Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor

As long as you enjoyed yourself, who cares?

"Victor Sack" wrote in message
...
Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor

You shouldn't just do anything "as long as you enjoy yourself".
Etiquette is dying because of this attitude, and it's a shame.
Rude and boorish behavior is becoming the norm.

In this particular example, I do not see anything wrong. But again,
I am not an expert in etiquette, Vietnamese or otherwise.

--
Dan

Aria wrote:

As long as you enjoyed yourself, who cares?

"Victor Sack" wrote in message
...

Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor






--
Dan

"Dan Logcher" wrote in message
...
You shouldn't just do anything "as long as you enjoy yourself".
Etiquette is dying because of this attitude, and it's a shame.
Rude and boorish behavior is becoming the norm.

In this particular example, I do not see anything wrong. But again,
I am not an expert in etiquette, Vietnamese or otherwise.

.. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor


I'm no expert on Vietnamese food since the commonest thing I eat is Pho.
Everyone seems to use chopsticks for that but, of course, the soup is
finished off with a spoon. The best Vietnamese restaurant that I know is
French influenced and does provide chopsticks but I wonder if that is a
response to what people expect? Certainly, on a slightly different topic, I
have been told by Thais that the normal utensils in Thailand are a spoon and
a fork but many people ask for chopsticks in restaurants around here.

As we all know, there is an infinite variety of Asian food and fingers *are*
used. Some forms of sushi are impossible to eat with chopsticks being much
too big for one bite and I certainly can't cut them with chopsticks tho'
I've seen a Chinese person do just that!


--
James V. Silverton
Potomac, Maryland, USA

"James Silverton" wrote in message
...


I'm no expert on Vietnamese food since the commonest thing I eat is Pho.
Everyone seems to use chopsticks for that but, of course, the soup is
finished off with a spoon. The best Vietnamese restaurant that I know is
French influenced and does provide chopsticks but I wonder if that is a
response to what people expect?

The Vietnamese restaurants I go to usually provide a spoon, fork, and
chopsticks so perhaps some dishes require chopsticks while others require a
spoon and fork?

Certainly, on a slightly different topic, I
have been told by Thais that the normal utensils in Thailand are a spoon
and
a fork but many people ask for chopsticks in restaurants around here.


That's because farangs often think any Asian (non-subcontinental) food
should be eaten with chopsticks and doing so makes them more "worldly."
Ignorance is bliss, and all that. Plus many Thai restaurants are not Thai
at all and the owners/managers do not know anything about Thai food. I have
been to more than one Thai restaurant that provided chopsticks as the only
eating utensils (unless asked for something else). However, some Thai
dishes are eaten with chopsticks--primarily noodle dishes including pad
thai.

As we all know, there is an infinite variety of Asian food and fingers
*are*
used. Some forms of sushi are impossible to eat with chopsticks being much
too big for one bite and I certainly can't cut them with chopsticks tho'
I've seen a Chinese person do just that!



Sushi is traditionally eaten with your hands, anyway (though even in Japan,
many people will use chopsticks) and eaten whole, not bitten into
(nigirizushi, not so much makizushi or temakizushi).

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!*** --

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" wrote in message
...



"James Silverton" wrote in message
...


I'm no expert on Vietnamese food since the commonest thing I eat is Pho.

Deletions

I have
been to more than one Thai restaurant that provided chopsticks as the only
eating utensils (unless asked for something else). However, some Thai
dishes are eaten with chopsticks--primarily noodle dishes including pad
thai.


I'd certainly agree there. Chopsticks seem to me to be the ideal implements
for noodles tho' spoon and fork can be used; witness some Italians eating
spaghetti! Incidentally, I *have* eaten spaghetti with chopsticks and they
*do* work!


--
James V. Silverton
Potomac, Maryland, USA

In article , sackv@uni-
duesseldorf.de says...
Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor

I took a quick poll of my co-workers, about 90 per cent of whom are
Vietnamese. They basically said, "how else were you going to eat them?"
You should have been given, or asked for, a lot of napkins to wipe your
hands while eating. Other than a knife or the platter serving spoon to
dis-joint the frog legs, they would have just used their fingers as you
did. In general, those large prawns they peel by hand, and then some of
them would finish them with chopsticks. The others said they would just
continue using their fingers to hold them while dipping them into sauces,
especially if they were at home, or at less formal restaurant.

The smaller headless shrimp can be eaten shell and all if you are used to
them, except for the tail.

