At Tet in Viet Nam, families get together and eat banh chung.  This year it was the same in London!  Our English Editors have spent many happy Tets in Da Nang, but this year they decided to spend the holiday with family in London.  An employee of Da Nang Today presented them with a gift of banh chung to take back and share.  Thankfully it survived the long journey to England, and on 31 January family members Owen and Laura used chopsticks and had their first taste of this traditional cake made with rice, mung beans and pork.  Unfortunately 5-month old Tess is not yet eating solid food so was not allowed to try it.  Maybe next time Tess!

Owen, Laura, and a disappointed Tess!

Owen and Laura loved the dish, and were interested to know more about it.  Legend says that after a victory against the army of the Shang Dynasty, King Hung Vuong decided to carry out a competition to choose a successor among his sons.  He asked each prince to bring him a delicacy which could be placed on an altar to honour ancestors on the occasion of Tet, and said that whoever introduced the most delicious dish would become the next ruler of the country.  While other princes tried to find rare and delicious foods from the forest and the sea, the eighteenth prince Lang Lieu, who was the poorest son of Hung Vuong, could not afford those luxury dishes and had to content himself with everyday ingredients.  He created one square cake made from rice, pork, and other simple ingredients and called it banh chung.  The King found banh chung not only delicious but also a fine representation of the respect for ancestors.  He therefore decided to cede his throne to Lang Lieu, and since then banh chung has become one of the traditional dishes eaten during Tet.

The Arsenal gift pack from Owen

By way of a thank you, Owen – who is a keen Arsenal supporter - sent back a pack which included an Arsenal scarf, badges, and two booklets about the club.  These were joyfully received by the employee’s son, also an Arsenal fan, who says he will first wear his authentic club scarf at 2.45am this Thursday as he watches the Arsenal v Manchester United match on TV.  A good result for all!
 
Written by Carole Kendal