We were woken up about 7.30pm earlier this morning by music blasting out of someone's sound system, as if we were expected to jump out of bead and head to an early morning disco. We couldn't work out if it was coming from the hotel or from the karaoke bar around the corner where some of the group went last night. Luckily we had to be at the Dao Tien restaurant, which was running our cookery class, at 9am. The restaurant is supported by Project Indochina, an Australian aid organisation dedicated to the welfare of disadvantaed and disabled children in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It is owned by an Australian and managed by two local residents. All profit made by the restaurant is used to fund various projects carried out by Project Indochina, including support for institutions such as orphanages, centres for physically and intellectually disabled children, schools and homeless centres. You could tell the place was owned by a western person, as the toilets were spotless and smelt nice!
Tien, one of the restaurant managers, took us around the local market to show us some of the ingredients used in Vietnamese cookery. The market is huge and there are stalls selling live ducks and chickens, fish and seafood, fruit and vegetables, rice, spices and fresh noodles and general household goods (see photos). It was heaving with locals shouting at each other (the Vietnamese have not acquired any of the Lao people's mannerisms, such as their chilled out nature). A few of the ladies in the market kept asking Tien if I was Vietnamese. A lot of the older generation do not like foreigners taking their photos, as they think that all foreigners are American, and it reminds them too much of the Vietnam war. They didn't seem to mind me taking their photo - probably because I looked like one of the locals. The older ladies who have stalls in the market chew betel leaves, which over the years stains your mouth red and turns your teeth black. It numbs the mouth and is addictive. You could buy it from the market, but I wasn't tempted. I was also hoping that bird flu hadn't reached Vietnam, as there were a lot of women walking around with several live chickens in their hands.
After about an hour we returned to the restauant and Karen and I were the only ones having the cooking lesson. The first dish was Hoi An Pancake, which is a type of omelette with shrimps and pork and tasted delicious. We both had a go at making a pancake ourselves but failed at flipping it properly. The chef then showed us how to cook braised eggplant with minced meat cooked in a clay pot, sweet and sour fish soup and sauteed beef with pepper and onion, all of which we had for our lunchtime meal (see photos). The food was so good that we recommended the course to others in the group.
I am not sure if it was the feel good factor of having eaten such a good lunch or the fact that the sun came out, as Karen and I were suddenly overcome by a desire to have more clothes made. We found a couple of other tailors to make two more tops and a beige corderoy jacket. There must have been a reason why Karen and I were sharing a room on this trip (apart from the fact that we are both English) because we like shopping in equal measure and seem to encourage each other to buy stuff which we don't need. Until I get back to some hard graft at home and start earning some money, I will have to have a temporary labotomy to ensure that all brain cells related to the enjoyment of shopping and mindless purchases are eradicated! But then again, that would be completely boring.....
I had a fitting at one of the tailors from earlier. A couple of the items have to go back for alterations and I am not sure about the look of one of the tops. The only drawback about having clothes tailored is that they fit at the precise moment in time you buy them and there is no leeway for putting on a pound or two without the risk of bursting out of the seams. No more dumplings for me. More fittings tomorrow - hooray.
I swear that Karen and I must have "mug" or something similar written on our foreheads, as whilst we were walking through the market, a lady asked us if we wanted a manicure for US$1. What a bargain, why not? Of course, what we didn't realise was that her upselling talents were so great that she managed to persuade us to have a head massage and a foot scrub as well! I think it was a self-taught style of massage, ie completely random and all over the place. Someone wrote in her comment book that the massage was better than Thai massage, which makes me wonder what dubious establishment she had been to before.
I just love Hoi An.
Tien, one of the restaurant managers, took us around the local market to show us some of the ingredients used in Vietnamese cookery. The market is huge and there are stalls selling live ducks and chickens, fish and seafood, fruit and vegetables, rice, spices and fresh noodles and general household goods (see photos). It was heaving with locals shouting at each other (the Vietnamese have not acquired any of the Lao people's mannerisms, such as their chilled out nature). A few of the ladies in the market kept asking Tien if I was Vietnamese. A lot of the older generation do not like foreigners taking their photos, as they think that all foreigners are American, and it reminds them too much of the Vietnam war. They didn't seem to mind me taking their photo - probably because I looked like one of the locals. The older ladies who have stalls in the market chew betel leaves, which over the years stains your mouth red and turns your teeth black. It numbs the mouth and is addictive. You could buy it from the market, but I wasn't tempted. I was also hoping that bird flu hadn't reached Vietnam, as there were a lot of women walking around with several live chickens in their hands.
After about an hour we returned to the restauant and Karen and I were the only ones having the cooking lesson. The first dish was Hoi An Pancake, which is a type of omelette with shrimps and pork and tasted delicious. We both had a go at making a pancake ourselves but failed at flipping it properly. The chef then showed us how to cook braised eggplant with minced meat cooked in a clay pot, sweet and sour fish soup and sauteed beef with pepper and onion, all of which we had for our lunchtime meal (see photos). The food was so good that we recommended the course to others in the group.
I am not sure if it was the feel good factor of having eaten such a good lunch or the fact that the sun came out, as Karen and I were suddenly overcome by a desire to have more clothes made. We found a couple of other tailors to make two more tops and a beige corderoy jacket. There must have been a reason why Karen and I were sharing a room on this trip (apart from the fact that we are both English) because we like shopping in equal measure and seem to encourage each other to buy stuff which we don't need. Until I get back to some hard graft at home and start earning some money, I will have to have a temporary labotomy to ensure that all brain cells related to the enjoyment of shopping and mindless purchases are eradicated! But then again, that would be completely boring.....
I had a fitting at one of the tailors from earlier. A couple of the items have to go back for alterations and I am not sure about the look of one of the tops. The only drawback about having clothes tailored is that they fit at the precise moment in time you buy them and there is no leeway for putting on a pound or two without the risk of bursting out of the seams. No more dumplings for me. More fittings tomorrow - hooray.
I swear that Karen and I must have "mug" or something similar written on our foreheads, as whilst we were walking through the market, a lady asked us if we wanted a manicure for US$1. What a bargain, why not? Of course, what we didn't realise was that her upselling talents were so great that she managed to persuade us to have a head massage and a foot scrub as well! I think it was a self-taught style of massage, ie completely random and all over the place. Someone wrote in her comment book that the massage was better than Thai massage, which makes me wonder what dubious establishment she had been to before.
I just love Hoi An.
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