© Christina Choi/CNN
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What food do you like that is not Japanese?
- What food do you want to try the most?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- household /HOUS-hohld/
- exceptional /ik-SEP-shuh-nl/
- staple /STEY-puhl/
- tidbit /TID-bit/
- condensed milk /kuhn-DENST milk/
[noun] – a house and its occupants regarded as a unit
The whole household was up early in preparation for the home party.
[adjective] – much greater than usual, especially in skill, intelligence, quality, etc.
Richard has exceptional talent when it comes to translations.
[noun] – basic, main, or standard
Miso soup is a staple dish for the Japanese.
[noun] – a small item of food, or a small piece of information
My sister fed the kitten tidbits of bread soaked in milk.
[noun] – thick, sweet milk from which water has been removed and to which sugar has been added
We ran out of condensed milk. Can you buy some at the store?
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
When we think about food in Vietnam, we immediately think of pho: a rice noodle soup consisting of broth, herbs, and meat, sometimes chicken. Aside from households, restaurants, and street stalls, this popular dish is served even abroad. But there’s more to Vietnam than the world-famous noodle soup. Check out this list of five other mouth-watering dishes in Hanoi every visitor must try.
Cha ca
Served in a pan with herbs, this noodle dish with turmeric-spiced fried catfish is so exceptional that a road in Hanoi is named after it — Cha Ca street. Aside from this, cha ca was first created by the Doan family more than 130 years ago to serve as meals to Vietnamese troops during the French colonial rule.
Banh Tom
Banh tom, or shrimp cakes, have only four main ingredients: flour, sweet potato, and freshwater crayfish or shrimp from West Lake. The fried shrimps are served whole wrapped in lettuce leaves, and have chili, lime juice and fish sauce as dipping. This dish is believed to have existed in the 1930s when stall vendors gathered along Thanh Nien street, a road in between West and Trúc Bạch lakes.
Bun Ca
Bun ca is known in Hanoi as a lunchtime staple and can be found nearly everywhere. This dish is a fish noodle soup that consists of fried fishcakes, green onions, tomatoes, and herbs. According to Mark Lowerson, founder of Hanoi Street Tours, adding lime, vinegar and herbs to bun ca will give customers a balance of salty, sour, sweet and spicy.
Bun Rieu Cua
Bun rieu is another seafood noodle soup but with crab meat and blanched tomatoes as its main ingredients. Tidbits of fried tofu add to the dish’s crunchiness, whereas tamarind paste contributes to the broth’s sourness. Depending on the region, bun rieu can be topped with beef, pork, fish, or snail.
Ca Phe Trung
Want egg and coffee for breakfast? Why not have them both in one delicacy? Ca phe trung — which literally translates to “egg coffee” — is a Hanoi specialty of beaten egg yolk with condensed milk on Vietnamese coffee. You can choose between two versions: cold (which is more of a flavored ice cream and dessert) and hot egg coffee.
Cha ca
Served in a pan with herbs, this noodle dish with turmeric-spiced fried catfish is so exceptional that a road in Hanoi is named after it — Cha Ca street. Aside from this, cha ca was first created by the Doan family more than 130 years ago to serve as meals to Vietnamese troops during the French colonial rule.
Banh Tom
Banh tom, or shrimp cakes, have only four main ingredients: flour, sweet potato, and freshwater crayfish or shrimp from West Lake. The fried shrimps are served whole wrapped in lettuce leaves, and have chili, lime juice and fish sauce as dipping. This dish is believed to have existed in the 1930s when stall vendors gathered along Thanh Nien street, a road in between West and Trúc Bạch lakes.
Bun Ca
Bun ca is known in Hanoi as a lunchtime staple and can be found nearly everywhere. This dish is a fish noodle soup that consists of fried fishcakes, green onions, tomatoes, and herbs. According to Mark Lowerson, founder of Hanoi Street Tours, adding lime, vinegar and herbs to bun ca will give customers a balance of salty, sour, sweet and spicy.
Bun Rieu Cua
Bun rieu is another seafood noodle soup but with crab meat and blanched tomatoes as its main ingredients. Tidbits of fried tofu add to the dish’s crunchiness, whereas tamarind paste contributes to the broth’s sourness. Depending on the region, bun rieu can be topped with beef, pork, fish, or snail.
Ca Phe Trung
Want egg and coffee for breakfast? Why not have them both in one delicacy? Ca phe trung — which literally translates to “egg coffee” — is a Hanoi specialty of beaten egg yolk with condensed milk on Vietnamese coffee. You can choose between two versions: cold (which is more of a flavored ice cream and dessert) and hot egg coffee.
Comprehension Questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What food is named after a road in Hanoi?
- What did Lowerson say about bun ca?
- According to the article, where can people buy and eat pho?
- How many versions does ca phe trung have?
- What contributes to the sourness of bun rieu’s broth?
Discussion Questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you tried any Vietnamese food? If so, what was it?
- What can you say about the five Vietnamese cuisine listed in the article?
- What are other popular Japanese food aside from ramen and sushi?
- Why do you think it is interesting to learn more about other countries’ cuisine?
- When you think about traveling abroad, what do you usually want to do or try out first?