Street Culture

Spoilt for choice!

Although Vietnam is not the first South Asian country that I have visited, it is the only place where I felt that life really thrives on busy city roads. From gold fish to meat to flowers to fruits to food to clothes, you can get it all, on a sidewalk. As part of Tet traditions, I saw many Vietnamese even burning paper goods on the road side.

Burning paper - Tet traditions

The variety of food and sweets' options that you can get on the side of the road are plenty and delicious. I tried mango cakes, doughnuts, sweet garlic bread, the famous bahn mi (sandwich) and other dishes that I cannot remember the names for, from street sellers/ vendors while travelling through the country. In fact, I went overboard and slightly over budget because of this.

Chicken feet!

The eating spree continued in Cambodia. There were road side food stalls here and there but not as many as Vietnam. Seeing meat being sold openly in a vegetable market was an unusual sight. That would never happen in India. Perhaps, the vegetarians there were a lot more relaxed or never ventured to such local markets. Barbequed beef was being sold on a few busy road corners next to the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. 

My favourite road side treat was nutella pan cakes from a street vendor on the busy intersection of the vibrant Night market street and Pub street. I went and had those every night while I was in Siem Reap.  Highly recommended!

Given the high temperatures and humidity some of these places experience and how the meats are kept outside for a long duration, the food was impeccable. I did not fall sick even once. 

Now back in India, I see plenty of road side vendors selling eatables every day. The irony is that while growing up, I was told not to eat from any of them for fear of falling ill.