Hello Vietnam!

I had never thought about eating Vietnamese food, always preferring Thai or even Chinese. My aunt who knows I like to try different foods insisted I try Vietnamese and took me to Le’s in Chestnut Hill near Boston.

“It’s lighter, less spice, more vegetables,” she said reminding me that I was also trying to lose weight. Le’s is open and spacious as it is located in upscale Atrium mall. Nearly 80% of the people eating were of Asian origin which is always a good indicator of how authentic the food is. I would not eat in an average Indian restaurant unless I was desperate for that kind of food. Hopefully the people at Le’s were not desperate but actually came because they liked the food.

The menu is extensive. There is a large variety of beef, chicken, seafood and vegetable dishes. My vegan friends always used to prefer Vietnamese food because of the vegetarian choices. In most of Southeast Asia, the meat portion of the meal comprises only about 20% of the meal. Vegetables, broth and noodles or rice are the remaining 80%.

Chinese

Throughout Southeast Asia a healthy form of eating where vegetables make up the majority of the meal and only a bit of meat or fish is the norm. This type of eating evolved due to availability or lack of availability of the ingredients. Most people ate and still eat large bowls of soup with noodles, vegetables and a bit of meat. My aunt ordered a Pho Chay, vegetarian noodle soup with tofu and it was too much for her to finish. The broth had very little spice, the scallions gave it a oniony flavor. The steamed broccoli, carrots and beans were cooked just right.

The appetizer of

#WhattoEat