A Quick Guide to Vietnamese Fruits

Although in retrospect my roommate might be a better person to write this article...

I've already discussed the mighty durian, and Vietnam has the usual bananas (which are smaller and sweeter than usual), mangoes, pineapples, and coconuts in profusion (which, for reasons unknown, the Vietnamese like to eat with salt and fish sauce). But it also has a whole range of fruits which are totally unknown to the Western palate. they include:

Water appleA shiny, vaguely tubular shaped fruit. As the name implies, this tastes rather like an apple (or possibly a pear) but moister. That's all there is to it.

SoursopHas a taste rather like an apple, but more starchy with oversize seeds. Also known as a sweetsop. Go figure.

Dragon fruitThe bright magenta outside hides a white, pulpy interior filled with black seeds. Totally bland, despite the fierce name.

MangosteenA strange, dark-purple fruit on the outside, soft and white on the inside. Mushy and intensely sweet.

CarambolaAlso known as a star fruit for obvious reasons. Has a sharp, sour taste and is even better when used in smoothies, though these are surprisingly hard to find. Also used to garnish salads and platters of fresh rolls.

Rambutan

A hairy-looking little spheroid which is in taste almost identical to a lychee, but obviously much more interesting to look at. Known as the 'hairy cherry' for people who like double entendres.

PomeloAlmost identical to a grapefruit, but with yellow instead of pink flesh. Also less sour and so far more appetizing.

Communism Weekend

This weekend is a double-whammy of Vietnamese socialism. First there was April 30, Reunification Day, when north Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the gates of the South Vietnamese presidential palace and made Vietnam into one country, as it remains to this day. Immediately afterward is International Labor Day. Four day weekend!

There isn't much to tell about the festivities here, really. You'd think that at least a Communist country would go all-out for Labor Day, but apparently not. I haven't seen any parades or large patriotic demonstrations. though there are some cool propaganda posters:


Other than that, most shops in the center of town are still open to cater to the large numbers of families who need someplace to take their kids since school is out.

Uneasy Rider

It's seems odd that I've been blogging for almost 10 months and I've barely even mentioned Vietnam's most ubiquitous mode of conveyance: the motorbike. Sometimes it seems as if Saigon is not really a city but some kind of vast parking lot and testing ground for the two-wheeled menace. They crowd the streets (of course- but also the sidewalks, the alleys, and every place they can possibly be parked.

For people who are either semi-blind or desperately poor and cannot afford their own motorbike, the motorbike taxis (or 'xe om' or 'hugging bike', referring to the old practice of holding the driver by the waist) It's surprising to see how many of the older ones can speak English...and when they ask you where you're from and hear 'America' they tend to give a thumbs-up and say 'Ah, America very good! Numba one!'.

The reason for this becomes obvious if you talk to them a little. A high proportion of the motorbike drivers used to work for the American forces in VN or at least served in the South Vietnamese Army. After Reunification their employment options were limited and driving a motorbike was practically their only way to make a living.

The only trouble (once you can avoid being overcharged) is the at this point I happen to know my way around Saigon better than most of the drivers, but they won't listen to me either because my Vietnamese is lousy or because I'm a foreigner.

Alot in Dalat

Last weekend I headed out to Dalat, some six hours north of Saigon, to take in some fresh air. I had heard about as 'Le Petit Paris' of Vietnam, and while I wouldn't go that far it was a perfectly nice place to visit.

Legend has it that 'DALAT' is an acronym for 'Dat Aliis Laetitiam Aliis Temperiem' ("Giving Pleasure to Some, Freshness to Others") Like most legends, this is too charming to be true.

Dalat is known as the 'City of Flowers' for its extensive flower markets. Also renowned are Dalat strawberries and (somewhat incongruously) the local artichoke tea.

Dalat is most famous as the honeymoon capital of Vietnam, the picturesque vistas, flower gardens, and mild climate allowing couples to contemplate their future together without choking on dust on being drowned in their own sweat.

Also, Dalat has it's own mini version of the Eiffel Tower:


Of course, because is so elevated and doesn't have the pollution of Saigon this makes the sun much stronger, as I discovered when I became horribly sunburned. But I suppose that is my own fault.

The Ice Dam Sen Cometh

One thing it is very hard to be in Saigon is cold.

Oh sure, there are over-air-conditioned rooms here and there, but they're not much fun, and in any case they make my glasses fog up.

For cold - REAL cold, snow and ice and danger of hypothermia - you might be able to go all the way north to Sapa, but even then it's not a sure thing.

At some level all people desire the new, however, and to provide it the Dam Sen amusement park (out in distant District 11) has created the Ice Palace, an extra-cold room (basically a freezer) which has palaces, pagodas, and other impressive buildings carved out of the ice. Thoughtfully, the management hands out parkas at the entrance because most people inexplicably forgot to bring their own.

Unfortunately, ice is kind of boring, even when it's been carved into buildings. It's colorless and smooth and blandly uniform. So, the obvious solution was to fill it with oddly-colored lights. Viz:




I wish I could rent that place out for parties...