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Okay so where do I start, I’ve never been to Vietnam. For me, it’s one of many on my list of places I would like to visit before shuffling off this mortal coil.

What I can say is I picked up this book simply because it was at one point on a reading list of Anthony Bourdain, someone who also had a much more personal, experienced, informed love of Vietnam, than I. Not coincidentally, this is a book published by him/his publishing group. I wasn’t too thrilled about this at first as I had never read books of this nature, but I was captured immediately. I will also say that there are a slew of books I have read that have captivated me about Vietnam, The Quiet American by Graham Greene is an obvious one.

The book tells the story of British English teacher Graham Holliday as he fully emersed himself in life in Vietnam, also drawing inspiration from Greene. He becomes an English teacher, and uses his time and income in between classes to begin to find the best food in Vietnam. He had previously done something similar prior to coming to Vietnam, where he was working in South Korea. He details with an air of horror, but with great humor, tales where his guide would take him to eat pig uterus as one of his authentic Vietnamese meals, there are much more palatable meals later! He handles it with grace and doesn’t let that deter him from finding the perfect life giving broth of Pho.

Through food, Graham details cultural differences in Vietnam, between regions such as North and South, but also between cities. Very carefully, he is able to weave some light history into the reasoning for certain Vietnamese’s approach to food. Throughout the cooking we learn that Hanoi’s focus on simple ingredients, readily available comes from the necessity to do so during the war, whereas in Saigon, it’s not uncommon to find people putting sugar in their pho. He discusses exactly how to find local delicacies, how persistent one must be, and how difficult it can be to gain the trust to find the good stuff!

Realistically, for me, the food and ambiance are memorable, but those scenes escape me now. While the food is what motivates Holliday, and surely is a motivator for me to travel, it’s not the top reason I love this book. I love this book because it details exactly what I want out of traveling. While the food is an amazing part of travel, it’s the people you meet, finally finding those hidden to tourist gems, that Graham is able to articulate that make this read fascinating! It’s learning the lives of those people who now shared a home with Graham and seeing a different way or life and enjoying it.

I would highly recommend for anyone interesting Vietnamese cuisine, traveling to Vietnam, or just traveling in general. This is a great beginner book, I wish I had read this before I had begun my travels, specifically for his ability to bridge food, culture, curiosity, and travel. While I wouldn’t necessarily state this is a ‘How-to’ Guide, I would state it has influenced my travels after and has yielded in finding some pretty succulent meals across the United States.

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of Eating Vietnam you can find it here