“If you are a foodie and go to this country, you will go insane.”
Anthony Bourdain, No Reservations

Guest Chef /Lecturer - Nicole Aloni (www.nicolealoni.net)
Nicole is the author of Secrets From a Caterer's Kitchen, Cooking for Company and The Backyard Bartender. Enjoying an exciting, diverse career in the culinary arts, she completed the diploma course at La Varenne, Ecole de Cuisine in Paris and stayed on to work as a chef at chateaux in Burgundy. She has also studied cooking in Bali, Turkey, India and Italy.
 
As the Director of Catering at the Los Angeles Music Center for six years, she catered the Academy Awards four times, prepared a state luncheon for HRH Queen Elizabeth II and produced galas in honor of three American presidents, foreign dignitaries, divas and Julia Child who became her mentor. Nicole then opened her own company which specialized in elegant events for such clients as the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, the Tournament of Roses and the Kirov Ballet.
In California, Nicole owned a natural foods restaurant, owned and directed one of the country's most prestigious catering companies and produced a line of gourmet food products. She also manufactured packaged foods for fine grocers like Vons/Pavilions, Gelsons, Trader Joe's, Larry's and Neiman-Marcus.
Currently, Nicole has led culinary tours to France and Italy, teaches cooking, writes food and wine features for such national magazines as Bon Appétit and Better Homes and Gardens, in addition to making television and radio appearances about the art of food and wine. She plans to use her French training to explore with our local chefs the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, French influences in modern Vietnamese cuisine.
 
Trip Leader - Madé Surya
Madé is a professional tour organizer who has been leading study tours for 24 years. He has worked as a caterer, translated and worked with scholars and educational film and video crews including National Geographic and currently lives in Southeast Asia for half the year. Madé Surya was a research assistant for Eat Smart Indonesia and his recipes appear in publications and cookbooks as well as in several esteemed restaurants.
 
 
TRIP OVERVIEW
January 1 - 4
Our adventure begins in the bustling gateway city of Hanoi, where street food has become an art-form. Besides sampling some outstanding restaurants and one of the best markets in Vietnam, cooking classes will be given at both the Koto Cooking School (such as Pho, Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Cha Ca—charcoal broiled fish served over noodles, and Vietnamese Hot Pot), which was created to train Vietnamese street children to work in the culinary industry, and in a local home.
 
January 5 - 6
Next, we'll visit the visually spectacular Ha Long Bay. Cruising its tranquil waters on a Chinese junk, we'll feast on seafood and learn some tasty tips on how to prepare it Vietnamese-style.
 
January 6 - 7
On to the old capitol of Hue, where we will learn to create the most well-known regional specialties at a famed kitchen (Banh Bo—steamed rice flour cake with ground shrimp, Ban Bot Let—shrimp, pork and spices wrapped in banana leaves, Com Ben—clams with rice to name a few). This is where Vietnam's Emperors cultivated the finest kitchens and chefs in the country. And Hue's reputation for complicated and delicate dishes continues to this day.
 
January 8 - 11
Our tour concludes in Hoi An, the beautifully-preserved World Heritage port-town and a stay in a lovely hotel that had its start as the towns' noodle factory. Here, we will dig in with 3 professional cooking classes (along with market visits) in a beautifully-designed classroom from a third-generation restaurateur and owner of four successful local restaurants. Her classes are exemplary, with exceptional Aussie English. She imparts a lot of knowledge in a short time and is an expert on the healthful properties of local food. You learn to make Pomelo and Green Papaya Salad, Grilled Mackerel with Tumeric, Bar-B-Q Chicken in Kefir Lime Leaf, Stir Fried Morning Glory with Garlic, among other dishes.

WEBSITE LINK:

www.consciousfeast.com

Guest Chef: Nicole Aloni

Tour Leader: Made Surya

Local Guide: Quynh

Chef/Instructor in Hoi An: Ms. Vy

A Taste of Vietnam
Itinerary: December 31 - January 12, 2010
ITINERARY
 
Wednesday, December 30 - Transit
Arrive at the airport to check in for the midnight flight.
 
