Hanoi Food Culture Festival takes place from November 29 to December 1, gathering more than 80 booths with many specialties of Hanoi, 8 other localities in the country (Ha Giang, Son La, Lang Son, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa, Quang Binh) and 16 embassies such as India, Japan, Mongolia, Laos, France...
Smart robot serves pho to diners
The most notable area of this festival is the “Pho So Ha Thanh” space, where smart robots serve pho to diners.
Within the framework of the festival, a discussion on Preserving and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritage "Pho Hanoi" was held on December 1.
From cooking the broth to arranging each hot bowl of pho, the robots offer an experience that is both modern and traditional.
Speaking at the opening of the seminar, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thanh Loi, Editor-in-Chief of the Economic and Urban Newspaper, shared that this is an important activity, emphasizing the protection and promotion of the value of the national intangible cultural heritage "Pho Hanoi".
However, according to the Organizing Committee representative, robots cannot completely replace humans in cooking and serving pho.
“ Wherever they go, Vietnamese people are proud of their traditional, delicious dishes that represent the culture and cuisine of the country in general and Hanoi in particular. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's recognition of Hanoi Pho as an intangible cultural heritage is a step forward, once again affirming that Hanoi cuisine is recognized not only by Vietnamese people but also internationally. Therefore, communicating the national intangible cultural heritage of Hanoi Pho is important to the press and media agencies of the country in general and Hanoi in particular,” said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Loi.
According to experts, the process of forming Pho is the creation of many people, of the community associated with the social, historical and cultural context. Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice President of the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, said: “We do not know where Pho originated from and it is still debated; just remember that Pho is a creation of Vietnamese people a long time ago and that creation of Pho creates a very special feature in Hanoi. Therefore, Hanoi Pho is very famous”.
“Pho So Ha Thanh” brings a new experience to diners.
“Pho Suong”, one of the famous pho brands in Hanoi, has existed since 1930. At first, Mr. Nguyen Van Ty, the creator of the pho brand “Pho Suong”, made pho on a street stall in Hang Street. Early in the morning, he carried pho to sell, and in the evening he collected bowls and money. He worked very hard, but in 1956, due to difficulties, he had to stop selling.
According to artisan Nguyen Thi Muoi, a heritage practitioner and owner of Pho Suong restaurant: “It was not until 1985 that my mother gathered her children to continue the family tradition left by their ancestors. Since then, my sisters and I have worked together for 40 years. My siblings and I named it Pho Suong because after eating pho, we must be happy and feel delicious” – Ms. Muoi shared.
Experts, artisans… attend the discussion
Along with beef pho, the traditional pho in Hanoi also has chicken pho. Mr. Nguyen The Hieu, the third generation of the family pho called "Pho Chi" (specializing in chicken pho), said: "Initially, my grandfather was a merchant selling pho spices, not selling pho. It was not until the French colonial period that he started making pho. He started his career in the profession in the years after liberation, when he worked at Tan Viet restaurant on Hue street and was in charge of pho. Later, he started selling pho on the sidewalk. In 1985, my father took over. And in 1996, I followed in the footsteps of my grandfather and father. Up to now, my son has also joined in making pho and is the fourth generation."
For many Hanoians, Hanoi pho is associated with childhood memories and dreams. In the past, it was mainly sold as a street food on sidewalks, with pho stalls, one end of the stall was a small cupboard containing bowls, chopsticks, spice jars and a drawer containing pho noodles and beef.
Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice President of Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association, spoke at the seminar.
Nowadays, pho has many diverse variations: mixed pho, rare pho, pho with wine sauce, pho rolls... On the other hand, pho appears more in luxury hotels and restaurants as well as spreading to many other localities in the country and internationally. To meet the demand for enjoying pho, instant pho was born, processed and packaged with a taste similar to fresh pho, creating convenience for users.
Having cooked “Pho Hanoi” for famous international politicians and artists who came to Hanoi. People’s Artist Pham Thi Anh Tuyet shared: “When I received international guests, high-ranking leaders of countries to enjoy Pho, they were very surprised with this dish, they evaluated this dish as a perfect combination. Hanoi Pho cuisine is very special, and Pho is considered a creative dish of Vietnam, a harmonious and delicate combination of spices”.
Vietnamese Pho is famous all over the world.
Coming from Ho Chi Minh City, artisan Bui Thi Suong said she often introduces Vietnamese cuisine on her trips abroad. “Pho is the first dish we brought to introduce to the European and Australian markets… In the past, people often used English to call pho soup – Beef Nodle Soup, and now all countries clearly call it Pho (Pho), we feel very proud” – artisan Bui Thi Suong expressed.
Comment (0)