A tradition still being made
On my second day in Ho Chi Minh City, my friend's father took us for bánh canh at Ghiền Bánh Canh. My bowl seemed to contain a little of everything: shrimp, crab, abalone, meatballs, and pork blood. The thick, springy noodles felt very different from the rice noodles I knew from Guangxi.
It would be easy to arrive with an idea of what a traditional bowl ought to contain, then measure every meal against it. This lunch made me more interested in the ways ingredients and expectations are being rearranged in the present.
The meal was introduced to me as a newer style. Its abundance did not make it less worth observing. It offered a way to think about tradition as something people keep making, adjusting, and enjoying, rather than a fixed recipe waiting to be found.
My understanding also depended on the people who brought me there. Following my hosts' choices, asking about ingredients, and comparing textures with foods I already knew were all part of the encounter. A bowl of noodles became an introduction to a family's city.
胡志明市里一碗”什么都有”的新派米粉
🇻🇳《朋友带我吃越南》第3 篇
来到胡志明的第二天中午，朋友的父亲特地开车带我们去吃一家他很喜欢的店。
他说：“带你试试现在年轻人也很喜欢的新派米粉（Bánh Canh）。”
这也是我第一次吃到这样的米粉。这一碗几乎把海鲜和肉都放进去了：虾、蟹肉、鲍鱼、肉丸、鲜肉片、猪血……朋友笑着说，“点这个就不用纠结了，什么都有，只看你不想吃什么，倒没有吃不到的。”
最先吸引我的反而不是配料，而是米粉本身。和广西常见的米粉不同，它更粗、更有弹性，入口非常顺滑，却又带着一点嚼劲，能够很好地挂住浓郁的汤汁。
汤底带着海鲜慢慢熬出来的鲜甜，没有刻意的重口味，却能让人一口接一口。作为一个地道的广西人，我对这碗粉最大的尊重，就是把汤喝得一滴不剩。
不过，这顿饭让我记住的，不只是味道。
一路上，朋友一直在介绍：“这家店和传统的 Bánh Canh 不太一样，他们把这个种类的粉融合了许多，没有以前那么泾渭分明，口感也好了不少，算是创新吧”
我开始意识到，所谓”传统”与”新派”并不是对立的。当地人的饮食也一直在变化——新的食材、新的搭配、新的消费方式，不断进入他们的日常。
饮食从来不是静止的文化，而是一种持续变化的生活实践。对于第一次来到这里的我来说，这是一碗好吃的米粉。对于带我来的人来说，这是一家值得专门开车带家人和朋友来吃的店。
而我想记录的，也正是这些人与食物之间的联系。
📍Ghiền Bánh Canh｜胡志明市
English adaptation of my Chinese Xiaohongshu note. The Chinese original is preserved below; these are situated personal observations. Read the original on Xiaohongshu
Images and Chinese text retained from my Xiaohongshu note.