Backbreaking good Chả Cá Lã Vọng, Saigon

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Uncle Bao, who lives in Saigon took me to this nice little place for some Chả Cá Lã Vọng. Chả Cá Lã Vọng is a Northern Vietnamese fish dish sautéed with dill and turmeric. We hopped on his scooter (Vespa-ish) and whizzed through the streets of Saigon. I rode bitch and it wasn't my first time doing so. In this part of the world, people don't really give a fuck about another person's sexual orientation. Based on my observation, Vietnam is not homophobic like most places in the U.S. Two men on a motorbike is a common thing. I wanted to test his comfort level, so I wrapped my arms around his waist intimately. I could sense he was uncomfortable, which made it funny to me. Anyways, we made our way through traffic and arrived at a place called "Chả Cá Lã Vọng." The place looked like a perfect place to take a date before you break his/her back in. Fortunately, none of that happened at the end of the night. This Chả Cá dish may look very simple, but don't let it fool you. The flavors of this dish were anything but simple. This dish consist of a rare type of catfish (only found in the Delta) cooked in a pan with an assortment of vegetables, dill and turmeric. I will not get to specific on what type of vegetables because I forgot. It was served with dry thin rice vermicelli noodles, peanuts and roasted Vietnamese crackers. What made this dish special was the sauce. The sauce was a fermented fish paste. Its an acquired taste and is not for everyone. Foreigners may have a difficult time eating this sauce. A drop of bug oil was added to the sauce (optional), which gave the sauce a benzyldahyde aroma. Too much bug oil can ruin the sauce. The sauce was then completed with the addition of lime juice. Served with a cold Saigon Bia (beer), this dish has become one of my favorite Vietnamese dish. I was also advised by my uncle that it may be difficult for me to eat at the main restaurant in Hanoi. The reason being the fact the owner can be a bit snobbish towards tourists. I guess I'll to wait and see...






"There appears to be this barrier between foreigners and locals. That barrier is the lack of trust. Foreigners don't want to get taken advantage of, which is understandable, but locals are just trying to do business. If they really wanted to, they could use force. In most cases, they don't. We need to be careful how we treat people because we can end up creating monsters if we are unmindful of our actions. Kindness and understanding will go a long way. Tonight, I walked in a local's shoe. I sat and watched foreigners passed by and tried to make eye contact and smile. I noticed that one out of ten acknowledged me. This coldness must be a contributing factor to the discouragement of interaction between locals and foreigners. Locals feel unappreciated by foreigners. I have hung out with Lam, a local tour guide one night and he shared his grief. He felt that most foreigners can be mean. I will try and make it a goal to give people my best behaviors when they are trying to sell or help me find what I am looking for. Regardless, of how persistent they may be. For this is their survival for all I know. Let's not let cultural misunderstanding, fear, ignorance and lack of empathy for our fellow men continue to go on. We are all flesh and bone underneath our skin. Thanks Chi Van and Anh Thanh for the dinner. Your kindness has opened my heart and mind. I will go forth a better person. When others offer their kindness, the best thing you can do is accept it and then give it back when you can...All is love."
Journal Entry: 12.10.2013

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Photos

The Sauce
This dish would not be what it is without this sauce.