That Catchy Mad Men SongRemember the “Zou Bisou Bisou” song that Megan sings to Don Draper in the recent Mad Men TV episode? Gillian Hills, a Ye Ye singer from the ’60s, recorded the song in 1962. It’s a kick. To hear and see Gillian sing the song, click here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vFOzG3GYqo
By Ann Wheaton in HCMC
A view of the HCMC Fine Arts Museum in HCMC’s District 1- Photo: Ann WheatonI am always looking for new and interesting activities to write about and to promote to tourists and expatriates that will showcase a little more of the history and culture of Vietnam, pursuits that add substance to the Vietnamese people and give some idea of the values and principles that they hold. To this end I embarked on a morning of journeying through Vietnamese modern and contemporary Art History with Sophie and a delightfully varied group of tourists who all had interesting backgrounds and knowledge to add to the tour. Sophie has a wealth of personal history and knowledge to bring into her tour which has developed from her years studying Fine Arts in England and Italy to her work experience in England both in Project Management and in Art Galleries. One interesting aspect of her career which took her in the direction of developing history through art was as Curator of an exhibition ‘The Iraq War Paintings’. She has been working in HCMC since 2009 developing opportunities in the film and art world. Her rationale in setting up her Art Tour was to showcase the intricate history of 20th and 21st century Vietnam through the artworks of contemporary Vietnamese artists who studied, fought, witnessed and documented major changes in Vietnam during this period. The tour was a feast of exploration, a sensual ruckus, which commenced with Vietnam in French colonial times showcased at the private Art Gallery Duc Minh. We moved on to an examination of war artists, men who were usually combatants in the war as well as artists. This was a particularly interesting aspect of the tour as only a few war artists have received the recognition they deserve and to be able to view artworks of such incredible talent was a revelation. The curator of the Frontline Gallery, Richard, was an extremely generous man giving us the benefit of his incredible expertise in the area of war artists while we viewed the paintings displayed. We could have stayed there all morning listening to the anecdotes of this witty and friendly man but we had to move on. Sophie has done her research well and throughout the tour we were regaled with historical and political anecdotes which added to our enjoyment and understanding of the impact that Vietnamese artists have had on their country’s intellectual life and the capturing of actual war scenes in the absence of photography in the fields of combat. At a small gallery/shop called ‘Lotus’ hidden away on Dong Khoi we viewed some original and modern prints of old propaganda posters. The symbolism of the propaganda displayed a reminder of the impact that pictures have on any culture. A fantastic place to browse for collectors but also for those interested in interpreting the messages imbued in the communist ideals. We were then taken to the magnificent HCMC Fine Art Museum, the building is a turn of the century French colonial building that has been previously used both as a commercial and private dwelling. The collection is housed over three levels and would require a few visits to examine the whole. Sophie had some significant artworks to bring to our attention mainly focusing onthose which displayed resistance to colonial rulers. The last place on our tour was to the quirky Quynh Gallery which was holding an exhibition called ‘Static Friction: Burning Rubber’ a delight for petrol heads and motor bike fanatics. It was in complete contrast to the works we had seen previously on this visit and therefore a great ending to place us back in the modern world. For a truly enjoyable morning, where you will be rewarded with a much more in-depth knowledge of Vietnam and its culture, book a tour with Sophie. The journey takes you from colonialism to independence, communism to globalization. For more information, contact [email protected], tel: 01218303742, website: www.sophiesarttour.com. Share with your friends: Comment A little taste of France at Le Bouchon de Saigon Thursday, April 12,2012,21:05 (GMT+7)
By Ann Wheaton in HCMC Le Bouchon de Saigon restaurant is located at Thai Van Lung Street in HCMC’s District 1 - Photo: Ann WheatonLe Bouchon restaurant is located on the busy corner of Thai Van Lung and Ly Tu Trong streets in HCMC’s District 1. The night we visited I thought of the English translation of the word ‘bouchon’, one to mean a wine cork but the other used in France to describe a traffic jam. This particular Saturday night the second translation was very relevant as our taxi driver tried bravely to manoeuvre the car around the impatient, hooting vehicles so that we could descend. The restaurant has a wide frontage and the large bay windows were all open to catch the evening breezes. Despite our early arrival (7 p.m.) there were already a number of patrons sitting dining at tables covered with red and white check tablecloths, the French theme was also noticeable in the minimal space between the tables, but this is not a restaurant for a romantic dinner, it is too vibrant and robust for that. Disappointingly the music was not French but rather more buoyant and boisterous. A young French waiter, who spoke excellent English ushered us to our table and we were presented with a complimentary glass of champagne. The staff were very attentive, although at times we did feel a little bit overwhelmed and would have preferred a slightly slower pace. The menu is presented in the form of a Gazette with little news items and funny jokes on the one side