MCO 2.0 - Day 39

 Day 39 of Movement Control Order 2.0

17 December 2020

        Although I've never set foot in Vietnam, those who know me well would be aware that I have an affinity for the Vietnamese. I still have clear memories of the Sungai Besi transit camp, where the Vietnamese refugees or boat people were housed as they awaited either repatriation or resettlement in a third country. It was fairly near the college in Cheras where I was undergoing my Matriculation course, back in the early 1990s. For one of my assignments, I chose to write on the plight of the Vietnamese refugees. I tried very hard to obtain permission to enter the Sungai Besi transit camp. But I was denied permission on security grounds. Thanks to my best friend, I managed to conduct a phone interview with her uncle, who was then Malaysia's Ambassador to Vietnam. With precious information from him, I was able to complete my assignment and score an A for it. However, my empathy for the boat people never abated and I regret never having the chance to visit the camp as well as talking face-to-face with some of the refugees. And on 25 June 1996, before I left to further my studies in the United Kingdom, the Sungai Besi transit camp officially closed its doors with the repatriation of the last 22 boat people.

        Australia is one of the four countries where many of the Vietnamese refugees have been permanently resettled. Hence, it explains why there is a thriving Vietnamese community all around Australia, many of whom have set up authentic Vietnamese restaurants. And every time I visit Australia, I make it a point to try the different Vietnamese restaurants...and I have never been disappointed. There was one Vietnamese restaurant in Kiama, New South Wales, that we liked so much that we returned for another meal on a different occasion.

        Tonight, I decided to cook the Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken. Actually, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cooking share a lot of similarities as the same ingredients are featured. Besides lemongrass, a key ingredient here is the fish sauce, which is also used a lot in Thai and Chinese cooking. The combination of the lemongrass and fish sauce is incredibly aromatic! Hubby's only complaint was : let's have smaller pieces of chicken.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken (from Marion's Kitchen)

Stir-fried Cabbage with Prawns