Thursday, December 31 - Departure
Depart from Seattle, Los Angeles or San Francisco aboard Tai Pei-based Eva Airways. Cross International Dateline and lose one day, which is made up on the return flight. All meals included.
 
Friday January 1 - Hanoi
Arrive midday at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi (BLD) and driven to the Movenpick/Gouman Hotel. Relax before attending a “Welcome Dinner” in a restored French colonial restaurant and a performance of traditional Water Puppetry—an art form unique to northern Vietnam and a good, lighthearted introduction to its rural culture.
 
Saturday January 2 - Hanoi
Morning at the Koto (meaning “know one, teach one”) Cooking School, which trains street kids for culinary jobs. Visit the wet market with two Koto chefs, and then back to the training center for a cooking class and lunch where Steve, the General Manager, will describe how the school operates.  
 
Afternoon sightseeing includes the Temple of Literature and Au Lac designs, a Fair Trade Organization that produces silk bedding, clothing, lacquer and sculpture.
 
Before Dinner, Nicole & Made will hold the first of several casual Cocktail Hour Reviews of the Day to answer questions about the day's cooking.
 
On-Your-Own Dinner or try Hanoi street food with your guide.  
 
Sunday January 3 - Hanoi
Morning visit to the Pho noodle factory to see noodles being made at 49B Bat Dan and buy some for the cooking class. Continue to Ms. Tuyet's home in the old quarter for a hands-on cooking class/lunch. Then visit the Ancient Quarter (36 Streets and 36 Wares) where each street features a different product and streets that focus on specific foods.
 
Remainder of afternoon free.
 
Dinner at Emperor Restaurant (see this great write up from NPR).
 
Monday January 4 - Hanoi (BL)
Morning guided tour of the city (lunch included) in air-conditioned vehicles. Visit The Museum of Ethnography, the Ho Chi Minh museum, his mausoleum, the stilt house from which he conducted much of the American War and Ba Dinh Square, where he delivered the Declaration of Independence (much like ours) in 1945 and other sites as time and inclination permit.  
 
Lunch at a local Pho restaurant (Pho Gia Truyen 49 Bat Dan)
 
Dinner at 5 star Le Tonkin Restaurant.
 
Tuesday January 5 - Ha Long Bay (BLD)
After an early breakfast, leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world's largest marine limestone 'karst' landscape.  On the way, stop to visit Mr. Nguyen The Son's home, to see his farm and have some tea and green bean cake. Once in Ha Long Bay, board a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels with sails, a wide transom and rectangular superstructure, that will take us to the first busy World Heritage area and then to some of the less well-known grottoes and a spectacular Sung Sot cave. Swim, fish, climb a hill (not a mountain!) for an overview of the Bay's remarkable seascape (weather permitting). All meals provided on board (usually based on fresh seafood) and sleep in a twin cabin with a private toilet and shower.
 
Wednesday January 6 - Hue (B)/Hanoi/Hue (BL)
Spend the morning cruising Ha Long Bay, venturing into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan. Also attend a cooking demonstration by the crew.
Enjoy lunch just before docking around noon.

Free time in Hanoi before heading to Hanoi Airport for the flight to Hue. Check into the historic Hotel Saigon Morin upon arrival.
 
Thursday January 7 - Hue  (BLD)
Visit Ms. Nga Tofu Factory before enjoying a vegetarian lunch at a Buddhist Nun's Convent.
 
Afternoon, short tour to the Citadel by mini bus, a hands-on cooking class and dinner at the Tha Om house, featuring Hue steamed thin rice pancakes with dried shrimp, lantern-shaped spring rolls, vegetable salad and grilled beef on tiles.
 
Friday January 8 - Hoi An (B)
After breakfast, be driven to Hoi An via the Hai Van Pass where the views from the top are excellent. See Lang Co beach and the lagoon far below, with Danang spread out to the south.  
 
Stop for lunch in Danang and tour the Champa museum, where statues from nearby My Song World Heritage Site are housed. After a stop at a local coffee shop for a taste of “Weasel Coffee,” travel on to Hoi An, another World Heritage site and an ancient trading port, once the largest in Indochina. Hoi An was a meeting point for many cultures that left their mark in the different architectural features of its wooden buildings. The original traditional street pattern still exists, as does the quay that once welcomed ships from all over East Asia and beyond. Many remained there for months at a time, waiting for favorable trade winds to carry them home. A guided walking tour of Old Hoi An, includes homes, temples, neighborhood associations and workshops.
 
