Peter's Notes | Here Kitty Kitty

Peter is 70, well-travelled, and not remotely done yet. These are his Notes — small observations from the road.

“This is the way so many great meals in my life have been enjoyed: sitting in the street, eating something out of a bowl that I'm not exactly sure what it is.” – Anthony Bourdain

Perhaps you have tried a cruise, been on that exclusive all-inclusive holiday and had quite enough of family holidays where you are the one who organises, drives, directs (and pays) for yet another ho-hum not-so-different experience. But now you have discovered DECADES and are prompted to start thinking about what new and very different experiences that you will wish to remember from these, your later years. What sights seen, what foods tasted, and people you met on a slower yet more exciting experience.

One of my “must do” objectives when planning my DECADES trip around Vietnam was to find as many dishes as I could of those I’d seen Anthony Bourdain enjoying in one of his many travelogue episodes. Eight years since his death I was not sure how many of the places that he featured would remain as he saw them. Sadly, many of those that I did find, suffer from the “Bourdain Effect” and were disappointing. But, while the dishes served in a particular spot might have been less than “wow”, the dish itself elsewhere might be as exciting as I had hoped, and this often proved to be true.

Before I left for Kuala Lumpur and then on to Vietnam (mine was a multi-country adventure, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Singapore) I resolved to only eat local dishes. No Japanese sushi or Jollibee, no steaks, pasta or pizza; only the local cuisine. With the exception of the hotel breakfast buffet, all but once I achieved my objective. In my 30 or so days in Vietnam, from Saigon to Hanoi, I only had one bad meal, one disgusting snack, was ill only once and only had one single pizza. And that pizza only as it was the least scary of the choices on offer close to Hanoi airport.

But just how does one find a decent meal, can there really be any guidelines to avoid the tourist menus and be safe from the dreaded fluid lurgy? Here are my reflections from this trip but also informed by a few other adventures outside of S.E. Asia.

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If you know you don’t like something at home then don’t waste your money trying it elsewhere.

If you don’t like squid, if you think octopus are sentient creatures and should not be eaten, if you don’t like black pudding because it contains blood, then don’t order dishes that contain these things. If you have not tried something before, snails, or cat or an unfamiliar fish then give it a go, why not? Your explorations in food here, even if unsuccessful, will be less expensive than almost everywhere else in the world.

Vietnamese cuisine is very personalised - so use it to make the food work for you.

That is, restaurants often specialise in regional dishes or “home style cooking” but all the dishes are served with at least two, often four or more small bowls of fiery sauces, fish sauce with crushed chilli, “chilli jam” and in some a side bowl of lettuce and cilantro. One is expected, encouraged, to add a drop of this, a dab of that and the waitresses are always willing to show you how to roll a rice wrapper or in which order to use the sauces and side dishes.

If you don’t like coriander then it’s best to say so as you order.

Two herbs that are in many dishes throughout Vietnam are coriander a.k.a. cilantro and mint. In many dishes from Pho to Banh Mi cilantro and red mint are often mixed with a milder mint similar to one we use in the UK. Coriander and Cos lettuce are often in side dishes or as part of ingredients presented for a wrap and coriander is present in every bowl of Pho and every Banh Mi. If you don’t like the flavour of coriander then it’s best to say so as you order.

About the Vietnam food scare in 2025 - no need to be scared (but do be smart).

The Vietnamese tourist industry took a hard knock in late ’24 and part of 2025 when quite serious food poisoning outbreaks happened in many of the cities and towns. It is well documented on the internet but the regulations that were already in place were enforced and now even the smallest HiW appear, at least from the front, clean and well organised. Disposable plastic gloves and food tongs are used and often face masks are seen. Plates and bowls being washed at the kerb were a bit of a worry but not often seen and as long as the food came hot in a restaurant I had no qualms. I did, and would advise, avoiding the street stalls with food in glass cabinets. These are without refrigeration and perhaps a local’s digestion can brave the risk; I am of the opinion that mine would not survive a snack from these vendors.

If you have a furry feline friend at home then perhaps cat as a main course is not for you.

In fact, I never found it on a menu in Vietnam. Dog is available as a form of stew. It is discouraged by the government and I only came across one seller of dog meat and that stand was far from any market. Apparently, it is still allowed for a particular ethnic group on cultural grounds. False dog dishes are on some menus but this is pork cooked by the same method and using the same seasonings as would be for dog meat. This pork version is okay, not one of my favourite dishes, but far better than the fatty dog dish, the soup of which clings to the top of your mouth in a greasy layer. It doesn’t taste that special either.

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From a simple crusty bread sandwich to a giant pot of Pho with a discovery in every spoonful, the food in Vietnam will not always be wonderful but will never be boring. There is only one way to find out – explore!