Day Thirty Eight: Cooking and Tailoring

Day Thirty Eight February 28th, 2009
Hoi An

Hoi An is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its unique architecture and history as a trading post for many cultures including the French. It is a small town built around a small river and a couple islands. At one point it was a bustling hub of trade but then fell into disrepair when other trade routes opened. It wasn't until the city gained UNESCO status in the 70's (i think) that the town begin to restore the buildings that make this area so unique. The architecture is a mix of French and Chinese styles. With the new status, the town blossomed into a tourist haven along with dozens of tailor shops and restaurants. The two best experiences of this visit were the cooking class and having clothing tailor made.

The cooking class was great. We started out by a short trip to the towns busy market where the chef gave us a brief lesson of the local fruits, veggies and meat choices. Walking through a market of this sorts is an assault on the scenes. It is hard to decide whether the fragrant smell of flowers can dominate the smell of the fish sitting out a few stalls away. After the market we headed back to the restaurant to begin our culinary lesson. We worked together as a group to create many dishes including Mackerel grilled in banana leaf with lemon grass and ginger, fried vegetable spring rolls, stir-fried squid with lemon grass and chili and wantons with sweet and sour sauce. Honestly, the food was some of the best that I had eaten in Vietnam and this whole trip in general. I am looking forward to other cooking classes in the future.


After the cooking class the ladies I was with needed to go back to the tailor to try on the clothing that they had ordered earlier that day. I went along to see the fashion show. Since I had already bought a suit in India I had no intention on purchasing a single thing. However, when I saw the quality of the clothing that the ladies were wearing I changed my mind and proceeded to order three shirts, a pair of shorts and another suit. Returning the next day to try on my clothes I was amazed at how well it fit and how damn sexy I was (only a little sarcasm placed there.) I was very happy with there work and a few adjustments were to be made although the suit was wonderful. It is bound to get me the job of my dreams when I return to the states (whatever that job may be.)