Saturday January 9 - Hoi An (BD)
Early morning breakfast at the Ancient House Hotel and visit to the noodle and rice-paper making factory which supplies most of the town. Then visit the Tra Que herb village followed by the bread factory on Nhi Trung Street.
 
In the afternoon, a short class on Vietnamese street food cooking.
 
Sunday January 10 - Hoi An and Monday January 11 - Hoi An: (BL)
A visit to the morning market, then some intensive hands-on cooking classes in a professional facility. Subjects include Vietnamese food history and philosophy, nutrition, food as medicine, features of Vietnamese foods, how to choose ingredients and cooking 8-10 dishes. The Instructor is the owner of four successful restaurants and is one of the best.
 
Tuesday January 12 - Travel Day (B)
Leave from Danang airport to Saigon for flights back to the US. Or stay on to discover more of Vietnam. Also choose to visit nearby Angkor Wat on the special 5-day, four night package.

Vietnamese cuisine is perfect for today’s eating: Fresh, bold flavors with a focus on everything that’s good for us and the planet.

Those who live to eat know that Vietnamese cuisine ranks with some of the best places to eat. Witness the growing ranks of prestigious Vietnamese restaurants, such as San Francisco's Slanted Door where Charles Phan won the James Beard Foundation's “Award for Best Chef in California” last year, or Bao 111 in New York and Monsoon in Seattle.

French and Chinese sophistication are intertwined with ethnic Vietnamese cuisine to create a remarkably rich culinary tradition based on the daily purchase of fresh foods—from fruits and vegetables to seafood and chicken—so that each retains its unique taste and texture. Street-food vendors in Vietnam typically focus on the perfect preparation of a single food like Cha Gio (lightly fried rice-paper spring rolls), Pho or crepes. Home cooks still prize the preparation of traditional ingredients as a point of family honor.

Stretching back 3,000 years, the Vietnamese have endured numerous invasions which have influenced the cuisine-most notably, the Chinese, French and Americans. Ethnic minorities, such as Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer and Man have also contributed to its rich culinary palette.

Mealtime is a very social time and cooking is still mostly done over an open flame as ovens are rare. In the evenings, families will gather together to cook and eat outside, especially in the warm south.

Using chopsticks, meals often consist of many dishes including fish, fowl and pork, with some beef. Coriander, lemongrass, mint, black pepper and a local basil-like herb called “rau ram” contribute to the light and subtle flavors. Fresh vegetables and fruits characterize southern Vietnamese cooking, while the north places more emphasis on sauces and spices.

Essential to all Vietnamese meals is Pho (pronounced “fuh”), a hearty noodle soup (either chicken or beef) which is accompanied by heaping bowls of fresh herbs and chilies. It's believed that the word "pho" is derived from the classic French soup known as "pot au feu." Chinese, French and native influences are blended to create this uniquely Vietnamese dish. It is truly the national dish of Vietnam and is served and eaten at all times of the day and night. In fact, it's hard to walk more than 20 feet in Hanoi without coming upon a Pho stand.

The crispy sanwiches, as-good-as-Paris baguettes called Banh Mi, which are filled with Vietnamese flavors and usually based on some incarnation of pork, are another staple and a legacy of the French colonization. Vendors can be found nearly as often as Pho shops preparing these amazing sandwiches.

Tea is another essential of Vietnamese life. No business meeting, regardless of how small, can proceed without the ritual serving of hot tea (nuoc che). The tea is often mixed with dried flowers, such as jasmine. Coffee is also available, though not as popular, and is made from a rich African coffee bean that is cultivated in the highlands of Vietnam.

Vietnam is a paradise for fish and seafood lovers. Crab, giant shrimp, mussels, oysters and squid are plentiful. One local favorite is a large flat fish called Elephant Ear, which is often cooked whole with a delicious crispy coating.

