The platter of Vietnam

Ting! Deepa’s phone showed yet another message. She covered her head with the quilt. “Why can’t people let me sleep on a Saturday? I don’t know if other documentary makers are early risers, but I’m certainly not!” she thought. Ting! “Fine!” she exclaimed and picked up the phone. A new Instagram post had been shared by Shradha, the number one food blogger. Shradha was a big fan of Deepa’s documentaries, and always posted new ideas for Deepa to film. Although Deepa was flattered, she found it a little annoying when Shradha posted things 24\7. 

#Yummy!, said the post. Above the captions was a bowl of the most meaty, delicious soup in the world. Deepa’s eyes went wide. She had to know what it was, immediately. She texted Shradha, asking her what it was called. “It’s called pho. Pho is a Vietnamese soup. I tasted it at a restaurant down my street.” was the reply.

That did it. The pho looked so simple, yet so tasty. Deepa was going to explore Vietnam, its culture and food and most of all, its pho. She was going to document her experience too.

She took the next flight from Bangalore to Hanoi, the first of the four cities she was going to explore in Vietnam. She checked into her hotel room and started opening her suitcases. She had packed three suitcases. She counted two. Deepa began to panic. The missing suitcase contained her camera! She quickly called the Hanoi airport. “Hello, Hanoi Airport,” said a bored voice. “Um, hello. My name is Deepa Murthi and I’ve lost one of my suitcases. I was a passenger on the 8:30 flight from Bangalore. Are there any reports of leftover suitcases?” “Yes, when no one collected the remaining suitcase, we sent it back to its address.” said the attendant. “ohnoivlstmycamraandmstofmyclothespackd,” Deepa mumbled. “Excuse me?” “Oh, um nothing, bye!” “Deepa hung up and groaned. After 5 minutes of this, Deepa stood up and washed her face. She put on some kajal and felt much better. She checked her watch. It was around lunch time.

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Deepa opened the door to Duong’s Restaurant, one of the finest restaurants in Hanoi City. “A table for one please,” she told the waiter. “Sorry ma’am, but the customers are required to wear formal clothing here at Duong’s. May I escort you outside?” “Oh, I wasn’t aware of the dress code. I will come back in appropriate clothes.” said Deepa. She rushed to the hotel and dug through her clothes. She soon discovered that her formal wear was packed in the suitcase which was now at her doorstep. Ting! Deepa testily grabbed her phone from the bed. Shradha had posted something on Facebook. “#Going-To-Vietnam-Today!” the post shrieked. Deepa felt a sudden surge of hope. She called Shradha. “Hi Deeepa!” Shradha lisped. “Listen Shradha, which cities are you visiting in Vietnam?” “Oh, so you read my post! I’m landing at Hanoi, then…….” “Great! So, in the afternoon, just go to my house and you’ll see a suitcase there. Bring it to Vietnam when you come today.” “Oh ok! You know, I am sooooo honoured you chose me to….” “Bye,” Deepa said, relieved.

 She hung up and walked to a simple food stand and ate a dish of Bun bo Nam bo, a bowl of noodles that came in sans broth, with tender slices of beef mingle, crunchy peanuts and bean sprouts, seasoned with fresh herbs, crisp dried shallots, and a splash of fish sauce and chili pepper. “Wow!” she exclaimed. The food from the stand was just as good as the food in any restaurant.

In the evening, Shradha arrived with the suitcase. “Hi Shradha, thanks! See you later,” Deepa said hastily, before Shradha could start lisping. After meeting Shradha, Deepa picked up her camera and filmed the streets of Hanoi. She visited different food stands and talked to the people there.

At dinnertime Deepa dressed up and took a taxi to Duong’s Restaurant. She sat down at a table and looked at the menu. Pho was the first dish listed that caught her eye. Under it was a dish called Banh xeo. Deepa ordered both dishes. Banh xeo was the first dish that arrived. On the shiny plate sat a thin pancake bulging with pork, beans, shrimp and a seasoning of fresh herbs. Deepa took out her camera to film her experience. She bit into the roll. Immediately, she was hit by an umami of sweet, sour, and salty flavours. The fresh herbs contributed greatly to the dish and the meat and beans went well together too.

Pho was the next to arrive. In a bowl was a simple arrangement of rice noodles, beef and herbs in a salty broth. Deepa plunged into the soup with her chopsticks. She was welcomed by the fresh herbs, followed by the rice noodles which had absorbed the flavour of the broth and beef. Deepa was stunned. The food was amazing.

