Vacations in exotic countries in Asia offer street food among the “unmissable experiences”. If some Romanian tourists say that it is “a capital sin” not to try, others are left with unpleasant memories.
Vietnamese woman sells dog meat on a street in Vietnam. PHOTO: EPA EFE
Carmen recommends, on a travel group, eating “on the street” as an unmissable experience in Vietnam.
“Vietnam is one of those countries where if you arrive and don't eat on the street it's like committing a mortal sin. From exceptional soups to small skewers, mitites with wonderful aromas and tastes, from doughs that wrap delicious minced meat or vegetables to sweets that you will dream of all your life, the street food of Vietnam is absolutely fabulous!”, says Carmen.
The traveler also saw dogs at the protsap and promises to try: “Whether it's on the street on the chairs, or at small, seemingly run-down eateries, or in the day and night markets, Vietnam shows you so many culinary faces that you'll never be satisfied! And yes, just so you know: I also saw dogs at the protsap! I couldn't eat, but next time I promise I'll try!”
“They use everything and anything from the animal”
Many members of the group view this exhortation with skepticism.
“What the hell are you eating because… you don't know what you're eating!”Maria commented. “And what? If it tastes good, it's good and done!”replied Carmen.
“Now, last time, I stayed almost 4 months in Vietnam and unlike other times, now I tried much more specific and unknown food to us westerners. With Google Translate it goes where the merchant does not know English. That's how I found out what I was eating. Then, by interacting with English-speaking locals, they can recommend “non-tourist” dishes, but appreciated by them, so it's another option to know what you're eating,” she explains.
The problem sometimes is that, says the tourist, that they use everything and anything from the animal: “Even though he clearly tells you what it is, it's like you can't accept from the beginning or you don't hear. Mice strips wrapped in banana leaf … or fermented pork. Both taste much better than they look, as for the fermented meat, I can't say anymore!”
“I got a bacteria from the meat and for almost 7 years I looked for a cure”
Ika recounted a negative experience after eating from the street: “Eat from the street, I got a bacteria from the meat and for almost 7 years I looked for a cure and my stomach was already kaputt, the bacteria was feeding in my stomach… In Romania I was diagnosed with gastritis and only abroad after 7 years of treatment I found out that I actually have a bacteria resistant to many antibiotics. Biopsy, and many gastroscopies, and breath test, colonoscopy… any idea?”
The doctors told him that it is a bacteria that is taken from eastern countries in the meat. “I took three different antibiotics. I recovered, but not in Romania. Be careful what you eat… maybe I was unlucky… And now I wouldn't experiment.”
“The bacteria can be taken from anywhere. It has nothing to do with what we are talking about here”Carmen replied.
“Absolutely wonderful Vietnamese street food. On the first day of our stay in Hanoi, we were lucky enough to go on a food tour with some Vietnamese students. It was extraordinary!“, he added.
“At the ditch, there's cooking…”– commented Cristina.
Maria claimed that, in fact, “dogs are no longer relevant”. “Here and there the tradition is still “preserved”, things have started to change from this point of view, even if the Vietnamese still have to work on the way they treat animals. But I saw many people with dogs, in cafes, with them in their arms, or eating on the street, at a small table and the dog standing ON A chair next to it, I heard cats on a leash, at the cafe. And Vietnamese food is incredibly diverse!”
“Full of different diseases, they don't even wash their hands”claimed Dragoș.
