Food is an important motivation of travel. While in Hue, you should eat like a Hue resident!
Spend a savoury evening with a passionate guide and cyclo drivers to mindfully explore Hue off-the-beaten-path and surprising food. All chosen dishes, venues reflect the three gastronomic traditions of the ancient capital: Royal, folk, and vegetarian cuisine. Different from other Street Food Tours, the Evening Foodie & Cyclo Tour by Slow Travel Hue helps travellers embrace Five Senses, Five Tastes, Five Viscera, Five WHs and Five eco-social purposes.
The philosophy behind Hue foodie tour
The whole food selection follows the philosophy of Yin and Yang, and principles of Wu Xing (Ngũ Hành – the five elements: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth). The Yin and Yang of each dish is greatly appreciated to balance out perfectly the spicy heat of yang with the cooling sweet and sour of yin to make the body healthy.
Over the years, our Evening Foodie and Cyclo Tour has been highly appreciated by FITs, families as well as big groups. This is a great alternative to enjoy a more authentic, interactive dining than a standard touristy menu. Thanks to some conscious upgrades in venues, dishes, the foodie travelers have shared with us direct compliments and wonderful reviews on TripAdvisor.
We wish you would join us offering your customers a more immersive and affordable culinary experience whilst promoting traditional slow food and leveraging grassroot suppliers with sustainable income. But firstly, let us share what the FIVE MAGICAL ELEMENTS are about
From a bite with Five Fundamental Tastes
Only with a small bite of fresh roll, you already take in five tastes. Spicy for Metal, Sour for Wood, Bitter for Fire, Salty for Water and Sweet for Earth. When eating Lemongrass pork skewer, you enjoy slices of green star fruit, young fig, herbs, chili, and “grandma secret” sauce.
To the benefits for Five Viscera (Five internal organs of the body)
According to the principle of Oriental herbal medicine “Tính vị quy kinh”, the five tastes correspond to five internal organs. Salty goes to Kidneys (Thận), Sour goes to Liver (Gan), Spicy goes to Lungs (Phổi), Sweet goes to Spleen (Tỳ), Bitter goes to Heart. Therefore, a balance of five tastes in eating can grant the balance of five organs and a healthy body and prevent illness.
From the harmony of Five Colours
Hue housewives and culinary artisans are very clever to make the best uses of Five nutrients to create healthy dishes: powder, liquid, mineral, protein, fat. More than that, they pass on the know-how to retain the natural Five colours: White for Metal, Green for Wood, Yellow for Earth, Red for Fire, Black for Water.
To the satisfaction of Five Senses
While in Hue, people have three levels of food consumption. “Khẩu thực” (eating by mouth), “Nhãn thực” (eating by eyes), and “Tâm thực” (eating with the whole heart). As a matter of fact, Hue is famous for slow living and slow food. A delicate arrangement attracts the Sights. Crispy sounds of pancakes entertain the Hearing. Five spices entice the Tastes. Aromatic ingredients from various fresh herbs appeal to Smell. Exciting finger food delights the Touch.
From the 5WHs to Five Eco-social purposes
It is important to note that Hue is home to almost 1,700 of the country’s 3,000 traditional dishes. However, our culinary experience is not about tasting different dishes, places as much as possible. All the food and venues are selected for purposes which highly value not only What to eat, but more importantly Where and When to eat that dish, Why and How.
Four stops for inclusive food and drinks are insightfully chosen. The vegetarian dishes like salad starter and hot soup suit well a pagoda styled restaurant. Folk specialties like lemongrass pork skewers, “Bánh Khoái” pancakes go well in a bistro with an open kitchen. But to fully “savour” sweet soup dessert, one must sit next to a streetside vendor, on a low stool or wooden bench to enjoy the feast of sight, scenes, and sounds. A chill-out with fine drink and healthy finger food in a charming bar-café is a Must-Have. This is a great moment to connect, learn some survival Vietnamese and talk about the local culture and philosophy behind the food with your knowledgeable guide.
Nevertheless, the Hue Evening Foodie and Cyclo tour cannot not be fulfilled without the very Fifth Element, centered on PEOPLE. Neither car nor motorbike is used. Our dedicated guide rides a bicycle along and guests are taken care of by a friendly cyclo driver. The means justify for the good intention toward Five eco-social impacts.
- Exploration with net zero CO2 emission
- Creation of sustainable job for cyclo drivers (especially during winter seasons)
- Slow travelling to fully absorb Hue culture, mindful slowness.
- Inspirations for traditional, healthy eating habits
- More meaningful interaction between guests, guides, drivers, and locals.
Please connect with us and let us present to you in live the collection of Immersion in Hue and take you on a journey of five tastes, five senses, five colours… for five purposes.
