After decades living abroad I suddenly found myself almost a stranger to certain traditions of the old country. When at the threshold of Tet celebrations of this year I received via e-mail a concise, illustrated description of the traditional meals served during this most festive time of Vietnamese life, I took a brief look. Why talking about the traditional Tet feasts of the three regions of Vietnam now? Simple. I dabble in the culinary bailiwick as a neophyte wide-eyed and ready to learn. Hence, this little venture into a realm I had no idea could be so splendid and engaging. But this year, a convergence of circumstances led me to a recognition of the important place food occupies in the culture and literature of Vietnam. I normally pay little attention to food and its preparation, much less to its arcana. The Traditional Tet Feasts of the Three Regions of Vietnamįood is so basic to a culture that it requires no explanation. Now I love to eat and actually seek out hột vịt lộn here in Saigon. I recall, however, that although the flavor was very nice, I did politely decline the offer of a second serving. So I enjoyed my first experience with trúng vịt lộn in that parking lot and proudly smiled – pleased that I had choked it all down. And the liquid surrounding the cooked duck in the shell was actually quite yummy slurped from the shell. The salt and lime dipping sauce made it all go down more easily. But rather, while spooning out the meal from the broken top of the eggshell, I found the texture to be quite variable - ranging from a moist firm light-colored (and rather tasty) gelatinous substance, to the classic hard-boiled egg yolk, to a more chewy/crunchy/what-baby-duck-part-was-that substance. There is a yoke – rich with capillaries – (yum?) But, the hard-boiled yolk’s consistency is no longer that familiar uniform, yellow smooth/dry texture. Well, as it turns out, the egg/duck in this embryonic/fetal state is neither egg nor duck as we know them. And I liked to eat cooked adult ducks (particularly with orange-glazed sauce)… so, eating duck in an “in between” state should be just fine, I thought!? I figured, I liked to eat cooked eggs (fried, hard-boiled, poached or otherwise). Mmmnn? … I wasn’t sure how far along the fetal development was? Nor of the answer to that great question of our time – Does a duck’s life actually begin at conception in the small algae-laden pond beside the market’s dusty parking lot? Or, only after it hatches and walks like a duck and quacks like a duck? I guess the answer to that might determine who will be the next President of the United States. Then Thang continued, explaining the egg actually was a partially formed duck embryo/fetus. He explained it was a hard-boiled duck egg. Thang asked me, “Do you like trúng vịt lộn?” What?
That’s where we would be enjoying lunch!Īn old woman with her conical hat squatted on a blue plastic stool beside a large pot of boiling water. The image of fly-covered animal parts hanging below blue tarps shading the meat and the vendors is still clear to me. My friend Thang and I were only on the first day of what would be a 7-day motorbike ride from Hanoi north to the China border at Cao Bằng, across to Lạng Sơn, and then south again back to Hanoi.Īfter riding about 5 hours that first day, Thang pulled off the small road into a dusty dirt lot beside a local village market.
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