“Delicious” Report, or Happy Vietnamese New Year!

22.01.2023

“Delicious” Report, or Happy Vietnamese New Year!

It's a “hot” time at Tula State University - an exam period is underway. For Vietnamese students, it's even “hotter” because it's Tet.
The Vietnamese New Year is a floating date, figuratively speaking, since it depends on the lunisolar calendar. This time the Vietnamese celebrate it from 22 to 24 January.
Despite being very busy, students from Vietnam take a very responsible approach to preparing for the celebration, paying tribute to the traditions of their country.
... In the corridors of Tula State University students’ residence, where the students live, such a delicious aroma is spreading that you simply want to know what kind of culinary ritual is going on there.
The girls dressed in national Vietnamese ao dai costumes are busy in the kitchen. And the boys are helping them. Everyone's mood is so inspired that it seems like they are preparing ambrosia. To a certain extent, this is true - Vietnamese dishes are worthy of the most vivid epithets.
What delicious pancakes - nem! The basis of the filling can be different - minced chicken, or pork, or seafood. Carrots, onions, cilantro, Vietnamese tree mushrooms, and also funchose (noodles made from beans) are also added here. All this is wrapped in rice paper and fried over low heat.
The main thing in nem is the balance of ingredients, which should not only set off, but also emphasize the beauty of each other.
While Ha Thi Lien, a third-year post-graduate student of Physical Education program at Institute of International Education, is talking about it, the neat nem are getting ready in the frying pan.
But if these pancakes (nems) are already well known to Russians, then the traditional Vietnamese dish banchin, which means “earth” in translation, is only gaining popularity.
Bunchin is quite original in its appearance. You can compare it with a gift wrapped in paper and tied with a ribbon.
Banchin has the leaves of the Vietnamese plant zong instead of paper. And the ribbons, by the way, are also cut from the leaves.
The filling of the "gift" is quite serious - pork, beans and rice.
- This is a very important dish on the New Year's table! — Nguyen Thi Shang and Nguyen Thi Chinh are saying smiling.
The first one is in her fourth year of postgraduate studies according to Mathematical Modeling program, and the second one is in her sixth year in General Medicine program.
Nguyen Thi Shang is happy to show the decorated room where the students are going to eat festive dishes.
Its main decoration is an artificial peach tree. Its bright pink flowers symbolize a new stage. Indeed, on New Year's Eve, we seem to start life from scratch.
On the wall of the room there are artificial yellow flowers of garden trees and red pieces of paper with wishes written on them.
On the table there are small red envelopes with symbolic sums of money.
“We give these envelopes to friends and wish them good luck, success and health,” Nguyen Thi Shang is explaining. - The color of the paper must be red. It means festivity.
According to the post-graduate student, the main fruit of the Vietnamese New Year is pomelo. Next in importance are bananas, oranges and apples.
On the plate, among other gifts of nature, there are green grapes. The grapes are shimmering like precious beads. And, of course, there are cookies, because New Year is impossible without tea!
We always celebrate Tet. This is a very good holiday! - Nguyen Thi Shang is saying. - It is very nice that people are interested in the traditions of Vietnam. We live and study in Russia. And we also absorb the culture of this country.