A History of Vietnamese Cuisine — Book Notes

A History of Vietnamese Cuisine¶

The same thing can be judged very differently depending on the era. Chewing betel nut is now considered a leading cause of oral cancer.

But in Vietnamese legend, it is associated with a love triangle: one man turned to stone, another became a great tree, and a woman became a vine wrapping around the tree — symbolizing love and loyalty. Far from being condemned, it was actually encouraged among the public. Even aristocrats chewed betel nut, though they used implements made from fine materials.

I'm not entirely sure of the author's point in telling these stories. Another anecdote is about fish sauce: imperial examination candidates traveling long distances carried dried fish, seafood paste, rice, and fish sauce as provisions. To avoid embarrassment at eating fish sauce (considered lowly), they would dip a carved wooden fish into it and pretend to eat actual fish. If they passed the exam, they threw the wooden fish away; if not, they tucked it away for next time.

A thread connecting everything: France colonized Vietnam, then World War II broke out. To sustain its war logistics, France extracted resources, cash crops, and rice from Vietnam, causing rice prices to skyrocket domestically, leading to famine — and ultimately driving Vietnamese villagers to resist French rule.

During the resistance, cooking smoke was easily spotted by French aircraft, which led to the invention of an underground smokeless cooking system.

Overall this is a fascinating book that made me want to learn more about Vietnamese history — because historical events in Vietnam triggered changes, large and small, in Vietnamese food. Economic activity adapted to the circumstances of the moment, and people adjusted — more or less — to new flavors along the way. #lifestyle