One of the things I enjoy about having this newsletter are subscriber contributions. A number of folks jumped on board to get Burlap and Barrel’s turmeric from Vietnam. Rebecca sent this:
The recipe on page 241 is my simplified version of Hanoi’s chả cá Thăng Long (chả cá Lã Vọng). It’s such a production but for Ever-Green Vietnamese, I made it as a noodle salad and it’s so much more doable for a weeknight — any day, in fact.
A few people responded to my story on getting an expat 5-year visa exemption, including Michael, who wrote:
This coming February will be my third trip back to Vietnam with George DeSerres. The first two were fantastic experiences as I experienced the country and the people in an entirely new light. Considering all that happened to them during “the American War” they have always been warm and welcoming – somewhat inexplicably considering what they call the “American War,” and I can personally attest to the healing powers of confronting the “monsters under the bed.” Here is just one example that had a big impact on me.
In December of 2018, our group was having lunch at a small, beautiful garden restaurant near Pleiku in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, the site of several battles during the war. Towards the end of our lunch, I noticed a quite rowdy bunch of Vietnamese singing and tossing back shots of “something.” I asked George’s close friend and local tour operator for all these trips, “Tony, what are they drinking?” He grinned and said, “moonshine – you want some?” What’s an armored cavalryman to do? “Of course,” I replied.
Shortly after my first shot with my new acquaintances, our entire group had joined the Vietnamese group, and we learned they were former North Vietnamese Army veterans who were having a similar reunion. Smiling and laughing, we were soon toasting each other, and we learned that their host, a former NVA Colonel, had commanded the final attack on nearby Camp Holloway towards the end of the war. George had been stationed at Holloway as a Huey gunship pilot. Upon learning this, the Colonel saluted George and then led all of us veterans – Vietnamese and Americans – in a toast saying, “once we were enemies, and now we are friends.”
This was a very important moment for ALL us veterans. We were all laughing, but a little while later, back on the bus and reflecting on what had just happened, quite a few of us got a little teary-eyed.
And, the picture! The guy in the blue shirt is the retired North Vietnamese Army colonel.
Travel heals in many ways.
George and Michael do the travel paperwork for folks. The Vietnam e-visa portal can seem odd because you’re dealing with a foreign, communist government. Michael shared a list of handy instructions for successfully getting single entry visas online. “I'd be happy to see the PTFS community benefit from our experiences,” he wrote. Thanks, Michael! I lightly edited it for your use in this PDF:
Eggplant season goes from June through October. At the seasonal midpoint — August (now!), I’m looking for extra beautiful fruits. Yep, we think of eggplants as vegetables but they are technically fruits of the nightshade family. Eggplants are relatives of tomatoes and peppers, which partly explains why they naturally pair well. Plus, the nightshade fruits are peaking in perfection.
Below is a selection typically grown by Southeast Asian farmers. You’re looking at Filipino (purplish-green), Chinese (slender all purple), Italian and (dark purple). Not visible are Japanese eggplants. Sometimes, there are the usual globe (American) variety too.
How to pick good eggplants and store them?
I thought I knew but didn’t really know until I asked my favorite experts — Hmong farmers Tra and Kou Her. They bantered and generously offered insights, which I included in Ever-Green Vietnamese as this sidebar story and tip!
So, softie eggplants are alright! As for storing eggplant, if you plan to use it within two or three days, keep it at room temperature, otherwise, refrigerate it.
Our local farmers don’t grow terrific globe eggplants and supermarket selection can be too firm. Where to go? Trader Joe’s strangely has good ones at a very good price. Go early in the day or later — when the inventory has not been picked over or they’ve just restocked.
Assuming that like me, you’re stocking up on eggplants this month. You’re wanting eggplant inspiration. A few to consider:
🍆 Fish-Fragrance Eggplant (Yuxiang Qiezi) — (NEW!) A knockout vegan recipe by Hanna Che that uses interesting techniques to generate an elegant rendition of a Sichuan classic. Restaurant versions can be utterly greasy but not this one (or the next one)!
🔥 Indian Smokey Eggplant (Baingan Bharta) — If you’re grilling lots or just want smokey goodness, char the eggplant over live fire for this South Asian favorite. This past week, I stirred in Thai basil and shiso at the end and spread the eggplant on open-face sandwiches. Char an extra eggplant or two because they keep well in the fridge for days so you can make the dish whenever. Or, use the charred eggplant for banh mi 👇.
🦪 Fried Eggplant Banh Mi — Charred eggplant is luscious and slithery, akin to oysters. Season, coat and fry it up for a vegetarian oyster-ish banh mi/po’ boy! I kid you not.
🏃🏻♀️Dashi-Soaked Eggplant — Eggplant can be deep-fried and then soaked in dashi for agebitashi (deep fried and soaked in Japanese). For a leaner and refreshing take, I microwave and grill the eggplants, then soak in dashi. The result is plush and tasty.
Thanks so much to all subscribers! If you haven’t consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to access all the recipes, get all the perks and fully support the newsletter.
Monterey Bay Eats
If you happen to come to the Monterey area, I recently had nice meals here:
Passion Fish (Pacific Grove) — Great wine list and fabulous fried squid served with a lovely lemony arugula salad. All the seafood is sustainable.
Barba Azul (Seaside) — Sinaloan (think Mazatlan) seafood, which includes lots of shrimp ceviche and aguachiles. The fried Baja fish tacos are wonderful. I’d skip the agua frescas my next time.
Such a wonderful story about this group of American and Vietnamese veterans! A real tear jerker. Thanks so much to them for sharing
I was fortunate to eat at Passion Fish a few years ago while visiting friends who lived in Monterey. Glad to hear it's still good!