Simplicity Elevated to an Art Form ...
... the varied cuisines of Southeast Asia are at their best when they aren't overly-complicated, like these crab claws. Simply seasoned with pepper and chili sauce, and then wok-fried, the crab was then seasoned to taste with sauce made from a salt and pepper mixture (similar to a Chinese seasoning salt) tarted up with a squeeze of calamansi (a local lime-like fruit). But the best part wasn't the freshness of the crab, or the sweetness of the flesh - it was the fact that our guide ended up cracking them and de-shelling them for us, so to eat, all we had to do was grab it by the tip and give it a dip!
The conquest of Vietnam by France began in 1858 and was completed by 1884. It became part of French Indochina in 1887. Independence was declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until 1954 when they were defeated by Communist forc... ... read more 