and the selection of food on the other. I just love looking at menus they are such an insight into the character and expertise of the chef. This menu was no exception it offered glimpses of a master French food lover in the kitchen with evocative descriptions of classic dishes and exciting accompaniments, it is not a hugely extensive menu but offers enough variety to ensure that all tastes are catered for. The entrees and salads include (among others) the classic French onion soup (VND65,000), snails in parsley and garlic butter (VND140,000) for the more adventurous, and homemade Foie Gras Terrine (VND270,000). We were not hungry enough to be able to cope with three courses and I was determined to fit a dessert in, we therefore commenced with a main course. As we are great admirers of French duck we both opted for ‘Le Magret de Canard Sauce moutarde a l’ancienne, pommes de terre sautees’ (duck breast with a French mustard sauce and sautéed potatoes) with a side serving of green beans (VND320,000). For the customers preferring fish there is a good selection from seabass to mussels as well as other meat dishes. Our duck was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection, medium rare as it should be! The mustard sauce a delicate sensual addition perfectly harmonized with the meat and the addition of the sautéed potatoes and watercress gave the whole plate color and texture. We matched this with a superb glass of Chablis and were in seventh heaven. Unfortunately our plates were whisked away as soon as we had consumed out last bite so our thoughts of lingering over the last exquisite mouthful were dashed. C’est la vie! Our choice of dessert was equally as outstanding as the main course a ‘mousse au chocolat’ as light as a feather but chocolatey and delicious sprinkled with toasted slivered almonds to give a touch of texture. Teamed with a short black expresso (a la France) it was a fitting end to our meal. Dinner for two costs VND1.24 million including VAT and service. Le Bouchon de Saigon is located at 40 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1, tel: 3829 9263. Share with your friends: Saigon Times published article on Phu Quoc Island The Blue Crab Restaurant Review Quan Bui Vietnamese Traditional Restaurant
http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/Home/travel/food/24982/ Basilico Restaurant The light leaps through our garret window around 6 am and wakes me up, after about half an hour I stumble through the mosquito net which covers our bed, this is a necessity here as the mosquitos thrive in this humid climate. We have the house sprayed frequently but back they come after two or three weeks with ever increasing frequency. They love the evenings and just as you are about to fall off to sleep there is a buzzing noise as one or two forgotten ones appear, determined to bite you as soon as you fall unconscious. We have a very handy device which looks like a tennis racquet except that it is armed with a battery.
The aim is to hit a mosquito and hear it sizzle. It is quite a heart warming sound and we feel a real sense of achievement when we have sizzled thirty or more in one evening. I feel like the character in the Grimm's fairy tale who 'felled thirty at one blow' but they were blow flies. Mark handles the device with grace and waves it around the room as an extra dimension to some of his taekwondo movements, I just bang and slash in every direction, we can spend quite some time at this task. There is a small tiled courtyard outside fronted by a high gate which has spikes on it to keep out intruders. The side wall also has spikes but they are obviously not high enough as the intruders leapt over it and stole all our shoes which were residing on a receptacle on the outside patio. Beyond the gate a careworn woman with a conical hat and ragged clothes squats on the road going through the garbage bags, her ancient bicycle is piled high with folded cardboard boxes, sacks of glass bottles and other items she has taken from various dustbins along her route. This is a regular occurrence and if a householder deposits more valuable items, such as old clothes or furniture, within minutes there is a convergence of tattered rubbish collectors all squatting and sorting outside the residence. I have not been able to determine whether there is an official regular garbage collection but everything seems to have disappeared by the time we are dressed and ready for the day. I keep wondering what they do with all those soiled nappies? My daughter had some underwear to dispose of but she refused to put it in the garbage as she said she didnt want her bras and panties strewn all over the street. Mind you her panties are those extremely uncomfortable thong things which would mystify most rubbish collectors, they would probably hang their onions or garlic from them. By 7.30 am the surrounding streets are full of activity. The house over the road has a smart black limousine parked outside and the chauffeur is giving a last polish to the already shining exterior before the master comes out. Mark's chauffeur is parked outside our gate in his little yellow van which looks like a noddy car. Mr Phu wears a battered baseball cap and has endeared himself to us because he can drive. By that I mean he doesn't sit on the horn and sound it frequently every two minutes even if he needs to, he doesn't weave in and out of the traffic pretending to be a racing driver at Silverstone, slamming on the brakes and then accelerating and throwing any unfortunate passengers from one side of the car to the other, and, as a bonus, he has a modicum of English. Our grandson, Billy, age two and three quarters, gets his own back on these drivers and throws up all over the car, serves them right, and no we don't want you to wait for us, your car smells! If you want to be