now experiencing the fragrant aroma of saigon
I’ve been developing a ergonomic recumbent workspace for myself. I think I still have a ways to go.
Zoe is kept all wrapped up like a mummy to keep her safe from any chills that may cut through the 32º C tropical air of Saigon. From outside to inside she in wearing 1) a cotton towel, 2) a flannel baby blanket, 3) a waterproof baby pad, 4) a long shirt, 5) a cloth diaper, 6) a large absorbent paper napkin, and 7) a small absorbent paper napkin. Also a knit hat and mittens and booties. Good thing, too. At night, the temperature drops as low as 22º C here.
We are out of the hospital and back at Di Van’s house. Trinh’s family is very traditional, so she and Zoe must stay in seclusion for a month. Trinh has many dietary restrictions during this time. No fresh fruit or vegetables, and nothing sour. All those are too Yin and she needs Yang. No beef or shellfish, which may provoke allergic skin reactions. Lots of salt and pepper to encourage drinking plenty of water for plenty of breast milk.
Zoe Allegra Potkin made her first appearance at 10:15 AM on 20 November 2007 at the FV Hospital. She started off 2.76 kg and 49 cm in length.
Trinh and I went back to the wonton stand for breakfast with Kirk yesterday. After searching around the world, I still have not found better wontons. Most of the wonton shops in Hong Kong use a smelly shrimp broth, but these guys use all pork-based broth. And no shrimp in the wontons, just pork. No meat grinders here, they use the two-handed lightning-quick meat-cleaver style. This is not someone you would want angry at you.
The Gumbo Pages says that phở is the “Vietnamese gumbo”, but as far as I’m concerned that honor could only go to bún mắm. Originating from the bayous of Sóc Trăng Province in the Mekong Delta, eating bún mắm is like eating the swamp itself. In a very good way. The broth is made from pork and fermented fish, with thick rice noodles and big chunks of cá lóc, shrimp, squid, and roast pork. But what really sets bún mắm apart from other noodles is the rau. In addition the the regular giá and rau quế, there’s bắp chuối, hẹ, rau đắng, rau thơm, bông súng, and thèo nèo. I can’t figure out what thèo nèo is, but Trinh says it’s a floating plant that the Vietcong hid under when the Americans came down the river.
An important step in cooking phở is to char the ginger and onions before adding them to the broth. Here, Trinh’s brother in law Cường takes on the task over a charcoal grill outside their phở stand.
Yeah, I know. You’re looking at the photo and thinking, “Where’s the rau“? Right after I put my camera away, Trinh’s sister Trang brought me a big plate full of rau quế, ngò, ngò gai, and ngò ôm. Given the option of taking another photo or wolfing down the phở while the broth was still steaming and the beef still rare, I chose the latter.
