Experiencing Vietnamese Coffee Culture: Egg, Coffee, WiFi
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
Today’s Culture with Travel post is by Leigh Marcos
If you’re a travel and a coffee enthusiast, there are several places that instantly come to mind. There’s Norway, where coffee might as well be a national drink. There’s also Italy where coffee is served with an aesthetic. Cuba also comes to mind, offering some of the best varieties of coffee in the world.
Southeast Asia, however, deserves a mention, too. Vietnam, for one, is known amongst backpackers not just for its war history but also for its rich coffee culture. So, let’s have a look at what coffee is like in Vietnam.
Coffee and WiFi
Living like a local in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) means easily spotting the coffee shops that are literally everywhere. You can step outside of your hotel in any of these cities and you’ll easily see large signs that read, “Coffee WiFi.” These coffee WiFi shops are relatively small compared to the mid-level and high-end coffee shops that we’re familiar with.
Locals and tourists alike huddle up by these casual street-side stalls, sitting on plastic stools in the morning, afternoon, and even at night.
Vietnamese Coffee Culture: Egg Coffee
While some of us are content with our usual cup at Starbucks or preparing a delicious mocha at home, Vietnam takes it up a notch with perhaps the most popular of their wide coffee selection—the egg coffee.
As its name suggests, this popular drink consists of coffee, egg yolks, and condensed milk. It is a flavor-rich coffee that has become a staple for both tourists and locals as morning or afternoon pick-me-up.
The Vietnamese Drip
No matter where you are in Vietnam, it’s easy to spot someone who’s enjoying the classic Vietnamese drip coffee. This is a Vietnamese tradition where coffee is brewed in a ‘phin’, a small coffee filter that consists of just a cup, a filter chamber, and a lid. It literally drips the coffee from the filter, brewing it slowly. It allows you to savor the experience as you sit down and wait for a few minutes until your coffee is ready to be sipped.
Vietnamese coffee has a very strong taste, that’s why you won’t find it in large sizes. Just a small dose of the local coffee is enough.
Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee producer, so take this as a mental note once you’ve decided to travel to this place. Its past can be told through various war museums but its present is told by the culture, and a large part of that is coffee.
Have you had Vietnamese coffee? Share in the comments!
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