An Exchange of Hospitality and Pancakes

Jo Koski, a student currently studying abroad in Vietnam this semester, shares a story about learning to cook during her homestay in Can Tho. To learn more about the SIT Culture and Development program in Vietnam, please visit our website.

April 11, 2008

Its 5:00 in the morning and my alarm is infiltrating my dreams. My initial reaction is to shove it under my pillow to silence it and go back to sleep for another three hours, but I roll over and grudgingly nudge Caroline to wake up. It’s the last morning at our home stay in Can Tho, and we had a promise to fulfill. I found my way out of the tangled web of mosquito net I was in, fumbled for my glasses, and felt my way down the steep spiral case that led to the kitchen.

Earlier that week, Caroline and I had expressed our wish to learn some traditional Vietnamese dishes during our studying abroad experience. Co Cuc, our home stay mother, was ecstatic at hearing this and demanded we cook with her the following night. Not knowing what we were in for, we hesitantly agreed to the proposal and made mental notes to eat a big lunch before returning home. When we arrived home that night, Co Cuc ushered us directly into the kitchen where bowls brimming with ingredients waiting to be diced, mixed and cooked.Usually, either our home stay brother, Truong, or sister, Thao, would be home at this time to help with translations, but for some reason neither were to be found; we were going to be forced to learn in Vietnamese.

After surveying our materials and using hand gestures, we deciphered the fact that tonight we would learn the fine art of making Ban Xeo, the traditional Mekong Delta pancake. Co Cuc pointed to each bowl and pronounced the Vietnamese name slowly, allowing us to absorb the new names. Then it was time to begin. Handing me a big bowl, Co Cuc motioned to beat the eggs. Seeing that the eggs were smooth, she began alternatively pouring water and flour into the mixture, making a yellow paste. While I was beating the batter, Caroline was finely chopping the green onion, making a pile of little green “o”s. This was then added to the mixture, along with a little coconut milk. Not once did Co Cuc refer to a recipe; it was as though the process was as natural to her as waking up in the morning.

Now that the batter was complete, it was time to begin the tricky part. Co Cuc’s niece had prepared the burner, getting the wok hot and adding oil to grease the surface. As we watched eagerly, Co Cuc ladled one scoop of the batter into the wok. Working quickly and with expertise, she rotated the wok, spreading the batter paper thin. Within seconds the batter bubbled with readiness and she swiftly arranged a small mixture of bean sprouts, finely shredded jicama, shrimp, pork, and mung beans in a small pile and covered the pancake with a lid. No more than thirty seconds later, the lid was back off and she expertly flipped half of the cake over onto itself, creating a half moon shape. Slipping the now complete pancake onto a nearby plate, Co Cuc shifted her attention to her two American apprentices, passing me the hot pad as a symbol of initiation.

With the unmerited nervousness, I took the worn-out pad and grabbed the wok, determined not to let mom down. The next minute flew by in what seemed like seconds; my clumsy hands could not keep up with the heat of the burner and my pancake began to get crispy before I had even half of the ingredients inside. I struggled through the motions, trying to imitate Co Cuc the best I could.

After a few attempts, we got the process down and were able to make enough Ban Xeo to feed everyone. Co Cuc was so excited about our progress that she didn’t want to stop cooking. After celebrating our skills with family, friends and a few Tiger beers, we returned to the kitchen to learn how to make Banh chuoi hap (steamed banana cake) and Banh chuoi nuong (baked banana cake), taking notes on everything to prove our cooking skills to family and friends back home. We sat with Co Cuc and Thao and made small talk, and the conversation quickly turned to food we loved back home. As we told them of wonderfully fluffy, sweet, American-style pancakes, Thao’s eyes grew big and she began to tear through the kitchen cabinets in haste. Pulling out a big yellow box, she proudly displayed a dusty and unopened box of pancake batter. She explained that she had recognized the picture on the box from an American movie and bought it, but did not know how to prepare them. Excited to see a familiar comfort food, we eagerly offered to make them for the family one morning.

Somehow, the week slipped by us and before we knew it was the last night before our return to Ho Chi Minh City. We stayed up late talking with the family, not realizing it was already midnight and we still had to pack. So now, groggy and even slightly regretting our offer to make breakfast, we stumbled into the kitchen and turned on the light. This decision became even more regrettable as we witnessed several cockroaches scurry over the dishes and back into the cracks in the wall. Already making it this far, we proceeded to get out the necessary materials for the cakes and began mixing the batter.

As the family members slowly gathered at the kitchen table and we proudly served our pancakes, I was reminded of the wonderful feeling of giving to others. Throughout the trip, we had been given so much kindness and thoughtful gifts that it had begun to seem like routine. After doing this small act for my home stay family, however, I realized the magnitude of all the small acts people have done for me: getting up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast, sharing their homes, their time, their customs with a complete stranger. Suddenly, getting up at 5:00 one morning to make pancakes did not seem so terrible. In fact, it became one of my most memorable experiences. Seeing Co Cuc so excited about our pancakes that she wrapped one up to show her friends was worth every cultural barrier and life struggle we had faced on the trip.

Tags: cantho, cooking, Homestay, sitstudyabroad, studyabroad, vietnam, worldlearning