Vietnamese Health Tip #1: Buy and eat FRESH

Buy and eat fresh. Fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, meats, seafood, tofu, everything. This lesson of Vietnamese cuisine is no secret. The streets in Vietnam are filled with fresh produce and fresh meats. Market vendors receive multiple shipments throughout the day to ensure the crispness and freshness of their spread. The consumer sees it with his/her own eyes - a constant flow of deliveries, all by motorbike. Motorbikes weave in and out of alleys and aisles mechanically, Sim-city style. They know exactly where they're going, what they're delivering, no words exchanged. I’ve even had vendors refuse to sell me their products because they have a new delivery arriving any moment, and they don’t want me to buy the “old stuff.” "Old," as in, picked from the farm that morning and delivered just a few hours ago. A bit different from my Western standards, where typical supermarket produce, even the “local” stuff, is likely picked from the farm at least one week prior. The same goes for supermarkets here in Vietnam, too. I’ve attempted to buy produce at the nearby supermarket, the “Big C,” thinking that the food would be “safer” or “cleaner” or “better.” Wrong. The produce pales (literally pales) in comparison to street vendor produce (see photo below). Wilted and brown greens, mushy fruits, bananas that are either too green or too brown. And any vibrant colors that the produce had - the fluorescent lighting instantly mutes.

Meat. Admittedly, I haven’t had the guts (pardon the pun) to buy local market meats, but with no good reason really, other than my Western bias. The Vietnamese local market butchers adhere to the freshness principles - you’ll notice that the meats in the local wet markets rarely have flies swarming around them. And there’s your scientific proof of freshness: no flies = no bacteria. The meats are cut so fresh that they haven't had time to grow any bacteria for the flies to munch on. Same delivery protocol for the meat, motorbikes zooming in and out of the local butcher stalls with fresh deliveries. And live chickens clucking around at your feet, ready to meet their destiny (cue music, "It's the cirrrrcle of liiiiiiiiiiiiiiife..."). While most big-box supermarkets may receive multiple weekly meat shipments, presumably that meat was butchered weeks beforehand, frozen and stored, and then shipped to store.

Seafood is no exception at local Vietnamese wet markets - typically butchered on the spot. The customer picks the seafood from a giant bucket of water, the vendor grabs it, wrestles the squirming and flip-flopping, and begins scaling and filleting (see below).

Now you’ve bought your fresh produce and meat, time for a snack. Next to the local produce and meat market, you’ll find street vendors selling perfectly ripe sliced fruits, fruit juices, smoothies, and even little baggies of fresh-made frozen yogurt. Craving something more savory? Check out the next couple of carts - grilling corn or meat that she just bought from a few stalls down (see photo at right). Most local markets serve full meals, thanks to fresh groceries at their finger tips. Soups (phở, etc.) rice paper rolls (gỏi cuốn), noodle bowls (bún thịt nướng, etc.), you name it, they'll make it for you at the market.

Groceries purchases, snacks imbibed, (oh, and don't forget flowers for your spouse, located right next to the raw meat (photo on right :), now time for dinner. The evidence of buying and eating fresh is served right on the table. Almost every meal in Vietnam is accompanied with a pile of crisp vegetables and herbs and limes. Soups, noodle bowls, hot pots, and even the grilled meats - all surrounded with those vibrant green colors (and a touch of chili red, no doubt). Dunk the veggies in your soup or hot pot, or use them as wraps for your grilled meats or bánh xèo (savory crepe). See photos below.

Craving something sweet afterwards? The freshness doesn't stop. A traditional Vietnamese meal often ends with a dessert of artistically-plated, colorful fruit, fresh, of course. But hold that thought - future post on Vietnamese desserts and sweets coming soon...

#EatFresh #HealthTip