Lonely Planet World Food Vietnam

Lonely Planet World Food Vietnam (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Good Supplement
  • Essential Culinary Roadmap to Vietnam Even for the Non-Traveler
  • Thumbs up to this book
  • Fine fun book
  • fact correction on previous review
 Lonely Planet World Food Vietnam (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)
Richard Sterling
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

VietnameseVietnamese | Asian | Regional & International | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:
  1. Lonely Planet Vietnam
  2. Lonely Planet World Food Thailand (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)
  3. The Rough Guide to Vietnam 4 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
  4. The Rough Guide to Vietnam 5 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)
  5. Lonely Planet World Food India (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)

ASIN: 186450028X

Book Description

If cooking were painting, Vietnam would have on of the world's most colourful palettes. Practically anything can be grown in its diverse climate and, because the people have no culinary inhibitions, anything goes. Vietnam lays itself bare at the table and, with this unique guide, you are about to embark on an unforgettable culinary adventure. <ul>

  • the essential guide to the culture of food & drink in Vietnam </li>
  • faces of gastronomy, profiles of the ordinary people and places that make Vietnamese cuisine unique </li>
  • an exploration of the regional influences that make up Vietnamese cuisine </li>
  • a special chapter on the bold palate of Vietnam </li>
  • the definitive culinary dictionary, a quick-reference glossary and useful phrases for every food & drink occasion </li>
  • tantalising photography & recipes </li></ul>

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Good Supplement.......2007-01-15

    As one who uses the cuisine as a guide for their travelling, this is a must. Markets tend to be one of the more immersive activities tourists can experience, this book gives explanation of which markets in which cities, on which days can be found. Certainly worth buying in addition to the main Lonley Planet book. One could also find good advice of 'foodie' blogs in and around Hanoi / Saigon.

    This particular version (Vietnam) gives a full pardon to establishing dietary restrictions in terms of unwashed vegetables and overall quality of meat. Not sure if this is correct, but then again I've never been there. Would be skeptical that this is indeed the case, but a paranoid Westerner I might be.

    5 out of 5 stars Essential Culinary Roadmap to Vietnam Even for the Non-Traveler.......2006-07-12

    Any traveler worth his or her salt knows the best and easiest way to get to the heart of a country is to experience firsthand the culinary delights that country has to offer. Lonely Planet has figured this out by publishing a series of fine, pocket-sized books under their "World Food" series, and the Vietnam tome is one of their best thanks to the zeal of the author, Berkeley-based food adventurer Richard Sterling. This book was an invaluable guide for me when I visited that epicurean paradise five years ago as he covers the vast landscape of food and drink there. Sterling moves fluidly from the culture and history of Vietnamese cuisine through the staples and specialties you would find in a Vietnamese kitchen to the nuances of regional fare, whether it's the heavy influence of Chinese cuisine in the North or the use of exotic tropical fruit in Southern dishes.

    I particularly like the sections that focus on celebrating with food, the delicacies you find in street kiosks and the chapter on the bold palate, which includes dishes that use toads, cobras, rodents and of course, dogs. Obviously not all the food is meant to be savored by everyone, but this provides a comprehensive, easy-to-read guide to the variety of tastes and sensations to be experienced including a definitive culinary dictionary, a quick-reference glossary and useful phrases when you order food and drink there. Sterling includes recipes, city maps highlighting his favorite eateries, and the "Faces of Gastronomy", which highlights local chefs and food experts. In fact, when I visited Hoi An, I visited one of them based on the author's recommendation, Miss Vy, who owns the Mermaid Restaurant. I took one of her four-hour cooking classes and was able to discover for myself many of the epicurean joys found in the pages of this helpful book. If Sterling's knowledgeable prose is not enough, the wonderful photographs should convince you. Regardless of whatever guidebook you purchase for more general information, no trip to Vietnam should be without this one. Armchair travelers will rejoice as well.

    4 out of 5 stars Thumbs up to this book.......2005-12-18

    We just went to Vietnam this year. The book was very helpful to identify and discuss various food items in Vietnamese cuisine. It is also small and easily "packable". It seems it is not intended to be a listing of restaurants, and some of those that are listed do not exist anymore. Nevertheless, we still found the book useful. It does seem to be written from an Australian point of view, if that makes any difference to you.

    5 out of 5 stars Fine fun book.......2000-06-03

    As a food writer planning a trip to Vietnam (for personal, not food-related reasons), I found this book to be an excellent introduction to the culture and cuisine. I may never cook any of the recipes in it, but it's helped me know what to look for when I go, and to anticipate my trip even more. I thought it was very well-written. Sterling's sense of adventure and good living are apparent in the guide in an infectious, inviting way. He is judgemental about no one but the foreign young people who go to Vietnam to eat fake burgers and wiener schnitzel instead of the light, beautiful food. And the photographs are as compelling as the writing. Buy this book!

    4 out of 5 stars fact correction on previous review.......2000-05-10

    the reference to dog meat preperation contrary to Lonely Planet's description is from Robert Templer's _Shadow and Wind: A View of Modern Viet Nam_.

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