fit here you have to start exercising very early in the day, our daughter and her husband who run a Cross Fit Gym are up and at it (so to speak) at 5.30 am (yes am) they are pumping iron and turning somersaults on cross bars while lifting weights and doing squats and push-ups. No it isn't in air conditioned comfort it is in the fresh open air, the gym is frequented by the fit and healthy who want to stay fit and healthy. My idea of exercise is a leisurely bike ride to the French boulangerie to buy a baguette. I have a new pink bicycle with a basket on the front and a superior lock on the back which is fool proof unless picked up and manually carried away which I had to do when I couldn't undo the foolproof lock. The doorbell on the gate goes frequently throughout the day and as we are not only bolted into the interior but padlocked as well we rely on the maid to do her duty and deal with the task of identifying the invader and going through the motions of unfastening our various security devices. Lo and behold however if the maid is out and I have to deal with it. I rush down the two flights of stairs (actually that is an understatement because they are very very long stairs and they twist) get to the bottom and sight the invader peering through the keyhole in the gate. Remember I have forgotten my key which is at the top of the very very long staircase and race (race? yes I can hear you laughing well perhaps not) and rummage through my shopping bag (I am not allowed a handbag because of robbers), after ten minutes I finally find it stuck to my grandsons magnetic Thomas the Tank engine at the bottom of the bag and race back down. By now I must have lost at least two kilos and I haven't even been to the gym. It takes me another ten minutes to wrestle with the padlock and bolt and when I open the gate with a sense of achievement I find that it is the Vietnamese landlady who I am not really that fond of. Our Vietnamese landlady doesnt speak a work of English but she has a presence. She is a small woman with a smile fixed permanently on her face and rides a super smart red motor bike which she brings into the courtyard with an air of purpose. My heart sinks, she is going to be here at least an hour and although she doesnt live here she acts as if she does. She walks through the front door uninvited and through to the kitchen where she calls out the name of the maid and then turns to me with an expectant look on her face. I stand in front of the staircase which I have just run down and up and down trying to make an escape. She has a phobia about the amount of air conditioning we use and loves to sneak in when we are out and check that we haven't left it on. Which I have. to be continued Copy and paste URL to learn about a small non-government French initiative to support local women. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr0Oavmxa6Y
watch Youtube - Vietnam quilts Fortunately for me the French influence in Ho Chi Minh is still very evident and on a personal level I have enrolled at a local French Atelier (language school) and attend classes twice a week. It is within five minutes walking distance from our house and even has a small French restaurant opposite where you can sit in the shade of the overhanging trees on the pavement and drink iced coffee and have a 'tres simple' lunch of crepes while you watch the chickens scratching in the dirt around you. There is a large French expatriate community resident here and they are supported culturally by the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (IDECAF), who provide French language courses and a range of French musical, theatre and cinema. The local 'exclusive' supermarket Annam deals almost exclusively in imported French food and provides a range of cheeses, chocolate and a bakery. There is a small 'boulangerie' two doors away which produces extremely good baguettes and croissants and a full range of patisserie and I frequent it daily. Driving through the centre of Ho Chi Minh the solid, architecturally splendid, buildings created by the French have left a legacy of graciousness amid the turmoil of the city centre. The Opera House, Post Office and Notre Dame Cathedral are all landmarks but beyond that they are utilised in a practical sense for the purpose they were built. The running of the Post Office is still based around the bureaucracy found in Europe decades ago, large and grand and imposing, both inside and out, and staffed by many minions who all have their individual role to play in the important task of receiving and despatching mail. It is a tourist's delight and well worth a visit. The diverse French architectural styles are a must for the aficionado or the tourist to admire starting with the Opera House (Neo-classical style) to the People's Committee Building (Beaux Arts style) to the hospital's main building which is composed of a unique style called 'Indochinoise' created by the French architect Ernest Hebard which combines elements of Vietnamese with French. My favourite pastime is eating and exploring restaurants and as we are on a French theme I have made a resolution to try and visit the various French restaurants in and around the city and outlying districts - more about this as it happens. In the meantime have fun trying out this dessert recipe, a traditional French classic with a Vietnamese twist. Banh Gan (coconut creme caramel) Made with coconut milk, this version of a classic European dessert demonstrates the French colonial influence on Vietnamese cuisine. Preparation Time 15 minutes Cooking Time 50 minutes Ingredients (serves 8) 225g (1 cup) white sugar 80ml (1/3 cup) water
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March 2015
I am an inveterate traveller. I have travelled both for work and leisure and have many stories I want to write and share.Categories |