Hanoi Delights: Real Street Food.

When we leave Vietnam, bun cha is definitely one thing we will miss. It's a Hanoi staple. Every street has multiple bun cha vendors.

It doesn't take much to set up a stand.

A space to grill. You certainly don't need a grill. An old pot filled with
charcoal works just fine (the fan keeps the coals going and the smoke away
from the paying customers).

And a few stools and tables.

The sidewalk is both dining room and parking lot.

So here's how it works: small slices of pork belly and bite-sized patties of seasoned ground pork are grilled and served in a light meat broth tangy with a dash of fish sauce along with slices of green mango, garlic, and carrot. Each diner also gets a plate heaped with rice vermicelli and there's a basket of mixed salad greens and herbs for the table. And a plate of chopped chiles. The greens are utterly fresh and include several kinds of lettuce, cilantro, mint, watercress, bean sprouts, and a really delicious herb that we've never encountered before, probably a relative of the mint family, but with a very distinctive flavor. You throw the noodles and greens and chiles into the broth a little at a time, and slurp it down, savoring the different flavors and textures. Yum. At this point it doesn't matter that you're eating this hunched over a tiny plastic table on a noisy, dusty street corner. You notice only the deliciousness. The indispensible accompaniment is nem ran (far left), the ubiquitous fried spring rolls always sold along with bun cha. Crunchy and savory. The whole meal runs about $1.25 per person.

P.