The next morning Deepa landed at Ha Long Bay, one of the prettiest places in Vietnam.

 She had already eaten an elaborate breakfast of Northern Vietnamese Pork Paste Vermicelli Soup, a bowl of noodles with the most delicious pieces of meat; stuffed with chopped ear mushroom, spices, fresh bamboo shoots and light spicy pepper, (Deepa had sworn to eat the soup at least once a month at the Vietnamese restaurant downtown in Bangalore) before leaving Hanoi.

Deepa took a bus from Ha Long to Driftwood Island, to explore its massive Thien Cung cave. She had to walk through a thick forest with a winding path to reach the cave. Halfway through the forest, Deepa heard a rustling noise in one of the bushes nearby and a few moments later a huge cobra emerged. The cobra hissed and revealed its full head. Deepa’s spine went cold. The cobra was just a foot away. It hissed some more. Deepa planned her obituary. It came closer. She imagined her coffin. Just then a small squirrel zoomed by. The snake’s eyes gleamed and slithered away throwing Deepa a superior look, to catch the squirrel. Deepa dramatically sighed in relief and looked at her tour guide pathetically. The guide just glared at her for making such a scene.

Thien Cung had an impressive entrance, with ghostly lights and wavy walls. The cave had a high ceiling and a complex structure inside. Deepa filmed the high stone sculptures which resembled mythical creatures from Vietnamese folktales.

 After a ghostly and interesting walk in Thien Cung cave, Deepa along with her tour guide took the next bus back to Ha Long. They stopped at Avocado Restaurant, a diner downtown. Deepa scanned the menu. She wanted something tasty, but unusual. “Tai sao bạn không thử sá sùng.” suggested her waiter. “He means, “Why don’t you try sipunculus.” said the tour guide. “Fresh sandworms grilled with garlic spikes. Served with beer and a noodle broth.” Deepa read out. “Sure.”

                          ***

The camera was in place. The waiter arrived with the food. Sipunculus didn’t resemble worms at all. In front of Deepa were crispy, golden sipunculus sticks accompanied by chilli, garlic and herbs. She took a bite out of a stick. It tasted salty, spicy and fresh, along with a smooth and crunchy texture. “Wow! That was pretty good for a worm!” she thought. She then looked up at her table and started laughing. While she was absorbing every flavour and element of her dish, her tour guide was briskly slurping down a bowl of pho.

In the evening, Deepa went to Quan Lan Beach and took a dip in the waves. The water was pristine. She swam through the gentle waves, then the bigger ones. Suddenly, she spotted a fin. And it wasn’t a small one. The other people at the beach saw it too. The lifeguards started whistling frantically. Deepa swam out as fast as she could. An enormous shark rose from the sea. People rushed out of the water. People were screaming and the shark shook its fins. That’s when Deepa noticed there was a person clinging to one of the shark’s fins. She plunged into the water and swam closer and closer to the shark. The shark smelt her blood and opened its huge mouth. Deepa could hear the lifeguards yelling at her to stop but she went on. She was now able to take a good look at the person. It was a girl of about ten who was dressed in a midnight blue and neon swimsuit. She had cat-eye swimming goggles and a violet cap. “A little fancy for the sea.” Deepa thought. She grabbed the child and swam with her back to the shore. She was greeted with an array of cheers. Deepa returned the child to her mother, who also thanked her multiple times. She batted away the praises modestly and sat on a lounge chair, filming the sun setting. She relaxed in the lounge chair for a few hours, then started toward Pizza Halong at dinnertime.



After so many Vietnamese dishes, Deepa was really looking forward to eating pizza. She sat at a table near a British man and his friend. When the man’s sandwich arrived, he ate it with a fork and knife. Deepa stared at him, surprised by his etiquette and table manners. When her pizza came, she tried to take out her plate with a grand gesture. Clank! The plate landed on the floor. The man and his friend looked up when hearing the clatter. “Please excuse me for my disgraceful performance. I will dine with perfected manners in the future." Deepa tried to say with finesse. The man burst out laughing. "Oh, you can talk normally with me. I’m just a man from Liverpool. Oh, and next time, I’ll take out your plate for you.”

Deepa chuckled with him and his friend and enjoyed her pizza. She went to sleep on a happy note that day.

                  To be continued……….