Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac: 'I like eating pho'

At the closing ceremony and awards presentation of the "Delicious Dishes of Hanoi" writing contest organized by Thanh Nien Newspaper on March 18th at Hanoi Xua Restaurant, Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac revealed: "I like eating pho."

"I think I'm like many others, like historian Duong Trung Quoc here who doesn't say it out loud but is definitely a fan of pho. I love eating pho," Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac said with a smile.

He loves pho, but doesn't always have enough time to eat it. The male artist said his meals often have to be flexible to accommodate his busy work schedule. For example, on his way to an event in the morning, he only had time to eat a piece of banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) with a few slices of pork sausage that his wife had prepared for him in the car.

Author Le Thi Ha, historian Duong Trung Quoc, and Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac interacted during the closing ceremony and awards presentation of the Hanoi Delicacies Contest.

Ngoc Thang

"I think, with food , eating any dish, at any time, is always an experience. Of course, there are times when work gets too stressful. For example, there was a time when I, along with Tu Long and Lai Van Sam, had to work 18 hours on set. Even though there was plenty of food, in the end it was still rice with soup, eating to ensure we had the energy for work," Xuan Bac shared.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc said he eats a simple breakfast of just an egg to lose weight. Meanwhile, author Le Thi Ha, the second-place winner of the competition, eats sticky rice cakes with pork sausage because there's a Uoc Le pork sausage shop near her house.

Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac believes that cuisine always holds an important place in life and becomes a source of nostalgia for Vietnamese people living abroad. “When I go overseas, I ask my friends and family if they need anything brought over. They say they don't lack anything, only the flavors of Vietnam. If it's the season for sour plums, my friend will ask them to pack some for me. Once, I asked my mother to buy galangal, grind it up, and put it in a bag to send over so my friends could put it in the refrigerator and eat it gradually. Or another time, I bought spring roll wrappers to bring over,” the artist recounted.

Xuan Bac said he was born in Phu Tho , the ancestral land, and was fortunate to grow up in Hanoi, the heart of the country and a place rich in Vietnamese culture . Besides that, it's undeniable that Hanoi offers a wealth of delicious food.

“When I went to Ho Chi Minh City for work, I still heard stories like: 'I like eating vermicelli at this place, spring rolls at that place…' One older sister even called me once and asked: 'Are you free at 6 o'clock, Bac? Let's go eat snails together. I'm about to fly to Hanoi to eat snails and then fly back.' My friend even flew from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi just to eat Hanoi snails.”

Author Ta Thi Thanh Hai from Hung Yen won first prize with her work " Sticky rice with black beans wrapped in old lotus leaves".

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Historian Duong Trung Quoc shared that he initially wondered, "What exactly constitutes Hanoi cuisine?" According to him, this concept cannot be confined to a single administrative area. The historian cited examples such as Pho Co in Nam Dinh and Bun Thang, originally from Hung Yen, which only became known in Hanoi…

Mr. Quoc believes that Hanoi is a place of "convergence and diffusion," which is clearly visible in its cuisine. He cited the example of the Southern-style beef noodle soup on Hang Dieu Street, which many diners seek out, but which actually has no "connection" to the South. "That was the brainchild of a woman from my mother's generation, a Southerner who returned from France," Mr. Quoc said.

In particular, the first prize was awarded to the work " Sticky rice with black beans wrapped in old lotus leaves " by author Ta Thi Thanh Hai, from Hung Yen, who was not born and raised in Hanoi and did not spend her youth in Hanoi.

“The dish I wrote about might not be a typical Hanoi dish. It’s just a breakfast or street food you can find anywhere. But it’s special to me because it was cooked by my kind mother’s hands, and it has the warmth of a first love’s embrace,” Ms. Hai shared. The flavor of sticky rice is probably easily remembered by Hanoians, or Vietnamese people anywhere who are far from home.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc argues that Vietnam has a unique geographical and cultural position, resulting in the integration of many cultural elements from various places. This is clearly seen in pho, a dish where this integration has elevated it to a distinct local culture.

According to Mr. Quoc, it is necessary to study Vietnamese cuisine from that foundation in order to exploit it in the modern era. "Vietnamese food is palatable to everyone; besides its unique characteristics, it also has universal appeal," Mr. Quoc said.

Mr. Quoc highly appreciated Thanh Nien Newspaper's organization of the Hanoi Delicacies writing contest . "We talk a lot about passing on traditional values ​​such as heritage, patriotism, and revolutionary traditions, but alongside that, cuisine is also very important and needs to be passed on," Mr. Quoc expressed.

Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac also acknowledged: " Thanh Nien Newspaper has implemented many meaningful programs, including this competition."

"Everyone knows that humans need to eat, and what's even more important is how we eat. In my opinion, there are two things that clearly reveal our culture: one is language and behavior, and the other is cuisine ," said Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac.