The taste of childhood from the sidewalks.

Researchers concluded that the two most important factors influencing taste are the diner's experience and expectations of the food. This is also why home-style eateries, stalls selling authentic "mom's cooking," or vendors overflowing with childhood treats exist, becoming distinctive culinary landmarks on urban sidewalks.

A plate of steamed rice cakes from Central Vietnam evokes childhood memories in the heart of the city.

The Scent of Memories

The more exposure one has to a flavor, the more one tends to like it. Perhaps that's why childhood dishes or meals cooked by mothers often become the most delicious flavors in many people's memories.

Childhood is perhaps the period when each person is most easily satisfied with a pure and innocent heart. A snail-shaped bread roll. A pile of cream-filled bear-shaped cookies. Steamed buns on skewers, pig ear-shaped cookies, or a glass of sweet and sour tamarind juice. Just those things are enough to make children happy all day long.

As we get older, we eagerly await the meals our mothers cook. It's sour fish soup with crucian carp, stir-fried water spinach with garlic, or minced meat omelets. These simple dishes carry the flavors of the past, evoking a deep sense of nostalgia.

One day, spotting an ice cream cart by the roadside, a traditional home-style restaurant nestled in a winding alley, or a humble stall selling roasted corn and potatoes over a blazing charcoal fire on the sidewalk, my heart would fill with joy.

Childhood-favorite snail-shaped cakes at a street corner.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the sidewalk serves as a fleeting stopping point for those earning a living. It's a refuge for those who have left their homes, using the flavors of childhood to make ends meet. And it's also a space that revives the nostalgic feelings of previous generations.

City scent

Having lived in the city for almost ten years, I don't know when exactly, but the sidewalks and streets have gradually become my favorite destinations. There are days when I work overtime and come home late, passing by a brightly lit cart on the roadside emitting the fragrant aroma of traditional Vietnamese rice cakes, and suddenly I feel a pang of nostalgia for the days leading up to Tet (Vietnamese New Year) when I mixed the batter and made the cakes with my mother, and then my legs can't move anymore.

Sometimes, after a light sleep, I wake up suddenly craving the steamed rice cakes (bánh bèo chén) from Central Vietnam. My stomach tells me to hop on my motorbike and wander around the streets searching for that taste of my childhood. I stop at a sidewalk stall and order a dozen steaming hot bowls, and suddenly the city feels as familiar as my hometown.

The flavor of food is not something that people experience solely with their tongues. According to Kathrin Ohla, head of research at the German Institute for Human Nutrition, perceiving flavor requires the combined use of all five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.

A cup of tamarind iced tea or a packet of spicy rice crackers from my childhood on the sidewalk.

In other words, flavor is influenced by what we see, hear, smell, touch, and finally taste. Therefore, the taste of childhood in Saigon's cuisine originates from the longing gaze of diners searching for it.

Next comes the tinkling sound of childhood from the ice cream vendor's bell or the sizzling sound of pancakes being cooked in a pan. Then comes the fragrant aroma from the roasted sweet potato cart or steamed buns. The soft, wobbly texture of flan or coconut jelly. Finally, the delicate sweet and sour taste of a home-cooked meal, just like mom's cooking.

Only when one sees, hears, smells, touches, and tastes can one fully appreciate the harmonious blend of buried memories. I remember once standing there, mesmerized, watching the candy vendor pull thin strands of candy into a crispy pastry. Amidst the noisy car horns, the flavors of childhood suddenly intertwined with reality right on the street corner.

If cities are considered a land of diverse colors, then their cuisine is like a hydrangea taking root in that unique region. The variations in flavor of each dish and drink, reflecting individual tastes and regional influences, become a distinct part of memory.

The taste of the city is not just confined to the sensation of sour, spicy, salty, bitter, and sweet flavors on the tongue. More than that, it encompasses the colors of the food, the sounds of preparation, the aromas, the emotions, and the tastes. It is a whole, a crystallization of experience and expectation.

Therefore, for each person, the taste of the city holds a unique and unmistakable character. For me, in the heart of an immigrant who has lived far from home for nearly a decade, the taste of childhood, imbued with the scent of my homeland, is the beloved flavor of the city, indistinguishable from any other town or city. So, when I'm far away, I miss it; when I'm near, I cherish it!

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/mui-vi-tuoi-tho-tu-via-he-3155467.html