30.10. Cooking Class

Sometimes there is nothing better in the world than food. And every culture has its own recipes and views about this special pastime that we engage in several times a day. We wanted to learn more about it and experience what it's like to cook in Vietnam, as this country is currently providing us with its cuisine.

After a relaxing morning at the beach, we took our bikes to the starting point of a cooking class. The beginning involved strolling with our teacher through the Central Market and listening to what she could tell us about the masses of products. We were fortunate to be the only ones registered, so we had a private cooking class and the full attention of our incredibly nice teacher. She told us a lot, so much that I unfortunately can't write down much afterwards; it would have been too much anyway... In addition to many exotic fruits that we could now try, we also learned a lot about the different departments of the Central Market. There were departments for fish, fruit, vegetables, everyday items, and souvenirs, but in the afternoon it was very quiet everywhere, as the vendors took a nap or played cards. The daily market opens at 4 o'clock and has its busiest phase in these first hours of the day. It would be so crowded that you couldn't really walk freely anymore, as at this time all the restaurants and local market owners would be buying their goods for the next day, such as fish. Besides the fruit, we also tried a bean shake, which didn't look very tasty because it was made from several bean sauces and varieties mixed together, but it was simply delicious, and sweets wrapped in banana leaves.

After a welcome drink and more nice conversations with the teacher, we started with the first course: grilled pork wrapped in rice paper and salad. After being shown how rice milk is made, we made our own rice paper in the traditional way and then marinated and grilled our meat on it.

This cooking class will definitely be one of the highlights of this trip. Andra and I had a lot of fun cooking and talking with our teacher. In addition, homemade food always tastes the best, and you are proud to have prepared a 4-course meal. Tomorrow we will continue on the motorcycle to Hue over a beautiful pass over the mountains with a view of the sea.