Some people are really put of by photographing food. “It’s tacky” or “it ruins the moment of enjoying the food” or whatever. I believe those things are true to some extent, but when you see something that makes you go “Wow!” then I think it’s OK to take a picture, even if some of those things are food. It’s beautiful, and it makes your mouth water. So I decided to dig through my camera roll and pull out some of my most recent gastronomic shots.
Food Pictures + short backstory of each
Sò méo Nướng
First off I’m a huge fan of grilled shells: clams, oysters mussels, big ones, small ones, you name it. I ordered these at one of those ubiquitous Lẩu Nướng restaurants; this particular place is on the west side of Yen Bai, near the intersection of Tran Quoc Toan, in the city center. The grilled tomatoes gave these guys almost an Italian taste. Call it Asian Fusion, I thought they were great!
Bánh Canh Cua Lăng Hải
This noodle soup is from a shop on Hoang Dieu. I actually took this picture after the first bite. The soup doesn’t look like much, but I really wanted to remember this meal. The crab cakes are delicious, like a spicy Italian sausage. The noodles are firm and chewy, and the broth is tasty. With all the noodle shops everywhere in Da Nang, it’s tough to stand out, but this place is solid.
Tiết Canh
Believe it or not, this was part of my birthday lunch: half-congealed duck-blood, sprinkled with peanuts and a squeeze of fresh lime. I can’t say it was the tastiest thing on order that day, but it makes for a pretty outrageous picture. Wasn’t my first time, won’t be my last, and if I had to describe my feelings about eating it again, I would go with ‘cool indifference.’
Le Big Mac
A while back I ordered the sandwich of the week at Ô Delices. I was originally served a Tuna steak in a sort of tomato sauce, which was pretty clearly not a sandwich. When I pointed out to the waitress that a piece of fish was not a sandwich, she didn’t agree with me. “This is the sandwich of the week.” “But it’s not a sandwich; a sandwich has bread!” To which she responded by giving me a piece of bread: “Here. Now you can make a sandwich.” This photograph is the successful result of sticking to my guns, believing in my principles and ultimately clearing up the subtle but important distinction between the Sandwich of the Week and the Monthly Special.
Lẩu Xương Má Hàm
Take a pigs head, cut in half down the middle, steam it, chop it into small pieces, then throw it in a hot pot with congealed blood and bitter melon, plus some spring onions for flavor. Where do they think of this stuff?? It’s actually kinda good, believe it or not. The meat-to-bone ratio is not as favorable as I would like, and some of pieces are shaped weird (= hard to eat) as a result of what looks like random hacking as opposed to careful chopping. Still worth a try in my book!
Conclusion
So there you have it, a month’s worth of food pictures. I don’t like photographing food, but when I do … never mind, just enjoy!
Want to check out more of the Da Nang food scene? Let me take you on a food tour!
