Kari_ITA3

This afternoon I met with Keith and had lunch with him at Panera. He really enjoyed the food at Panera much more than any other places that sell American food. We talked mainly about the differences between American and Vietnamese culture. Some of the things he misses the most about Vietnam include the food and his friends. He said that one of his favorite pastimes was to go out with his friends and eat.....dog meat, while also drinking a lot of sake and other alcohol. Apparently dog meat tastes nothing like chicken or pork, and when seasoned and cooked right, is a delicacy in Vietnam, especially with the grizzle. He also said the other thing he missed about Vietnam was celebrating the Lunar New Year. It's a very popular holiday in Vietnam and usually lasts about 1-2 weeks. During that time people go visit all their family members, bring food to each other, have fireworks and honor their ancestors with gifts and offerings of food. One of Keith's favorite dishes that gets made during this time is a type of square meat cake that has 3 layers in it. The outside layer is made of white rice, the next layer is made of minced meat and soybeans, and the middle layer is made of seasoned meats. All of this is wrapped in a giant leaf similar to a banana leaf and is baked for 12 hours. This cake also has a lot of meaning to the people as well because a long time ago, it was supposed to represent the earth and heaven, back when they thought that the earth was square and the sky was what contained the earth. Today the people just "pretend" that they don't know the earth is round in order to keep the tradition. Next weekend Keith wants to go to a Vietnam market and show me what authentic Vietnam cuisine is, rather than what is made in a restaurant, where the food isn't necessary accurate.