet and juicy. There are many fruits that I'd never even heard of before that I have found to be so tasty: mangosteen, jack fruit, and my new favourite, durian. And then there those that I'd eaten in Canada but they never tasted like they do here: mangoes, melons, bananas, and papaya. There are several different varieties of bananas, and my favourites are the tiny ones billed as "baby bananas" in Canadian grocery stores. They are actually not baby bananas at all, but varieties that don't grow to be as large as the bananas we are familiar with.
Vietnamese use a large variety of herbs in their cooking. Basil and coriander are popular, as are several herbs that are not native to North America. There are several different types of mint, including one called fish mint that I don't like very much, due to its strong fishy taste.
A walk in the early morning or around dinner time will result in a horde of tantalizing smells, as street vendors are set up on every street corner in some areas to sell street food. There are markets where you can buy food to take home and cook, or you can buy from a vendor and either eat at the impromptu cafe that is often set up, or you can walk, or even sit on the curb and eat. I couldn't even begin to list the number of foods and drinks that are available.When I first arrived I was quite taken with banh mi, which can be loosely compared to a sub sandwich. It is made on a roll that is about 8 inches long, and is filled with a few different types of cold cuts, herbs, and usually some cucumber and a few slices of chilies. There are also other sandwiches that I have found to be very satisfying street food, but my absolute favourite dish is bunh xeo. It looks like a crepe, but instead of being made with egg it is made of mainly rice flour with some turmeric for colour. A bit of shrimp, meat (usually pork), and some bean sprouts are placed in the pan and partially cooked, then the flour mixture is poured over and allowed to cook. To eat, pieces of the pancake are broken off and wrapped in rice paper, lettuce, and herbs, and everything is rolled up and dipped in nuoc mam, or fish sauce. Sooo good!
Vietnamese cuisine is not based on meat, rather the meat is used as flavour and accompaniment. Like most Asians, the Vietnamese eat rice every day, sometimes with every meal. I eat much more rice than I used to, but am still nowhere near the amount eaten by my colleagues.
In the cities you can find restaurants offering every type of cuisine. In the rural area where I live, about 25 kilometres north of Ho Chi Minh City, I have sampled Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean food. I found the Korean food to be a bit too fermented and spicy for my liking, with the exception of one dish that consists of rice, meat, and veggies all cooked in a clay pot, and topped with a raw egg that you mix in and allow to cook in the hot foods. I have enjoyed all the other foods I have tried. In the city I also ate at a Thai restaurant for the first time. Again, much Asian food is somewhat heavy on the heat for my liking, but I have found dishes in every type of cuisine that I thoroughly enjoy. And I am learning to eat more chilies than I used to!
Being a big fan of soups, I have not been disappointed here. Most of the soups are made with clear broth to which meat, veggies, and noodles are added. The broth is so flavourful! One of the staples of Vietnamese cuisine is pho, which is a soup that is often eaten for breakfast. One can have either pho bo, made from beef, or pho ga, made from chicken. You are served in a bowl only slightly smaller than a bathtub the broth, meat, noodles, and some veggies, along with a side dish of sliced chilies, herbs, sliced onions, bean paste, bean sprouts, and lime sections which you can add to taste. I've never been able to finish a serving.
Most desserts are based on fruits, and why not, when they are in such abundance. One restaurant which we frequent often features fruit sliced into a bowl of milk and crushed ice, or sliced fruit on a plate accompanied by some salt mixed with crushed chilies. You won't find the pies, cakes, and heavy desserts that are so common at home.
During Tet, the Lunar New Year festival, and at other festival times, sticky rice treats are served. I'm not a fan of sticky rice, as I find it to be bland and glutinous. However the Vietnamese seem to love it.
All in all, anyone who comes here has no excuse to ever be hungry. There is something for everyone, and if you just plain don't like any Asian food, there is always pizza, burgers, and steak available in the city.
Vietnamese use a large variety of herbs in their cooking. Basil and coriander are popular, as are several herbs that are not native to North America. There are several different types of mint, including one called fish mint that I don't like very much, due to its strong fishy taste.
A walk in the early morning or around dinner time will result in a horde of tantalizing smells, as street vendors are set up on every street corner in some areas to sell street food. There are markets where you can buy food to take home and cook, or you can buy from a vendor and either eat at the impromptu cafe that is often set up, or you can walk, or even sit on the curb and eat. I couldn't even begin to list the number of foods and drinks that are available.When I first arrived I was quite taken with banh mi, which can be loosely compared to a sub sandwich. It is made on a roll that is about 8 inches long, and is filled with a few different types of cold cuts, herbs, and usually some cucumber and a few slices of chilies. There are also other sandwiches that I have found to be very satisfying street food, but my absolute favourite dish is bunh xeo. It looks like a crepe, but instead of being made with egg it is made of mainly rice flour with some turmeric for colour. A bit of shrimp, meat (usually pork), and some bean sprouts are placed in the pan and partially cooked, then the flour mixture is poured over and allowed to cook. To eat, pieces of the pancake are broken off and wrapped in rice paper, lettuce, and herbs, and everything is rolled up and dipped in nuoc mam, or fish sauce. Sooo good!
