The writer for Bangkok Post got it wrong: It should be written like this:
"The Vietnamese there originally endured terrible circumstances. They came from Siem Reap, Battambang and Sisophon in Cambodia, which originally stolen by Thailand but were traded to France, which had colonised Indochina, in exchange for Chanthaburi province, which the French had seized."
And be careful with the word "Yuan" or "Yuon," UNTAC had declared that it should be forbidden. If Cambodian cannot use it, then so cannot the Thais.
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Vietnam's hold on thai tastebuds
The country's cuisine has gone from meals made in isolated communities of refugees to a place of pride on menus throughout the country
- Published: 20/03/2011 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Brunch
Vietnamese food is very popular in Bangkok for several reasons. Meals often come with fresh vegetables, making it a healthy choice and the seasoning is moderate, not too spicy, so it can be eaten and enjoyed at any time.
RIGHT ON, SAIGON: Some popular Vietnamese dishes that have become Thai staples include ‘poh pia’, above, and, below, ‘koong phan oy’ and ‘naem nueang’.But it took a long time for people in Bangkok to get to know these dishes, and their road to popularity has not been smooth.
This is not to say that Vietnamese food is a recent discovery in Thailand. The taco-shaped khanom bueang yuan, fresh and fried spring rolls, and the stuffed, steamed sheets of rice flour batter called khao kriab pak maw have been popular for over a century.
During the early years of the Ratanakosin period, many Vietnamese came to Thailand as refugees. During the reign of King Rama III, royal permission was given for the Vietnamese, or yuan, as they were called in Thai, to form a community in the Samsen Road area. This Vietnamese neighbourhood became known as Ban Yuan Samsen, and had the St Francis Xavier church at its centre.
Thais later began preparing their own versions of these dishes for sale, changing some of the ingredients in the filling. Salty fried grated coconut was put into khanom bueang yuan. Khao kriab pak maw also got a makeover. While the original Vietnamese version was stuffed with pork fried with chopped spring onion, Thai cooks filled it with a fried pork and peanut mixture. It was still eaten Vietnamese-style with fresh lettuce, however.
Initially, only a few restaurants in Bangkok served Vietnamese food. One of the most popular 40 or so years ago was an eatery on Sukhothai Soi 3. Other Vietnamese restaurants began to pop up around the city and many restaurants offering Thai and Chinese food also included khanom bueang yuan and fresh or fried spring rolls on their menus.
During those times, Thais hated and feared communism, and this attitude had an impact on the Vietnamese community. Thai civil servants were forbidden to marry Vietnamese people, and Vietnamese children born in Thailand were not given citizenship. The only jobs open to Vietnamese were in construction, vegetable farming or as cooks preparing Vietnamese food in small quantities _ khao kriab pak maw at markets, for example.
In subsequent decades, Vietnamese were permitted to do other kinds of work, including running restaurants. In Ubon Ratchathani, there was a restaurant that served a breakfast of coffee and quail's eggs cooked sunny side up with the mild Vietnamese sausage called moo yaw, the sweet Chinese sausage called kunchiang and minced pork, together with baguettes. The Indochine Vietnamese restaurant, also in Ubon, was very popular 30 years ago.
Some Vietnamese dishes started to become more widely known thanks to the influence of these refugees such as naem nueang (a do-it-yourself dish in which balls of grilled minced pork and pieces of fruits and vegetables are placed on a sheet of edible rice paper together with fresh herbs, doused with a sweet-salty sauce, and wrapped in a lettuce leaf) goong phan oy (minced shrimp packed around a stick of sugar cane and grilled), khao kriab pak maw and the noodle dish kuay jap yuan. When people from Bangkok went to these riverside provinces, they sought out Vietnamese food. It was thought that if you went to that part of the country, you had to try a Vietnamese meal.
Nong Khai's Pho Thai Market is home to many stalls that sell tasty Vietnamese food in the morning. One specialty is Vietnamese-style roast suckling pig. The pigs are rather large _ three to five months old _ and pieces of pork are cut to size as requested by the customer.
Mukdahan province also offers interesting Vietnamese fare. The province has only really opened up to outsiders over the past 25 years, since it is small and hard to access. Vietnamese people were compelled to live there by government policy and any outsiders were stared at.
As Mukdahan opened up, Vietnamese residents opened restaurants, serving from morning until night. Most offer delicious food. Mukdahan should not be missed by anyone who likes Vietnamese cooking.
Aranyaprathet district in Sa Kaeo province has also become a popular spot for Vietnamese cuisine of late.
The Vietnamese there originally endured terrible circumstances. They came from Siem Reap, Battambang and Sisophon in Cambodia, which originally belonged to Thailand but were traded to France, which had colonised Indochina, in exchange for Chanthaburi province, which the French had seized.
But then the Rong Kluea Market came into being, with its offerings of second-hand clothes, and casinos opened in Poipet, and Aranyaprathet sprang to life. Vietnamese housewives opened restaurants that sold food that was simple but delicious. Today, there are many worth trying. What makes them so interesting is that the cuisine is authentic Vietnamese country-style cooking.
In the evening and before dawn there is Vietnamese-style khao tom, or rice soup. It is available with chicken or pork and contains fresh blood. This is the kind of food that the local Vietnamese eat.
In Bangkok, of course, there are many Vietnamese restaurants, with at least one in most neighbourhoods. One that I recommend is located on Ratchadaphisek Soi 19 a little past the Ratchadaphisek MRT station.
Go into the soi until you reach the three-way intersection, then turn left and continue for about 10m. The shop is called Nook Ahan Vietnam. There are many Vietnamese dishes on the menu and the prices are low.
The path that the delicious cuisine of an enclosed and restricted community of refugees has found its way into the kitchens of popular restaurants throughout the country has not been smooth. But the cuisine has certainly successfully completed the journey. Today, Vietnamese food is a favourite in Thailand _ a mealtime choice that is both healthy and delicious.
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