Dennis

"Victor Sack" wrote in message
...
Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

About 15 years ago, when I was in ESL class(in Jr high), we had to bring
some of our food for a little party in class. The vietnamese kids brought
some sort of noodle, and they were all eating it with their hands. Of
course, being Korean, we looked at them and went "what are they doing..."

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" wrote in message
...



"James Silverton" wrote in message
...


I'm no expert on Vietnamese food since the commonest thing I eat is Pho.
Everyone seems to use chopsticks for that but, of course, the soup is
finished off with a spoon. The best Vietnamese restaurant that I know is
French influenced and does provide chopsticks but I wonder if that is a
response to what people expect?

The Vietnamese restaurants I go to usually provide a spoon, fork, and
chopsticks so perhaps some dishes require chopsticks while others require
a
spoon and fork?


No, Vietnamese use chopsticks for everything. No spoons or forks (except
for Chinese-style soup spoons, of course).

Peter

James Silverton wrote:

"Dan Logcher" wrote in message
...

You shouldn't just do anything "as long as you enjoy yourself".
Etiquette is dying because of this attitude, and it's a shame.
Rude and boorish behavior is becoming the norm.

In this particular example, I do not see anything wrong. But again,
I am not an expert in etiquette, Vietnamese or otherwise.


. We ate them

all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor



I'm no expert on Vietnamese food since the commonest thing I eat is Pho.
Everyone seems to use chopsticks for that but, of course, the soup is
finished off with a spoon. The best Vietnamese restaurant that I know is
French influenced and does provide chopsticks but I wonder if that is a
response to what people expect? Certainly, on a slightly different topic, I
have been told by Thais that the normal utensils in Thailand are a spoon and
a fork but many people ask for chopsticks in restaurants around here.


This is correct. From my experience, Thais do not use chopsticks, but
instead a fork and spoon.

If dining at a restaurant that serves more than just Thai, chance are
you will be given both fork and shopsticks with that spoon. For me,
when I Pho, I use chopsticks and spoon.

--
Dan

"Dennis Rekuta" wrote in message
...
In article , sackv@uni-
duesseldorf.de says...
Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor

I took a quick poll of my co-workers, about 90 per cent of whom are
Vietnamese. They basically said, "how else were you going to eat them?"
You should have been given, or asked for, a lot of napkins to wipe your
hands while eating. Other than a knife or the platter serving spoon to
dis-joint the frog legs, they would have just used their fingers as you
did. In general, those large prawns they peel by hand, and then some of
them would finish them with chopsticks. The others said they would just
continue using their fingers to hold them while dipping them into sauces,
especially if they were at home, or at less formal restaurant.

This fits my experience in Vietnam. Although I am by no means an expert, my
husband and I try to be observant of etiquette when we sit down in a new
place. I recall one seafood restaurant in Saigon where the clientele was
very middle class/professional. We visited this place a few times and saw
people eating with chopsticks and fingers, larger pieces of bones and shells
were tossed on the floor, and the staff swept under the table after each
party left. I don't know if this is standard, it certainly wasn't at Saigon
market stalls.

But in both places, customers were provided with plastic-wrapped damp cloths
to wipe up after the meal.

-Amalia

Dennis Rekuta wrote:

I took a quick poll of my co-workers, about 90 per cent of whom are
Vietnamese. They basically said, "how else were you going to eat them?"
You should have been given, or asked for, a lot of napkins to wipe your
hands while eating.

Indeed. I've now eaten at the restaurant again and, this time, there
was a waiter speaking enough German, so I asked. One is supposed to eat
such things as frog legs and large shrimp with one's fingers. There
were only a few very small, flimsy papaer napkins provided, though.
Otherwise, chopsticks are always used, I was told, as well as a spoon
for soup only. In this respect, Vietnamese customs differ from Thai
ones, it seems.

Now I have some other questions. Here are some things left untranslated
on the menu and the waiters weren't much help. Sorry for the lack of
diacritics.

- 'Keo', as in 'Canh chua ca keo'. I know this is sour soup with fish,
and was told it was some kind of small fish. What fish is it exactly?

- Do long pha lau: Doi truong, bao tu, luoi heo, thit dui, tai heo

- Khan long bo hap tau xi

- Gan bo hap tau xi

- Chan ga hap tau xi

- To com lon

- Dia rau thom

- Dia bun

- What is 'nem', as 'in nem nuong cuon'? Minced pork? Meatballs? Is
this spring roll steamed or fried? Is it supposed to be served hot or
cold?

TIA

Victor

"Peter Dy" wrote in message
m...


