Wow. Here we are. 365 meals. When I took on this project I remember wondering if I’d indeed be able to find a year’s worth of food worthy of a daily narrative. I prayed my lofty goal wouldn’t crater about two months in due to a lack of variety. Somehow the food gods smiled upon me, and this project […]
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Phở Bò Beef Noodle Soup – 365 of 365
Phở. Yes, phở. Phở is our final stop on this diverse food journey. What’s that? You were expecting something a little more exotic like marinated pig bladder or five flavors chicken tongue for the grand finale? Actually I am not even sure if those are edible parts of our barnyard friends, but I am going […]

Mì Sủi Cảo Noodle and Won Ton Soup – 363 of 365
A dose of cool, nonhumid air got me out on foot on my last work overnight in Hanoi but hunger stopped short my wanderings on Xuan Dieu Road in the Tay Ho neighborhood. The trusty old won ton soup joint across from Tracy’s drew me right in, and this basic concrete hut has nourished me enough in […]

Cá Kho Tộ Caramelized Fish – 361 of 365
Troi oi! It’s pronounced choi oi and these two simple words roll out Vietnamese mouths in reaction to just about any situation possibly arising in daily life. Witness something crazy? Troi oi! Almost get hit by a motorbike? Troi oi as well. Someone surprise you? Yes, you guessed it. Troi oi indeed. Loosely translated as […]

Thịt Bò Xào Kiểu Hàn Quốc Korean Style Beef – 359 of 365
Seeing how the Vietnamese kitchen interprets tough chewy chunks of beef with recipes supposedly from other lands is always a feast for the senses. While downtown with a friend on the hunt for the world’s tackiest souvenir, a brief shower of rain just about gave us the world’s biggest soaking. We ducked into Parksons Department Store […]

Hot Dog Doughnut – 358.5 of 365
We won’t pretend this one was any sort of meal, but it was so bizarre it warrants a stop on this meandering food journey. Let’s just insert it in between 358 and 359. Normally one would expect to walk into a bakery that has been open several hours and find a full selection of tantalizing […]

Cua Rang Fried Crabs – 358 of 365
We can’t arrive at meal number 365 without some final attempts at uncovering culinary weirdness, can we? Well, I do suppose weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. These cua rang, fried crabs, might very well be mainstream and normal in Hanoi on the side of the road heaped in a bowl awaiting the […]