Vietnamese cuisine is not based on meat, rather the meat is used as flavour and accompaniment. Like most Asians, the Vietnamese eat rice every day, sometimes with every meal. I eat much more rice than I used to, but am still nowhere near the amount eaten by my colleagues.
In the cities you can find restaurants offering every type of cuisine. In the rural area where I live, about 25 kilometres north of Ho Chi Minh City, I have sampled Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean food. I found the Korean food to be a bit too fermented and spicy for my liking, with the exception of one dish that consists of rice, meat, and veggies all cooked in a clay pot, and topped with a raw egg that you mix in and allow to cook in the hot foods. I have enjoyed all the other foods I have tried. In the city I also ate at a Thai restaurant for the first time. Again, much Asian food is somewhat heavy on the heat for my liking, but I have found dishes in every type of cuisine that I thoroughly enjoy. And I am learning to eat more chilies than I used to!
Being a big fan of soups, I have not been disappointed here. Most of the soups are made with clear broth to which meat, veggies, and noodles are added. The broth is so flavourful! One of the staples of Vietnamese cuisine is pho, which is a soup that is often eaten for breakfast. One can have either pho bo, made from beef, or pho ga, made from chicken. You are served in a bowl only slightly smaller than a bathtub the broth, meat, noodles, and some veggies, along with a side dish of sliced chilies, herbs, sliced onions, bean paste, bean sprouts, and lime sections which you can add to taste. I've never been able to finish a serving.
Most desserts are based on fruits, and why not, when they are in such abundance. One restaurant which we frequent often features fruit sliced into a bowl of milk and crushed ice, or sliced fruit on a plate accompanied by some salt mixed with crushed chilies. You won't find the pies, cakes, and heavy desserts that are so common at home.
During Tet, the Lunar New Year festival, and at other festival times, sticky rice treats are served. I'm not a fan of sticky rice, as I find it to be bland and glutinous. However the Vietnamese seem to love it.
All in all, anyone who comes here has no excuse to ever be hungry. There is something for everyone, and if you just plain don't like any Asian food, there is always pizza, burgers, and steak available in the city.
Oh The Pain Of It
There were a few things that I experienced when I came here that were somewhat unpleasant. I'm going to mention all of them in one entry, but please don't think that life here is a series of hardships. It's anything but.
The humidity and heat, as I mentioned before, were quite different from what I had been experiencing in Southern Alberta in late October. The temperatures were hovering in the high 20's and low 30's. I don't know what the relative humidity was, but it took no time at all to be soaking wet with sweat. Even taking a shower was useless, because before I was dressed I found myself sweating profusely again. I soon learned to turn the air conditioner on to a very low temperature before my shower, partly just to dry myself.
And the mosquitoes! You can hardly see the little devils, but they sure take a chunk out of a person. My legs were a mess for weeks from bites. They seem to attack in droves and each one takes a big bite, and then of course they itch like crazy. It didn't help that I was taking the dog for walks in the early morning and evening, when they were most active.
In the area where I first lived, rats were very common. I saw many of them when I was walking the dog; so many in fact, that soon I didn't jump anymore when they scurried across the street in front of me. Since moving to this area I haven't seen very many at all.
Sadly, there is garbage piled along the streets everywhere here in the rural areas. It's so distressing, because this is such a beautiful country otherwise. The smell in this heat is truly awful; in fact, stench would be a better word. Some of it is household garbage, some is fast food containers, and sometimes in some areas one can even smell dead animals.People walk along the street and just drop their garbage without a second thought. I don't know why this is allowed to happen because many areas have garbage pick up, and Vietnam calls itself a prosperous country with zero unemployment. Surely someone could be picking up the garbage off the streets!
I can't mention garbage without mentioning cigarettes. Asia is far behind North America on smoking legislation. Many Asians are smokers, and they are permitted to light up almost anywhere. Smoking in restaurants is common, and there is no designated smoking section.
I arrived near the end of rainy season, and at about the same time every day we would get a violent downpour. One day I had gone for a swim after work, and it started raining while I was in the pool. I was about ready to get out anyway, so I got dressed and though I'd just wait out the rain as it was coming down hard and fast. Finally I decided to go home, rain or not. Good thing, otherwise I'd have been there well into the night!
Driving and being a pedestrian here is taking your life into your own hands. I drive a small motorbike, as do most people in the country. Most roads have a designated lane for motorbikes, but if a vehicle wants to make a right turn, it will pull over into the motorbike lane, often without signalling. Some drivers will go along for several kilometres in the motorbike lane, and suddenly pull into the correct lane again, often just about the time a motorbike driver decides to go around them to the left. I have seen a large number of motorbikes wrapped around the front of buses and trucks. Many people drive without using headlights even at night! And look out on the sidewalks, because you are just as likely to see people driving motorbikes there too, and often even on the wrong side. Then they have the nerve to beep at you to get out of their way! The noise of horns is constant. There are no stop signs, so I think I've figured out the main rule of the road: the one with the loudest horn has the right of way.