Rice or Com (pronounced “come”) is eaten in vast quantities. The Vietnamese are very particular about their rice and they cook it in a variety of innovative and delicious ways.

Perhaps the best-known Vietnamese seasoning is a fermented fish sauce called Nuoc Man (pronounced “nook mon”).  

Che, a sweet concoction made of green beans, is enjoyed as both a cool beverage and a snack.

Exotic fruits, such as jack fruit, rambutans, dragon fruit, papayas, mangoes, green grapefruit and delicious miniature bananas—the list is endless—are plentiful and grown year-round in the tropical south. Try them all—even the infamously “stinky” durian,

Our Vietnam Hotels: Having organized and led tours for six years now, we have stayed in and investigated many, and feel confident that our choices will make you happy.
Hanoi: The 5 star Movenpick/Gouman Hotels offers spacious, modern rooms, well equipped with a marble top bathroom, huge walk in shower with overhead rain faucet, large LCD television, new king bed and fluffy down pillows. Each day, the staff brings fresh fruit and bottled water to your room. The staff is also very kind and attentive.
Hue: The historic 4 star Hotel Saigon Morin, located on the Perfume River across from the Citadel, is the grand and gracious venerable charmer, with a vast, stunning courtyard, shaded by lush trees. The perfect locale for their bountiful buffet breakfast. The rooms are large enough to practice your ballroom dancing in, and the service is impeccable.
Hoi An: The 3 star Ancient House hotel is walking distance along the De Vong river to Hoi An town, and built in the style of the town's ancient houses roofed with clay tiles and decorated with round and rectangular Chinese lanterns, but with modern comforts. Housed around a stunning swimming pool in a natural and beautiful landscape. Rooms are well decorated with mini-fridges, computers, cable TV, coffee-makers and tubs and showers. Don't miss the noodle and rice paper making over a wood fire at the back of the garden. It has been the favorite of our former travelers.

Cost: $4500.00 based on two people sharing a twin or double-bedded room. Single supplement available $520.00. Maximum 16 participants, minimum 12. Please be aware the prices may fluctuate due to a rise in fuel costs, a change in the rate of exchange, or less than minimum participants.

Deposits/Penalties: A $350.00 refundable deposit reserves trip space. A penalty fee of $75.00 will be charged for all cancellations received in writing. After tickets have been issued airline penalties will occur. No refunds will be made after departure. Final payments are due 60 days prior to departure.

Airline Options: Participants may depart and return at any time. Participants are urged to sign up early and make plans regarding dates, as we are traveling during High Season. Call Wendy Simon at Pacific Harbor Travel, Santa Cruz, California: 1-800-435-9463 for special needs or further details. Pariticpants may also upgrade to Eva Airlines Evergreen class.

Terms and Conditions: In case of unexpected situations, the tour leader reserves the right to cancel or postpone any event. Festivals and special events will be incorporated into the itinerary as optional excursions. Any one who leaves the tour at any time FOR ANY REASON is on their own. There will be no refunds for missed tour activities and no substitutions.

Accommodations: Are based on double occupancy. We stay in clean, comfortable locally-owned 3-5 star hotels with private baths and verandahs.

Medical: Participants are urged to check their insurance coverage to be sure it is adequate. You must be in good general health; it is vital that persons with medical problems make them known to us well before departure. The trip leader has the right to disqualify any member from the group at any time if considered medically necessary or to avoid endangering the group. Trip members should have a personal supply of medications which they may need. At this time no inoculations are required to enter Vietnam or Cambodia, so it is up to you and your doctor. Malaria medication is not needed or recommended.

Responsibility of Trip Members: Luggage must be kept to 44 lbs. each, maximum allowed by domestic flights. Trip members are held responsible for being in sufficient good health to undertake the trip. Trip members are responsible for preparing for the trip by studying the itinerary and pre-departure information packets sent by Danu Enterprise and for bringing the appropriate clothing and equipment as advised.

Additional Options: We are also offering a four night visit to Angkor Wat in neighboring Cambodia, which can be enjoyed at the beginning and ending of this trip. Contact us for further information.

For further information contact Danu Emterpriese, (831) 476-0543, danu@earthlink.net

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