"A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." Joseph Smith

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Fun Foods of Ho Chi Minh City

Pho Bo
Bun Bo Hue

One of the great cultural interests of Vietnam is it's unique cuisine. Many people are most familiar with the steaming bowls of beef noodle soup Phở.

There are several variations of Phở, but our favorite is the raw beef version. When your bowl first comes to you, the thin strips of raw beef on top are literally cooked within seconds in the piping hot broth. Cost? $2.90.


But did you know there are literally dozens and dozens of rice noodle soups of various names and with all kinds of ingredients?  Like Bún bò Huế , pictured to the right. Each soup has its own special name and flavor, though to many Westerners they all look like - well - like noodle soup!

The other all time favorite in Vietnam is Chả giò - a fried spring roll that is completely unique from other countries versions of fried rolls.  Traditionally you wrap them in greens and dip them in nước mắm (fish sauce). When I was little and lived here in Saigon, we'd have 100 of them made up and eat them as the main course. These are a family favorite of ours.

Flickr.com courtesy of Katarina

But what else is there to eat here in Vietnam?  It's time to go exploring! That's when the fun begins!



Bánh mì - which really means bread - is the Vietnamese version of Subway. Probably the most popular food item in the country. Cheap, fast, and available everywhere. Motorcyclists stop by the little carts to order their take-away Bánh mìs. They come neatly wrapped in used paper and a rubber band. When the food is gone, the cart owners close up shop and the cart disappears down the street or into a nearby shop. Cost?  About 65 cents.




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Bánh xèo, or sizzling cake - made with rice flour, water, tumeric, seafood and vegetables. We ate our first Bánh xèo with one of the other senior couples here in HCMC. This particular restaurant was made "famous" by chef and food author Anthony Bourdain.




 Here is the kitchen where they make this famous dish. 



Sinh Tố - the most delicious discovery here.  Fruit smoothies of exotic flavors - mango, soursop, papaya, strawberry, coconut, or our all time favorite - avocado.  And if you haven't tried an avocado smoothie yet, Google it and try it.  You are in for a real treat! Commercial cost?  About 90 cents.

My homemade avocado smoothie - yum!

Everywhere we go, if they have smoothies, we try them.  Our good friend showed us where there was an especially delicious smoothie vendor - tucked down a little alley where we sat on the popular tiny red plastic stools and sipped away under the canopy of an old fabric awning on a sweltering humid day. Chickens, cats and geckos mingled aimlessly around us - and the enjoyment of the smoothie was only topped by the aesthetics of the surroundings.


Pork kebabs are not exactly Vietnamese, but they come right off the street vendor carts and we love them. Street vendors are an endangered species here, as the government tries to keep the sidewalks clear for pedestrians, and sometimes the carts get forcibly removed.  Somehow, the carts reappear within a few days. Cost?  About $1.25.


Another non-Vietnamese treat here is Bing Su - a delicious blend of finely shaved ice and packed with your choice of fruit or other flavors.  Elder Coffey goes for the mango and I go for the chocolate - both are delicious! Cost? About $2.95.


But back to traditional Vietnamese fair - the cơm gà (rice chicken) is the street food of choice for many - including us.  On Tuesdays when we run out to District 6 to teach English conversation, we usually make our way to the little shop across the street where their cơm gà is the best we have tasted anywhere. 

Our cơm gà dinner - with broken rice, seasoned deep- fried chicken, and a few veggies, costs a whopping $1.20. Each. To the right is our cơm  lady - whipping up a plate for us.
Eating cơm  with the branch builders of District 6.
The banana paper lady.  I don't know the real name for her treat - but it involves smashed paper thin dried bananas dried over coals.  We bought from her a couple of times, and now she cheerfully invites us to continue the habit each time we pass her spot.


We could go on and on about the interesting foods we have discovered here - but let's end this post with two of the most unusual.  The red dragon fruit is a tropical fruit of Southeast Asia - looks similar inside to the kiwi fruit - but lower on the flavor scale.  Still, it's beauty makes it a popular gift or dessert.

 


And lastly, the frogs.  A cage full of patiently waiting frogs.  Cheap protein.

Uhhh - no - we did not try the famous frog porridge. 
 Though I'm told it's delicious....


As good as these foods are, when we tire of them, we always fall back on our American recipe of homemade zucchini bread!













Sunday, November 5, 2017

Hallelujah!!!

When we arrived brand new in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5, 2016 we were so amazed to see the Church functioning so well here – two active branches, eight young “branch builders”, a District (similar to a diocese) with a District presidency.  We stood in awe that here in this part of the world the church was growing and thriving and doing so well.
Our first day in Ho Chi Minh City, with our eight branch builders
and two professors from the United States.

Little could we have imagined the changes that would take place in just one year. Today, there are 25 young branch builders and 8 "seniors", as us older folks are called. 


Branch builders serving in the Ho Chi Minh District - September 2017

There are now two Districts in Vietnam – the Hanoi District and the Ho Chi Minh District.  Ho Chi Minh City and outlying areas now has six branches and several church buildings to accommodate them.

The Ho Chi Minh District was created in a special meeting held on September 17, 2017.  The energy was electric and only surpassed by the power of the Spirit.  The chapel was overflowing for this special occasion. 


September 17, 2017 on the occasion of  the creation of the Ho Chi Minh District
The Tan Son Nhat branch president, President Thinh, was called to serve as the first District President (center).
 


President Thinh then stood to speak.  “Hallelujah,” he began. “Heavenly Father is the author of this work. I commit myself to help establish Zion wherever He needs me.”


Surely the field is ripe already to harvest.


Courtesy of flickr.com/
World Bank Photo Collection

Our two branches have now grown into 6 little branches, and new leaders are being raised up, trained, and established. Last week in sacrament meeting a 17 year old young man who was just baptized a week earlier was one of the main speakers.  Another speaker was a recent convert of only a few months, now newly called as the Primary president.  Their talks were just as doctrinally sound as if they’d been in the church for many years. 


Outside of the Tan Son Nhat building
The Tan Son Nhat branch meets in a large house.  The ground floor has a large open room which serves as an activity center, dance hall, meeting room, and general gathering place. 


Multipurpose room that serves
 as a chapel on Sundays
But on Sunday’s the plastic chairs are lined up and the room transforms into a sacred chapel, a room worthy of the sacred ordinance of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.  Today 66 people attended sacrament meeting. Many are new converts or friends who are investigating the church.  Even with all the recent new branch divisions, the Tan Son Nhat branch is still one of the largest branches in the Ho Chi Minh District. Foreign visitors also often join us – travelers trekking through the country, business executives, families of Vietnamese descent coming back to see the roots of their ancestors, and many others.  

I can’t pinch myself enough – this is so amazing to see this all unfold.  A great foundation is being laid, and it is a great miracle.  The people here are so happy to find answers that bring peace to their lives, stronger families, and good values.  We are blessed to be here and watch this all unfold from the side lines.  There is far more work that can be done than we have people to do it.  Instead of the work moving forward one step at a time, it does so in leaps and bounds.  We truly “stand all amazed!”

We are witnesses of the prophecies made in holy places regarding this land.  The Saints rejoice today, saints on both sides of the veil, as this great work moves forward.  Hallelujah indeed!!!