Dalat

Saigon temperatures were bearable before I left for Dalat...or so it seemed.

Dalat lies nestled in the valleys of the Central Highlands. Its weather is much like that of San Francisco and in Viet Nam, that's god-sent. 

The market had a lot to offer in terms of variety - quality, not so much. This is primarily a photo-post since I haven't done that in a while. 

Quail, rubbed with coloring for more "appeal".

Chao ga (Chicken porridge)

Fertilized quail egg and hot vit lon (Balut).

Does the texture of the babies (hair and tiny bones) freak you out as much as it does me?

Shellfish galore!

Nem nuong with fried rice paper. I could eat the fried rice paper all day!

Asian yogurt - tart. 

Grilled rice paper with an egg and chives. Apparently this is one of the new "it" snacks everyone has been craving. Dip it in a tarmarind or hot sauce. Viet Namese flat bread, anyone?

Stopped by Windmill Flower and Coffee because it reminded me of home. Macadamia latte. When in Viet Nam, drink Viet Namese iced coffee only!

Jackfruit spotted on roadside stands on the way home. 

Banh Cay

When I am not stuffing my mouth with delicious food, my mind is left to wander about what foods I should be eating. It's a dangerous cycle really, one that I don't see myself escaping in the near future. 

So. much. snacking. 

Today, while at my cousin's place, I had banh cay (spicy fried dough). There's a lady who sells fried snacks literally right in front of her front door. I wish I had that kind of convenience back home. 

On the rare occasion that my mom picked me up from school, we would stop by the Vietnamese fast food place to buy a dozen banh cay or so. It was always a hit or miss, sometimes more fresh and crispy than others, but always a cherished memory. 

Banh Xeo

I honestly can't remember the last time I had banh xeo (Viet Namese pancake). In the states, I'm usually not a fan because the crisp is lost to the thickness of the pancake. No worries, a trip to Viet Nam will fix that. 

Wok-sized banh xeo were the main attraction on a busy street side. Behemoths! I never knew they came this big! Holy smokes! If you've ever eaten banh xeo, do you ever find yourself just picking at the soggy parts after all the crispy areas have been consumed? Well, I do. The feeling is along the lines of..."Can I bring this back and refry it?" 

We also had banh khot (which was also thinner than usual) and some nem nuong. 

Rice cake overload. 

To close the night off, my cousins and I scootered around District 1 looking for refreshments. We ended up at a smoothie stand on the sidewalk. I ordered an avocado smoothie. I know...so vanilla of me, but all that rung in my mind from the list that the waiter had told us was durian smoothies. No thank you to that!

I can assure you that it's not just me who is repulsed by the mere thought of durian, although I did enjoy it as a kid. 

We were planning on going for sea snails tonight but I was stuffed. Yes, sometimes that happens. Another cousin called for a late-night snack. Is it possible to gain weight while in Viet Nam? We'll have to wait and see.  

Until tomorrow!