The biggest headache I've run into is bureaucracy and red tape. There are rules, rules, rules, many of which are ridiculous. For example, I live in a complex with 24 hour guards, which is common here. I have a permit to park my motorbike in the parking lot. Makes sense so far, right? Now here's the crazy part: when I take the bike out, no matter where I'm going, I have to leave my permit with the guard and pick it up when I return. Another paper I need to have is a resident permit.( To date I only have a temporary one, but that's a whole other can of worms. ) To receive this permit, my landlord must submit a form and my passport to the local police. It took nearly two weeks for me to get my passport back, not sure why. In the meantime the management company for my building had not paid their graft to the police. The police were at our door more than once to ask for our permits, which of course we didn't have. Fortunately we were always in bed when they arrived and didn't hear them at the door, otherwise they could have taken us to the local jail and detained us until our landlord, who was out of the country at the time, came to the jail and vouched for us.
These were all isolated things that proved to be annoying at the time, but taken in the balance were not big deals at all. Even with all of this I'm glad to be here.
The humidity and heat, as I mentioned before, were quite different from what I had been experiencing in Southern Alberta in late October. The temperatures were hovering in the high 20's and low 30's. I don't know what the relative humidity was, but it took no time at all to be soaking wet with sweat. Even taking a shower was useless, because before I was dressed I found myself sweating profusely again. I soon learned to turn the air conditioner on to a very low temperature before my shower, partly just to dry myself.
And the mosquitoes! You can hardly see the little devils, but they sure take a chunk out of a person. My legs were a mess for weeks from bites. They seem to attack in droves and each one takes a big bite, and then of course they itch like crazy. It didn't help that I was taking the dog for walks in the early morning and evening, when they were most active.
In the area where I first lived, rats were very common. I saw many of them when I was walking the dog; so many in fact, that soon I didn't jump anymore when they scurried across the street in front of me. Since moving to this area I haven't seen very many at all.
Sadly, there is garbage piled along the streets everywhere here in the rural areas. It's so distressing, because this is such a beautiful country otherwise. The smell in this heat is truly awful; in fact, stench would be a better word. Some of it is household garbage, some is fast food containers, and sometimes in some areas one can even smell dead animals.People walk along the street and just drop their garbage without a second thought. I don't know why this is allowed to happen because many areas have garbage pick up, and Vietnam calls itself a prosperous country with zero unemployment. Surely someone could be picking up the garbage off the streets!
I can't mention garbage without mentioning cigarettes. Asia is far behind North America on smoking legislation. Many Asians are smokers, and they are permitted to light up almost anywhere. Smoking in restaurants is common, and there is no designated smoking section.
I arrived near the end of rainy season, and at about the same time every day we would get a violent downpour. One day I had gone for a swim after work, and it started raining while I was in the pool. I was about ready to get out anyway, so I got dressed and though I'd just wait out the rain as it was coming down hard and fast. Finally I decided to go home, rain or not. Good thing, otherwise I'd have been there well into the night!
Driving and being a pedestrian here is taking your life into your own hands. I drive a small motorbike, as do most people in the country. Most roads have a designated lane for motorbikes, but if a vehicle wants to make a right turn, it will pull over into the motorbike lane, often without signalling. Some drivers will go along for several kilometres in the motorbike lane, and suddenly pull into the correct lane again, often just about the time a motorbike driver decides to go around them to the left. I have seen a large number of motorbikes wrapped around the front of buses and trucks. Many people drive without using headlights even at night! And look out on the sidewalks, because you are just as likely to see people driving motorbikes there too, and often even on the wrong side. Then they have the nerve to beep at you to get out of their way! The noise of horns is constant. There are no stop signs, so I think I've figured out the main rule of the road: the one with the loudest horn has the right of way.
The biggest headache I've run into is bureaucracy and red tape. There are rules, rules, rules, many of which are ridiculous. For example, I live in a complex with 24 hour guards, which is common here. I have a permit to park my motorbike in the parking lot. Makes sense so far, right? Now here's the crazy part: when I take the bike out, no matter where I'm going, I have to leave my permit with the guard and pick it up when I return. Another paper I need to have is a resident permit.( To date I only have a temporary one, but that's a whole other can of worms. ) To receive this permit, my landlord must submit a form and my passport to the local police. It took nearly two weeks for me to get my passport back, not sure why. In the meantime the management company for my building had not paid their graft to the police. The police were at our door more than once to ask for our permits, which of course we didn't have. Fortunately we were always in bed when they arrived and didn't hear them at the door, otherwise they could have taken us to the local jail and detained us until our landlord, who was out of the country at the time, came to the jail and vouched for us.
These were all isolated things that proved to be annoying at the time, but taken in the balance were not big deals at all. Even with all of this I'm glad to be here.
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