Linh Son Pagoda’s banh for the Lunar New Year
Linh Son pagoda, Houston, click on the image to see more pictures of the pagoda.
Linh Son pagoda, Houston. Click on the image to see more pictures of the pagoda.
Although not all Vietnamese living oversea can take a day off to go to the pagodas on the first day of Tet, many manage to keep the tradition. Of course there is no strict requirement that one has to be looking at and praying to the Buddha at a certain day, for a certain amount of time, or with a certain prayer. Tet is not a religious based tradition. But many Buddhist and even non-Buddhists like to go to the pagodas on the first day of Tet to have a peaceful start of the new year, to feel spiritually lightened (hopefully enlightened as well) and pure on the important day. Many also choose to eat no animal product on this day, as it’s the new spring and every creature deserves to be happy and live in peace. Nonetheless, vegan restaurants are somewhat scarce in the conservative town, places with banh chung banh tet for sale don’t generally make the vegan version, and to deprive a Vietnamese of banh chung banh tet on a Tet’s day is somewhat cruel. So the pagodas take on the precious task.
Dua mon is pickled vegetables, here packaged in jars, and apparently on sale for $5? I believe I haven’t had dua mon. I’m not big on veggies in vinegar-sugar-salt mix, the only exception to me is pickled bean sprout (dua gia). But perhaps because every house during Tet is so overabundant with meat and glutinous rice, the dua being a bit tart, a bit sweet, crunchy, and light is a nice change in both taste and texture. In fact, with its economic nature and longevity, a big jar of dua on its own makes Tet in poor households.
Back to the star of Tet food. The square ones are banh chung, the cylindrical ones are banh tet. Banh chung is wrapped in dong leaves, banh tet is wrapped in banana leaves (theoretically). Banh chung declothed:
and quartered:
Mother got to the banh tet before I did, with a knife. I was 5 minutes too late to grab the camera. So here, in all gruesomeness, six “khoanh” of banh tet:
If you’re wondering, yes, their basic structure, except for the shape, is the same. Thick coat of glutinous rice outside, simple mung bean paste inside, since these are vegan banh made and sold at the pagoda. The meaty version of banh chung has lean pork amidst the bean paste, and that of banh tet has fatty pork. The outermost rim of glutinous rice is somewhat greenish yellow, naturally dyed by the leaves wrapping them and the long cooking process, in which they are submerged in water for hours. Banh chung was born in the North of Vietnam over 2000 years before Jesus was born, and especially made for Tet and Tet only. It even has a myth to explain its symbolism. Banh tet was its little brother, made for easy cooking and carrying, more popular in the South, available in one form or another all year long. The rice layer is soft and gummy, the bean paste middle is a little salted and sweetened. It’s vegan, but it doesn’t lack flavor. It’s really really heavy though. One khoanh of banh tet for breakfast and I was full from 10AM until 7PM! I would have been starved otherwise, classes all day, and school cafeterias don’t serve vegan food. That means if you like to keep yourself reasonably full, with 6 bucks you are full for 3-6 days of banh tet, and 4-8 days of banh chung. Pretty good huh?
Spot on with this write-up, I really think this web site wants rather more consideration. I’ll in all probability be again to learn far more, thanks for that info.
1I gotta bookmark this web site it seems invaluable very helpful
2I don’t even know how I ended up right here, but I believed this put up was great. I do not know who you’re however certainly you are going to a well-known blogger for those who aren’t already 😉 Cheers!
3whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your posts. Keep up the good work! You know, many people are looking around for this information, you could help them greatly.
4The very crux of your writing whilst sounding reasonable initially, did not settle very well with me after some time. Someplace throughout the sentences you managed to make me a believer unfortunately just for a while. I nevertheless have got a problem with your leaps in logic and one might do nicely to help fill in those gaps. When you actually can accomplish that, I will surely end up being fascinated.
5Hello! I just would like to give a huge thumbs up for the great info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
6This design is spectacular! You definitely know how to keep a reader entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Excellent job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!
7I do like the manner in which you have presented this particular situation and it does indeed offer us a lot of fodder for consideration. Nonetheless, through just what I have witnessed, I really wish as other feedback stack on that folks stay on issue and not embark on a tirade involving the news of the day. All the same, thank you for this fantastic piece and though I can not really concur with the idea in totality, I respect the point of view.
8Hiya, I’m really glad I have found this info. Today bloggers publish only about gossips and net and this is actually annoying. A good web site with interesting content, this is what I need. Thanks for keeping this website, I will be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can’t find it.
9Thanks for any other informative website. The place else may just I get that kind of info written in such a perfect manner? I have a project that I am just now running on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such information.
10Thank you for any other fantastic post. The place else may anyone get that type of info in such a perfect approach of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am at the look for such information.
11Hey there! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading your posts. Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects? Thank you so much!
12I feel that is among the most important info for me. And i’m happy studying your article. However wanna statement on some normal issues, The web site taste is wonderful, the articles is in reality nice :D. Good process, cheers
13Glad to be one of many visitors on this amazing website : D.
14Lovely just what I was searching for.Thanks to the author for taking his time on this one.
15Whoa! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!
16I will right away grab your rss as I can’t find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.
17very good put up, i actually love this web site, keep on it
18I am glad to be a visitant of this consummate blog! , regards for this rare information! .
19I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come here and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your theme? Outstanding work!
20Awsome post and right to the point. I don’t know if this is actually the best place to ask but do you people have any ideea where to hire some professional writers? Thanks 🙂
21Does your website have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to shoot you an email. I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
22Keep up the fantastic piece of work, I read few content on this site and I believe that your site is real interesting and holds bands of wonderful information.
23I conceive this website has some very excellent info for everyone. “A kiss, is the physical transgression of the mental connection which has already taken place.” by Tanielle Naus.
24hello!,I like your writing so much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL? I need a specialist on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
25Wow, incredible weblog layout! How lengthy have you ever been running a blog for? you make blogging glance easy. The overall glance of your web site is great, let alone the content!
26I like what you guys are up also. Such smart work and reporting! Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my site 🙂
27I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours as of late, but I never discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is pretty price sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web shall be a lot more helpful than ever before.
28I loved as much as you will obtain carried out proper here. The caricature is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nevertheless, you command get got an nervousness over that you want be handing over the following. ill for sure come more previously once more since exactly the similar nearly a lot frequently within case you protect this hike.
29This is really interesting, You are an overly professional blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look ahead to in quest of more of your fantastic post. Additionally, I have shared your web site in my social networks!
30Hey very nice website!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your site and take the feeds also…I am happy to find a lot of useful information here in the post, we need develop more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
31I am glad to be a visitant of this staring web site! , regards for this rare info ! .
32There are some fascinating points in time in this article however I don’t know if I see all of them middle to heart. There may be some validity but I will take hold opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish more! Added to FeedBurner as well
33Some really excellent info , Sword lily I discovered this.
34