Richard from Toronto recently asked about how to set a Viet-style table and how to time the serving of a Viet meal. He and his wife are cooking their way through Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and planning a Christmas Eve feast of Viet fare from the book. He wants to impress his parents (who I assume is tight with Viet traditions) with an appropriate table setting, dishware, etc. Also, he wants to execute the serving well.
I totally understand because it can be extremely confusing. All those little dishes, lettuce and herbs, rice bowls, Eastern and Western fare melding at the table. Oy, it's enought to give you a headache. On the other hand, I've learned to deal with it with an open mind. Like my dad, my husband sets our table, and on a regular basis, we discuss what kind of dishware and utensils to use. My mom and I always discuss how to serve things at formal meals.
Bo Me Gia (a shortcut combo of Old Daddy and Mommy that essentially means “Mom and Dad” in Vietnamese) and I got to talking about table settings and concluded the following: It varies on the situation and how you were raised. Some options to consider:
Basic – Just use a bowl and set of chopsticks for each person. I’ve seen workers eat casual and/or communal meals with large bowls (e.g., what you’d serve noodle soup in) and chopsticks. I’ve enjoyed meals with fishermen and we just had rice bowls and chopsticks. I think we threw bones and bits into the ocean (we were on a boat out at sea). On land, you want a little dish for food refuse. This setting is great because there are fewer dishes to wash.
Simple -- For some folks, the basic table setting is their everyday setting. I grew up with more formality. Our daily table was set for each person with the following: a salad-size plate, rice bowl, chopsticks and a spoon. We shared wet hand towels to wipe fingers and mouths because using paper napkins was wasteful and cloth napkins were for dinner parties. My parents still use the wet handtowel (khan uoc) when they eat together at home.
Dipping sauce dishes and spoons – If there’s a nuoc cham dipping sauce of any kind involved, set something out for each person too. I have a large assortment and in general for Vietnamese food, the wider (3-inch) shallow ones are better for dunking lettuce wrapped morsels and rice paper rolls. Small (2-inch) ones are cute but best for dumplings and other tiny tidbits to dips. If you don’t have anything, use a rice bowl.
Spoons can be Eastern or Western in style. I have new and antique Chinese soup spoons in ceramic, cheap metal and wood. We also use nice silverware at times, as well as lowbrow spoons purchased in Vietnam. Whatever suits the occasion. Pair the spoon with the food. A noodle soup will likely be easier to eat with chopsticks and a Chinese soup spoon, for example.
Old and New School – Years ago I bought traditional dishes in Vietnam. The look and style comes from Bat Trang, a renown ceramic village outside of Hanoi. The colors and design reminded me of old ceramics I’d seen in museums. The problem was the 4-inch wide dishes were little. Tiny. We'd fill them up and made a mess at the table.
On the next trip to Vietnam, we bought larger dishes that were more salad-size for Western standards but likely serving dishes by Viet standards. They’re great for people used to that kind of table setting. So when we use the Bat Trang ceramics for dinner parties, my husband and I set a large dinner plate underneath to serve as a charger. I don’t use chopstick rests as my family was never into them. The little dishes are used for appetizers or desserts.
You don't need to get fancy dishes from Vietnam to enjoy Viet fare. The colorful appetizer plates above are from Crate and Barrel. The fun chopsticks are plastic and purchased at a boutique.
Vietnamese American – My dad nowadays sets the table for special family meals. He prides himself on napkin folds and thinking about the dishware. Bo Gia often uses a set of western dishes and arranges them like so:
If we end up eating rice, someone runs into the kitchen to grab rice bowls. Ditto for dipping sauce dishes. For the above table setting, we had Me Gia’s salmon lettuce wraps and a creamy rice soup (chao). My parents bought these dishes decades ago from the supermarket. The napkin adds elegance.
Because Viet menus may incorporate western foods, like a grilled pork chop on a rice plate, you may find yourself setting the table with dinner forks and knives! Or maybe there’s a modern salad that requires a salad fork. It’s all doable and one way to set a table is this:
How to serve of a Vietnamese meal? If it’s an everyday meal, all the dishes are served at once – soup, main course, rice, vegetables are placed on the table and shared. For a dinner party, at my house, we often have appetizers standing up with wine or cocktails. Traditionally, the appetizers are served at the table with everyone sitting down. My parents mostly follow that path. Then the table is cleared and we have a starter of soup, followed by a goi salad, and then whatever else is the main course. It can be tricky, though. For example, where does a noodle soup fit in?
Last weekend we had banh xeo rice crepes and a salmon and tomato noodle soup. The banh xeo was best a la minute so we served that first with all the lettuce and herb garnishes. Then the noodle soup was dished up. Dessert started with fresh fruit then my mom dragged out some candies and cake she had stashed away.
Other things to note: In the same vein as a prayer, a formal invitation to partake starts the meal; the invite would come from host. I get my husband to do it because it’s suppose to come from the man. We always feel a bit awkward about the gender stuff. The oldest male usually sits at the head of the table and gets served the first and best portion of dishes. Most dishes are served communally – family style.
What I advise Richard is to consult with his parents; get their buy in and work together on it. Talk to them with a certain amount of knowledge. There’s a lot of flexibility in Vietnamese foodways but knowing some of the parameters is a good place to start. The food will be good so the other stuff will nearly be the window dressing!
Got experiences or tips to share?
Christina Travis says
I'm glad you talked about how the oldest male usually receives the first and best portion of the dishes served. I am thinking to set a Vietnamese-style dining for my family at home, and knowing this makes me excited to try it. We wanted to do it the traditional way, and your blog gave me a lot of ideas about Vietnamese dining. Thanks!