Dear Steemians!

We travel to learn and embark in these blogging pastimes to share the knowledge we gain and the adventures we live.

In this series of short blogs, I will be sharing three little things at a time about my current travels in Vietnam.

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BUT FIRST, I want to follow up on my last post...

...about being TALL, I am indeed generally a HEAD taller than women in Vietnam! HEehee!

https://steemit.com/life/@imeeveemi/to-a-familiar-unknown-land-pre-travel-thoughts

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1. Waking Up in the Morning

I’m the type of person to leave alarms and clock AT HOME when I travel, but in Vietnam, wanted or not, you will be woken up by the CROWING ROOSTERS (aka. cock-a-doodle-doo). I often find myself opening my eyes at 3:56am, but they might start crowing earlier than that… You see, they’re not like the ones in the movies who crow at sunrise. They start BEFORE and they KEEP AT IT until way passed sunrise!

FUN FACT: We are also the year of the rooster! (Lunar New Years: Jan 28 2017)

2. Spring Rolls Galore

You’ve probably already heard of spring rolls, but that term to Vietnamese people is like saying “soup” in America. What kind of SOUP? What kind of SPRING ROLLS? ... There are so many kind of spring rolls!
We actually call it "Gỏi cuốn" which translates to "salad roll", which means that its just the basis to the dish as its the basis to the word (ie. Gỏi cuốn nem nướng̣, gỏi cuốn tôm thịt, gỏi cuốn chay, etc.) Practically anything can be wrapped in rice paper and be called a spring roll, but here’s a general guideline for you.

Anatomy of spring rolls: first 5 ingredients compose the basis of a good spring roll

• Thin wet rice paper
• Salad
• Variety of leaves (ie. mint… theres A LOT… but I have no idea how to call them in English)
• Rice vermicelli
• Chives
• Choice of protein sources: eggs, pork, shrimp, tofu, fish, etc.
• Possibility of pickled vegetables (ie. carrots)
• Optional dipping: fish sauce, peanut sauce, shrimp sauce, etc.

Here you can see a Vietnamese omelet. I've personally never eaten it like this before coming to Vietnam.



Next time you have a family gathering, try a fun spring roll night!

NB: Spring rolls are rice paper based rolls which includes fresh cooked ingredients, not to be mistaken with egg rolls which are wrapped with a flour based wrapper and are deep fried.

3. Dipping Fruits in Salt

It’s a weird thing we do, but it’s exactly what it sounds like. We just cut up fruits and we dipped it in this spicy salt mix thing. Usually, more sour fruits are dipped in to reduce the sourness, but most fruits work. Regular salt works too, but the spiciness is what makes everything come together. Although it may be an acquired taste, the fruit flavours are just enhanced and it's a must try!

What fruits you may ask? Usually...

• Watermelon
• Pears
• Guava
• Sour mango
• Green apples

NB: It can actually be very bad for your health in the long run to eat that much salt (ie. kidney stones).

Hope this post contributed to STEEMIT!
Hope you enjoyed!

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEARS （・⊝・）

More THINGS VIETNAM to come as I find time to sit down and write (＝⌒▽⌒＝)

motorcycleridesapplescustardfruitalpacasockslordoftheringscosplayingvolunteering

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@benevolence There was no way of communicating you as replies have shut…or maybe I'm just still too new to this... but I’m looking forward to amazing things from you and supporting your endeavors. Your username is a perfect fit!