TRAVELLIVE 04-2016
Istanbul, the first days of spring… I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here. I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team. I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach. Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
Istanbul, the first days of spring…
I’m warming myself in the sun on a café’s balcony in the Old Town. The sunbeams are as stunning as the fine strands of newly reeled silk. Meanwhile the old oak trees give their morning greeting to the glossy stone road as their red-brown leaves gently fall. The Old Town is still half-asleep, like a lazy girl who’s turned off her alarm after ringing the first time. Sunlight visits each street, dancing happily on passers-by’s shoulders, making the atmosphere more intimate to me – the traveler’s first time here.
I feel more amorous in Istanbul. I’m enchanted by everything, from sweet lokum to the light sour ice-cream with ground ice on top, or from the gorgeous domes of hundreds of mosques and palaces to their uniquely designed windows, and from the discreet eyes of Muslim girls to the multitude of boards and posters with the images of Besiktas – the city’s legendary football team.
I have fallen in love with Bosphorus Bay since the first time seeing the seagulls hovering in the open sky, creating invisible strings that connect the two continents – Asia and Europe. The clear blue sky is reflected on the deep blue sea, giving me tranquility. I drop my last Lira into the water of the Bosphorus, not to make a wish, but in hopes that they will preserve my memories here. And somehow, the water currents might bring them somewhere else to be found by me again, or might accidentally be stumbled upon by a boy who is playing with sand on a sunny beach.
Tomorrow, I will go to Grand Bazzar, buy some postcards, and write something to leave beneath the sun near a mosque before sending them to some friends of mine. I do hope that these postcards, together with the coins, will inspire and attract more visitors to this land. Uhm… will you come there?
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CHá CHUˇI COMBINES THE TASTES OF SWEET RIPE BANANA, GREASY<br />
COCONUT MILK, TOASTED PEANUTS, AND FRESH SHREDDED COCONUT. BOTH<br />
THE HOT AND COLD VERSIONS ARE SCRUMPTIOUS!<br />
I'm an adult now, and although<br />
I'm quite busy with work, I<br />
always manage to put aside<br />
some time to relive these<br />
childhood memories when summer<br />
comes around, like when I'm<br />
wandering around the Old Quarter<br />
and stop at a familiar restaurant to<br />
taste the flavors of my childhood.<br />
Winter is the time for chà sen, chÃ<br />
tr´i tµu, and chà con ong while chÃ<br />
cËm and chà th≠ng are for autumn.<br />
So what about summer, the best<br />
season to enjoy cold sweet soup?<br />
You have an array of them, from chÃ<br />
ÆÀu xanh, Chà ÆÀu Æen, chà buÎi, chË<br />
sen, and chà khoai to chà chuËi. And<br />
it doesn't matter if you want to seek<br />
a new experience by ordering a hot<br />
bowl of sweet soup during the hot<br />
summer days.<br />
You can try these dishes at<br />
LUTULATA *39 Hang Cot, Hoan<br />
Kiem, Hanoi *Tel: <strong>04</strong> 6259 7311<br />
CHá ßÜU XANH<br />
Chà ÆÀu xanh (Green bean sweet soup),<br />
one member in "the chà collection",<br />
always convinces me that green beans<br />
and coconut milk - its two main<br />
ingredients- were born to be together.<br />
The aromatic and lightly sweet green<br />
beans blend with the greasy taste<br />
of coconut milk, making the dish<br />
incredible delicious and sweet smelling.<br />
Enjoy a bowl of chà ÆÀu xanh with ice<br />
and forget all your fatigue on account of<br />
the heat.<br />
CHá CHUˇI<br />
Its simple name is derived from its<br />
main ingredient - banana. Chà chuËi<br />
(banana sweet soup) is prepared<br />
according to the traditional recipe.<br />
Chubby pale yellow bananas are peeled,<br />
cut into slices, marinated with a little<br />
sugar and salt, and then cooked with<br />
coconut milk. Chà chuËi combines the<br />
tastes of sweet ripe banana, greasy<br />
coconut milk, toasted peanuts, and<br />
fresh shredded coconut. Both the hot<br />
and cold versions are scrumptious!<br />
CHá ßÜU ßEN<br />
Chà ÆÀu Æen (sweet black bean soup)<br />
is a very popular Vietnamese dish.<br />
Actually, nothing cools your body better<br />
than black beans in the hot summer.<br />
It's the reason why no matter how<br />
many types of sweet soup we invent,<br />
chà ÆÀu Æen can be found in any<br />
menu. In the colorful world of mixed<br />
sweet soup, chà th∏i, chà khoai, and<br />
chà ÆÀu xanh; chà ÆÀu Æen remains a<br />
simple brown black. The soft cooked<br />
black beans with a little coconut milk,<br />
shredded coconut, and toasted peanuts<br />
are charming enough to entice your<br />
stomach.<br />
CHá THNG<br />
The greasy taste of coconut milk and<br />
the aroma of green beans are two<br />
signature features of chà th≠ng - a<br />
special sweet soup in the South. Its<br />
main ingredients include green beans,<br />
black mushrooms, peanuts, potato<br />
powder, vanila, sugar, and shredded<br />
coconut. To make the dish more<br />
flavorsome, you can add a little salt<br />
when preparing.<br />
CHá BôI<br />
On hot summer days, enjoying chÃ<br />
buÎi (sweet pomelo soup) with chewy<br />
pomelo pulp, green beans, and coconut<br />
milk over ice makes for the best dining<br />
experience. Prepared according to the<br />
traditional recipe, the pomelo pulp<br />
loses its bitterness. It is an impressive<br />
dish, even for the most discerning<br />
diners.<br />
<strong>TRAVELLIVE</strong> 109
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