Why don’t you sell Vietnamese foods?

Maybe when I come back to Germany next time your restaurant will have become famous and popular.

- Mr Minh laughed and said goodbye to Mr Phong. “Why wasn’t Vietnamese food successful? Mr Phong didn’t know the reason any more than the other owners of Vietnamese restaurants. Nothing happens without a reason, but the reason has not yet been discovered, Mr Minh thought.

Mr Minh walked around the city and remembered the places that he used to visit and restaurants where he would eat before. As a man of great experience he realized that everything depends on the Vietnamese mind-set when it comes to food. It is often said “when in the Rome do as the Romans do” when talking about people adapting to a new environment. For example, fish and meat stewed until its broth is thick and salty and accompanied with white rice might not be suitable for Western people. Spring rolls are often recorded as in the top 50 tasty dishes in the world but don’t figure in the most popular dishes in the world. Possibly its large size is over-facing for Western people. Slurping sour soup with whole fish, suits Vietnamese people but may not be suitable for western cultures when it is considered good manners to eat without making any noise. Western cultures have etiquette for the use of a knife, fork and spoon.

Another reason depends on the style of the restaurant and seemingly many people think that Vietnamese restaurants don’t have enough character. For example, raw spring-rolls as mentioned above, are made in different ways. Some establishments make them the size of a small loaf of bread, simply too big for some people. Other places use different ingredients as well as different presentation. This differs from Thai or Japanese restaurants who maintain a consistent standard. They also maintain a great balance between individual features and international standards. If we compare sushi in Japan, which has a similar standing as Vietnamese spring-rolls, it has grown in popularity all over the world. For Japanese people, Sushi is similar to our spring-roll, but it is very clear that spring rolls can’t compete for popularity around the world. The small cylindrical Sushi roll are wrapped in seaweed and cut into short pieces usually 6 to 8 pieces from each roll, with a precise size for each. No matter where in the world you buy Sushi its appearance remains constant. Comparing Vietnamese sour soup and the Thai, Tom Yum soup, both have very good taste but Vietnamese sour soup is inconvenient to eat because it is served with the whole fish including bones and the head. The presentation often is neither attractive nor consistent. In addition people don’t trust additives. But Tom Yum Goong soup differs, in that wherever in the world you find it, it is recognized easily by its unique spicy, sour flavor plus the great aroma of lemongrass. Moreover the Thai soup consistently maintains its beautiful golden yellow color. In addition it is very convenient to eat as the prawns are served peeled and other ingredients are prepared in suitable sizes, making it easy for the diner.

He was delighted to catch a newspaper headline which said: “Vietnamese cuisine, the perfect combination of charming Asian and classic French cuisine”. Thanks to this great comment, supported by most of people of Vietnam, our cuisine has been put among the top 5 most valuable culinary experiences in the world.

Why isn’t a valuable world cuisine’s popularity in proportion with the density of population? A few days later, walking to a subway station, Mr Minh was still running this question through his head. He went to market to buy some Vietnamese ingredients and asked his staff to cook some food at home to cure his homesickness as well as to ease his boredom with western food. Mr Minh’s staffs are as close as his family. He is a person who always respects others as well as taking the feelings of people staying around him, into account. He isn’t a strict person and people who are honest and friendly will get on with him, just fine. He stopped by an Asian run store that he has frequently many times before. This shop has now been expanded. Where once there was one counter selling Chinese food, now there are three or four, demonstrating Chinese food’s popularity. In addition there are many different kinds of dishes. Whilst there are several vegetables imported from Vietnam, all packaged products are Thai and Chinese. There is absolutely no Vietnamese food.

On the shelves, the sparse few Vietnamese foods are mixed in among many Thai food items, which are organized in a convenient and tidy way. They are arranged in long lines and up to hundreds of items. This is also a reason why Vietnamese restaurants prepare food with a lack of consistency. Exported Vietnamese frozen foods are not as fresh, so it reduces its flavor significantly. In addition Vietnamese food also relies on the use of different spices and there simply aren’t enough spices available in the markets. Therefore, most of the unique taste of Vietnamese foods, cannot be maintained, to the point where sometimes a dish ends up as a different meal, it is so far removed from traditional recipes. The name may still be the same but it has become a completely different dish. Meanwhile most of Chinese, Japanese or Thai foods keep consistency in preparation with ingredients and recipes allowing the presentation to follow and respect international standards. Bearing this in mind, it isn’t surprising to see that Vietnamese food can’t compete with others on international party tables.

This concern remained with Mr Minh and bothered him; he called his son and shared the story. Both father and son talked about the idea of the Golden Spoon contest. Changing long held habits is inherently difficult; changing a culinary mind-set is even harder. However, difficult does not mean impossible, especially if all traditional recipes are still available. Keeping national identity and following international standards in a positive way harmonizes and maintains standards. The Golden Spoon has a bigger mission. It isn’t only a project or idea related to ceramics that the Ly Family wanted to create. The 5 criteria that Golden Spoon aimed for has been turned into real action, as Mr Ly Ngoc Minh returned to Vietnam. He returned armed with a decision of starting a new journey which whilst challenging, is also full of energy and hope. To change something of this magnitude you have to tackle it from the bottom to top. It simply has to be a large and synchronized change.