No, Vietnamese use chopsticks for everything. No spoons or forks (except
for Chinese-style soup spoons, of course).

Peter



Interesting. There is one Vietnamese restaurant that we frequent and it
isn't really a restaurant but more of a take-out place (they do have 4 or 5
small tables but you choose your food cafeteria style). They always give us
chopsticks when we order pho, but a spoon and fork when we order a combo
plate (rice or noodles plus 3 other dishes of your choice). I wonder if
they do that because they know we're Thai/Filipino. I've never noticed what
they give Vietnamese people, so I'll try to pay more attention next time we
go.

Speaking of Filipinos, my mother's family always uses spoons and forks, too,
and when I lived in the Phil. I only remember those utensils being common at
the table. The maids would either use spoons or their fingers to eat. In
your experience, which is standard?

rona
--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

"Rona Yuthasastrakosol" wrote in message
...


"Peter Dy" wrote in message
m...


No, Vietnamese use chopsticks for everything. No spoons or forks
(except
for Chinese-style soup spoons, of course).

Peter



Interesting. There is one Vietnamese restaurant that we frequent and it
isn't really a restaurant but more of a take-out place (they do have 4 or
5
small tables but you choose your food cafeteria style). They always give
us
chopsticks when we order pho, but a spoon and fork when we order a combo
plate (rice or noodles plus 3 other dishes of your choice). I wonder if
they do that because they know we're Thai/Filipino.


Maybe. Of course, they usually eat with rice bowls; if the food/rice is on
a plate, a Western influence, then spoons or forks may be preferred.
Chinese eat rice on a plate with spoons quite often (usually?).


I've never noticed what
they give Vietnamese people, so I'll try to pay more attention next time
we
go.

Speaking of Filipinos, my mother's family always uses spoons and forks,
too,
and when I lived in the Phil. I only remember those utensils being common
at
the table. The maids would either use spoons or their fingers to eat. In
your experience, which is standard?


Yeah. My understanding is that all of SE Asia uses spoon & fork; only
Vietnam uses chopsticks. (And in some areas people eat with their fingers,
of course, like NE Thailand.) In the Philippines, eating with fingers is
the "traditional" way, though I doubt that any of my relatives have ever
eaten with their fingers. But there are restaurants now that try to create
a "traditional" setting, without chairs and without spoon & forks -- you eat
with your fingers. I haven't been to one of those restaurants though.

Peter

"amalia" ¼¶¼g©ó¶l¥ó·s»D
:rWZfb.502354$cF.178385@rwcrnsc53...
"Dennis Rekuta" wrote in message
...
In article , sackv@uni-
duesseldorf.de says...
Recently, we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant, possibly the only truly
authentic one in Germany. Among other things, we had whole curried
frog
legs, as well as whole, unpeeled giant prawns, some deep-fried, some
grilled. Only chopsticks were provided. Whole large frog legs are as
impossible to eat with chopsticks as whole chicken legs. Besides,
covered with thick curry sauce, they were rather messy, of course.
Giant prawns needed to be peeled, but were very hot indeed. We ate
them
all using our fingers regardless. Was this correct? The restaurant
was
full of Vietnamese who didn't appear to be surprised, but maybe they
were just polite or used to farangs' uncouth behaviour...

Victor

I took a quick poll of my co-workers, about 90 per cent of whom are
Vietnamese. They basically said, "how else were you going to eat them?"
You should have been given, or asked for, a lot of napkins to wipe your
hands while eating. Other than a knife or the platter serving spoon to
dis-joint the frog legs, they would have just used their fingers as you
did. In general, those large prawns they peel by hand, and then some of
them would finish them with chopsticks. The others said they would just
continue using their fingers to hold them while dipping them into
sauces,
especially if they were at home, or at less formal restaurant.

This fits my experience in Vietnam. Although I am by no means an expert,
my
husband and I try to be observant of etiquette when we sit down in a new
place. I recall one seafood restaurant in Saigon where the clientele was
very middle class/professional. We visited this place a few times and saw
people eating with chopsticks and fingers, larger pieces of bones and
shells
were tossed on the floor, and the staff swept under the table after each
party left. I don't know if this is standard, it certainly wasn't at
Saigon
market stalls.

But in both places, customers were provided with plastic-wrapped damp
cloths
to wipe up after the meal.

-Amalia


i am hongkonger, my eng. is not good at all, but i just want to say that i
totally agreed with dennis, amalia and vitor. among the vietnamese table
etiquette, fingers, chopsticks and spoon are used only.

Clifford Wong