Is Vietnamese food the worst type of Asian food?

[WIA20XX]

If I'm ranking South East Asia

1. Viet/Thai - they go back and froth
   1. Viet - all the basic fast foods - pho and banh mi, and all the rice dishes.
   2. Thai - I like Issan food - north east more than most of the central and southern. But spiced properly, it's hard to beat.
2. Laotian - It's like Thai * 10 - it's just hard to find.
3. Malaysian - Roti Cani, but a good mix of Indian, Malay, and Chinese
4. Singaporean - Pepper Crab
5. Cambodian - Ashok, but I've been to Cambodia, and it was okay...I'd need to spend more time there.
6. Burmese - haven't had enough of it, but what I've had hasn't been good.
7. Philipines - They got some sweets, and I'll eff up a plate of Sisig, but by and large, meh
8. Indonesian - I've had plenty of it, and I don't like most of it.
9. Never had Brunei/Timor Leste

If I'm ranking East Asia

1. Korean (Korean Fried Chicken, BBQ, Bibimbap, kimchi, Soondae)
2. Sichuan (China is massive, so I break it down into regions - but all that Ma La stuff is hitting)
3. Japanese (Ramen, Kaarage aka JFC, Sushi) - I'd rank Japan higher if they had more fire in their food.
4. Xi'an/Western China (All that Muslim influenced stuff)
5. HK/Cantonese (all that dim sum stuff, along with braised beef noodle soup )
6. Taiwan (Hot Pot (which is also Chinese), Beef Noodle Soup, Bubble Tea, Taiwanese fried chicken, fried porkchops,

But East Asia vs South East Asia?

That's a tough one.

 

[Kenny West]

Pho is great

 

[Buddy]

All I know is Pho and Banh Mi those two are objectively piff. I could go for a Banh Mi right now



That Vermicelli shyt... you know, that see through egg roll. Now THAT shyt is trash if the rest of Vietnamese food is anything like that then I get where OP is coming from

 

[Mike Nasty]

Vermicelli Salad is one of my favorite Asian dishes, and then there's pho, bahn mi, and summer rolls.

 

[patscorpio]

Hell no..sheeeiiiit vietnamese food all gotdamn day

 

[WIA20XX]

Ok. What are good dishes that you recommend?

Level 1 - The easiest things to get are Vietnamese Iced coffee (Cafe Su Da) and a Banh Mi with GRILLED meat. Cold cuts are not for freshman, I suggested grilled pork. I tell them to hold the cucumber * pause *, but it's usually a super crisp by not painful baguette, grilled meat, goose liver pate, vietnamese mayonnaise, raw jalapeno, cilantro and some other greens. That alone should have enough different herbs, spices, temperatures, textures, and flavor profiles...

Let's move on.

Level 2 - The next option would be Pho with a mix of different cuts of beef, plenty of cilantro, saw tooth herb, sriacha, etc. That's prolly what you've been served, but you didn't adjust it to your taste. And god forbid you got Northern Pho, where the broth is much less flavorful than Southern.

I can see how folks wouldn't see this is flavorful if they don't roll with Viets and know that everyone adjusts the soup to their liking. Chili, Sriacha, pickled garlic, salt, pepper, fish sauce, plus they serve it with herbs

But if you're really trying to sit down and break bread so to speak

Level 3

Start with Spring Rolls and Peanut Sauce (which is peanuts and hoisin, it's salt and sweet and goes with with the spring roll)

Next if you want a spicy? Try this bowl of noodle soup - Bun Bo Hue. You can look at the broth and know it ain't Pho.

Let's say you don't want to burn your mouth off.

Bò Lúc Lắc - aka Vietnamese Shaking Beef

How about some nicely marinated beef tenderloin with bell peppers and onions and fresh tomatoes.

I'm sure you've seen other cuisines do this, but trust me when I say that meat is great, but it's the contrast of the fresh tomatoes that really set this thing off right.

It's still Beef Tenderloin, so you're gonna pay for it.

Let's say you want a decent meal, but not break the bank.

This is my go to. When I go home to Houston to see the folks, this is one of the first few meals I have.

Bun Thit Nuong - Grilled Pork and Rice Noodles

A lot of the time, they'll serve it with an egg roll (which is fried, as opposed to a Spring roll which isn't)

So the pork has been marinated, there are pickled radish and carrot, herbs on the side, and some Nuom Cham on the side (vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, chilis, and a pinch of sugar for balance)

Good eating.

And these are just basic.

If this doesn't excite you, I got one more thing. The best thing I've had in Houston and the best thing I had in Saigon

Bo La Lot - Beef Grilled in Betel Leaves

So the take ground beef, they mix it with spices.
Then they wrap it in a betel leaf - and the betel leaf is plenty herbaceous and spicy.
Then they grill it over fire - so now you got Beef + Herb + Flame and Smoke.

