Welcome to @SeekingWonderment! In this episode we explore the treasures of An Bang Beach near Hoi An in central Vietnam on the South China Sea. We tried some scallops and found a celebration of SpongeBob.
We start with a walk to the beach and discover the history of the Vietnamese “basket boat.” During the French occupation of Vietnam in the 1800s, the French levied a tax on boats that fishermen used to get to sea. Through their ingenuity the fishermen created baskets to fish from. They made them bigger and waterproof and perfected their paddling style. This allowed them to forgo paying a tax and to ultimately stay in shallow waters and catch fish closer to home.
After a stroll on the beach it was time to try some local dishes. One of the first was grilled scallops at An Bang Beach Village Restaurant. Scallops served in this way, fresh from the sea and grilled on the shell with spring onions, chilies, peanuts and other herbs and spices, are a specialty of An Bang and taste incredible! Jon states they are the best in the world.
An Bang Beach has a lot to offer as we continue our search for good eats with many restaurants on the seaside hillside and tucked down beach pathways! We highlight some of the best Vietnamese dishes available, from pumpkin soups to fresh rolls and Vietnamese pancakes (banh xeo), all as tasty as the last. We celebrate the winding feel of this little community on the beach.
We head to the beach for sunrise and discover the joy of the local community’s daily ritual of a swim in the sea. We smell the salt air and enjoy the sand beneath our feet as Kati reflects on the benefits of this practice and its ability to keep one young.
Always drawn back to the food, we express our enjoyment of the variety and quality of the meals provided by our local homestay, breakfast delivered to our porch daily and a special multi-course dinner highlighting Vietnamese foods. We talk a bit about cau lao and mi quang, two local rice noodle dishes of the area, both with a unique rich broth. These are must-tries if you are ever in central Vietnam.
We take an unhurried bike ride along the river and Jon expresses his enjoyment of riding a rickety, too small bike in a foreign place, falling in step with the rhythms of a place.
Back at the beach we encounter mounds of trash and Jon talks about the ever encroaching effects of climate change on Vietnam and why it will be impactful to us all. We discover an art display using trash from the ocean to raise awareness to the problem.
We “chillax” at the Soul Kitchen, perched on the edge of the South China Sea, a beach lounge spot with a nice vibe. For a taste of American comfort food, we discover well-executed burgers, chicken sandwiches and milkshakes at Bikini Bottom Express. Kati expresses her thankfulness for Sponge Bob’s cheery outlook on the world.
#FoodTour #Vietnam #HoiAn #AnBangBeach #Travel #adventure #tourism #bike #bikinibottom #vietnamesefood #spongebob #caolou #miquange #basketboat
References:
Local Beach Homestay: maps.app.goo.g...
An Bang Beach Village Restaurant: maps.app.goo.g...
Sole Kitchen: maps.app.goo.g...
Bikini Bottom Express Hoi An: maps.app.goo.g...
Chapters:
00:04:02 Episode overview
00:34:19 Basket Boats
01:55:00 Scallops
02:21: 22 An Bang Beach Food
02:52:03 Locals Swimming in the Sea
05:41:00 Bike Ride
08:00:00 Effects of Climate Change
09:56:00 Sole Kitchen
10:21:00 Bikini Bottoms
Seasons/Episode
(Season 02 Episode 11)
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