And then they serve it with a pineapple sauce that's got some extras in it...

Damn, Damn, Damn James Flames!!!

All that said, let's say next week you hit your local Pho 88, and try this stuff out, and still don't rock with it...

You was right, you don't like Vietnamese food.

 

[Kiyoshi-Dono]

Korean food is low key worse imo
A lot of dishes can be hit or miss and Korean BBQ takes tons of meat to get full
Chinese food has way too many regions to pinpoint what’s trash
Japanese as well
Filipino, Laos, Thai,Cambodia can get dicey
Good Vietnamese food is straight but if you’re not in Houston or New Orleans
9/10 it’s going to be big trash unless you in San Jose or a city with a high concentration of Viets from both Northern/Southern

 

[JQ Legend]

All that swine above

 

[Grand Conde]

But I've tried Vietnamese food alot of times, and I wasn't impressed. Feels like it was made for CACs. Lacks that flavor or seasoning

Yeah...you've never eaten actual Vietnamese food.

 

[Grand Conde]

If I'm ranking South East Asia

1. Viet/Thai - they go back and froth
   1. Viet - all the basic fast foods - pho and banh mi, and all the rice dishes.
   2. Thai - I like Issan food - north east more than most of the central and southern. But spiced properly, it's hard to beat.
2. Laotian - It's like Thai * 10 - it's just hard to find.
3. Malaysian - Roti Cani, but a good mix of Indian, Malay, and Chinese
4. Singaporean - Pepper Crab
5. Cambodian - Ashok, but I've been to Cambodia, and it was okay...I'd need to spend more time there.
6. Burmese - haven't had enough of it, but what I've had hasn't been good.
7. Philipines - They got some sweets, and I'll eff up a plate of Sisig, but by and large, meh
8. Indonesian - I've had plenty of it, and I don't like most of it.
9. Never had Brunei/Timor Leste

These rankings make almost no sense. Singaporean cuisine barely exists, it's almost all from Malaysia originally.

 

[WIA20XX]

These rankings make almost no sense. Singaporean cuisine barely exists, it's almost all from Malaysia originally.

Malaysian food is primarily the Malay people and their cuisine.

Singapore because it was a colony and a major port has significant influences from countries around it that Malaysian food does not have. For example the famous Hainanese chicken is far more Chinese than it is Malay.

But you can find that particular dish done a few different ways around that area of the world. Oyster pancake is another one where the idea is interpreted many different ways, and everyone claims there's is the best.

Other examples - Jollof rice in West Africa, rice and peas in Jamaica and peas and rice everywhere else in the Caribbean. Moors and Christians in Cuba. Etc.

It's much like Taiwan and Hong Kong and Macau developing their own cuisines, despite China, being right next door and having a major historical influence.

Singapore has a similar relationship with Malaysia, given its history.

In Singapore there have been concerted efforts to emphasize and create something different than what's right next door. Shout out to Lee Kuan Yew.

 

[Tetsuo]

Vietnamese and Thai are my top 2 Asian cuisines.

If you're used to the meats() being drenched in sweet sauces like Chinese takeout I can see why you'd hate it.

My boy took me to traditional Chinese and a Thai/Laotian place. Both times the food was

 

[Grand Conde]

Malaysian food is primarily the Malay people and their cuisine.

Singapore because it was a colony and a major port has significant influences from countries around it that Malaysian food does not have. For example the famous Hainanese chicken is far more Chinese than it is Malay.

But you can find that particular dish done a few different ways around that area of the world. Oyster pancake is another one where the idea is interpreted many different ways, and everyone claims there's is the best.

Other examples - Jollof rice in West Africa, rice and peas in Jamaica and peas and rice everywhere else in the Caribbean. Moors and Christians in Cuba. Etc.

It's much like Taiwan and Hong Kong and Macau developing their own cuisines, despite China, being right next door and having a major historical influence.

Singapore has a similar relationship with Malaysia, given its history.

In Singapore there have been concerted efforts to emphasize and create something different than what's right next door. Shout out to Lee Kuan Yew.

Breh I live in Singapore. Every Singaporean will admit that 99.9% of "their" dishes come from Penang.

Also it is oyster omelette, not pancake.

 

[WIA20XX]

Breh I live in Singapore. Every Singaporean will admit that 99.9% of "their" dishes come from Penang.

Also it is oyster omelette, not pancake.

I'll let you fight this battle on Reddit, cause I've heard this debate plenty of times.

 

[rabbid]

Cant say ive had anything really other than Pho. But a large vietnamese iced coffee while you waiting at the ethnic food market be hitting.