The Beauty of Hanoi's Culinary Culture

handsome man standing by the sofa serving tea to the teacher” [6,14]. At that time, Hanoi was not elaborate or luxurious with houses of several floors close together, but it was very close and warm with human affection. In the midst of the antiquity of the streets, in the winding of small alleys, people had the opportunity to be close to each other and understand each other.

The change in architecture made Thach Lam afraid of the premonition of people planning to erect a group of sculptures, symbolizing the Nhi Ha and Mekong rivers, to replace the Turtle Tower, which he compared to “looking from afar like a raspberry, below is a monument of two women lying down as if swimming” . The author was indignant when people erected a black-painted electric pole “like a barbaric, clumsy old tree” next to the gate of Ngoc Son Temple, the purse at Quan Thanh with a curved roof shaped like a pagoda and “inside there are police instead of monks” . The tone was gentle but profound and profound. Thach Lam carried within him a sense of nostalgia, he still regretted and missed the ancient, old but intimate, warm and affectionate architecture of Hanoi.

Reading Hanoi, a place to roam, Martín Rama takes readers to the French-style buildings in Hanoi, massive and majestic: “Hanoi has a collection of unique architectural styles. It combines a series of architectural styles, from traditional pagodas and communal houses to old French offices and villas to Soviet-style architecture” . With his love and desire to explore the capital, along with his keen observation and understanding of architecture, Rama discovered buildings designed and built in the French style. In his book, he included authentic images of the city’s architecture during his time in Hanoi, going to every corner to record the most authentic photos.

Rama is not only an artist who loves beauty and is fascinated by the charm of the "muse" Hanoi, but he is also a true architect when exploring this land. He thoroughly researches the birth and origin of the

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architectural style present in the capital. These are Art Deco works or in other words, architectural works influenced by decorative arts. One of the large works in this style is the Indochina Bank (now the headquarters of the State Bank), Bach Mai Hospital or the houses in the Bay Mau Lake and Thien Quang Lake areas. "Hanoi moved south from the 1930s to 1940s, with new residential areas attracting middle-class Vietnamese working for the French colonial government, or for modern capitalists. At that time, Art Deco flourished" [10,10]. It can be seen that this architectural style is completely different from the architectural characteristics of the feudal period. It was introduced into the city through the colonial exploitation process of the French colonialists. However, Martín Rama's perspective has positive aspects with the introduction of Western culture. He considered these to be architectural achievements of the city and although they were imported from outside, they still had harmonious lines with our traditional architectural style. He commented on a hospital building: "Perhaps few people pay attention to the shape of two H letters, the abbreviation of Hôpital de Hanoi, which are glued together, reminiscent of the image of Khue Van Cac in the Temple of Literature" [10,11]. The presence of Art Deco style on the walls and buildings in Hanoi is a testament to the diversity of architectural art in this city. In addition, Martín Rama also studied balconies with different design and decoration styles. They appeared in front of the porch with characteristic colors, the sophistication made of iron or the elegance shown on the facade are all impressive factors for that building. Hanoi is also home to thousands of houses designed in the Beaux Arts style in the early 20th century: “The plaster used to create pseudo-Greek columns and floral arrangements has now crumbled into pieces. Weeds, sometimes even small trees, grow gently in the cracks of the eaves and balconies. Black moss,

and mold has taken over the entire facades of the once neat houses. But despite (or because of) the moss, the Beaux Arts buildings have contributed to the charm of the city” [10,22]. Despite the presence of many architectural schools, Rama still affirms that Hanoi has always retained its traditional beauty. “On the west side of Hoan Kiem Lake is a splendid building,… The building’s French architecture is unmistakable and its Asian decoration is also easily recognizable, this house contains a blend of traditional cultures, which makes Hanoi unique” [10,37].

Walking down French Street, Rama gives readers an idea of the Soviet-style buildings built simply in terms of architecture. The author commented on the photos: “It is interesting that although the country was at war at that time, many Soviet-style buildings had social and cultural themes. Circuses, Workers' Cultural Houses, Puppet Theaters, sports centers, stadiums, markets. Those choices show Vietnam's priorities in a difficult time” [10,95]. Many buildings have collective meanings, praising national heroes, encouraging the fighting spirit, and building socialism. The apartment buildings built in the Soviet style, to meet the housing needs of the capital's growing population, also have their own unique features. Walking on the streets, it is not difficult to come across apartment buildings with many impressive features. These blocks of houses have been changed in function and appearance over time by the residents who freely create their living space. Rama has described in great detail the life in the collective housing areas. “Everywhere in Hanoi, one can easily see houses of a few floors high, looking shabby and sad, all painted yellow, bearing the color of

identical nameplates with white numbers and letters on a blue background” [10,53]. Initially, the collective housing areas (KTT) were built to serve “the model of “advanced family”, praising proletarian values and the common needs of the class. The ideal of collectivity implied that important areas, including kitchens and bathrooms, should be shared by a number of households” but “as social life became more free, the residents of these KTTs also began to occupy their own space” [10,54]. In the same space as the collective housing area, but in different periods, when the social regime changed, the lifestyle of the people also changed a lot. They took advantage of every space, expanding to increase the living area or using it for business purposes. This made the landscape of the collective housing areas somewhat messy, but this is a unique feature in the lifestyle of Hanoians today. M. Rama's discoveries have brought new perspectives to the exploration of the capital's architecture.

The process of domination also entailed many cultural flows that impacted many aspects of society, including architectural works. Song Rama affirmed that Hanoi has a blend of traditional features with the ability to refine culture that still shows the durability of indigenous culture. Hanoi's architecture has many different colors, from French-style tube houses to specialized administrative areas, each with its own highlights. The blend of many types of architecture has created unique landscapes throughout the thirty-six streets. It is the synthesis of traditional architectural types with French and Soviet-style architecture, creating massive public works, famous landmarks, and simple street corners with distinct marks. In that diverse living space, many cultural features of Hanoi people are revealed. Typically, they adapt and integrate quickly with changes in society.

It can be seen that the architecture of Hanoi's old quarter carries the ancient and quiet features of thirty-six streets under the eyes of Thach Lam. The writer expressed his nostalgia for the image of the old quarter with: "in the middle of the house, a square open-air yard, a rockery and goldfish pond, a row of orchids, a water tank and a parallel sentence in Chinese characters on the wall" , all of which have faded into the past. With M. Rama, he specifically described an old quarter architectural house associated with trading activities and bustling life during the period of transformation and change of the country.

Hanoi's landscape architecture reflects the synthesis of the lives of local people and their living areas, which create the city's identity. The living space, residents and their personalities have formed the cultural characteristics of an area that cannot be found anywhere else. If Thach Lam regrets and reminisces about the past, cherishes ancient and old cultural values, Rama welcomes a modern, diverse and developing Hanoi. The meeting point of these two authors is the passionate and earnest love for the capital. Hanoi's architecture and cultural landscape is a relatively new issue in literature. However, from the perspective of Thach Lam and Rama, readers have a very close and specific view of the relationship between space, living environment and indigenous cultural values.

2.2. The beauty of Hanoi culinary culture

Hanoi has a thousand years of culture, was the capital of many dynasties, and lived the way of life of the people of Trang An. Therefore, Hanoi has its own beauty and character. One of the cultural beauties of Hanoi is its culinary culture. Hanoi is a place where regional culinary cultures converge and crystallize, exchange and spread.

Hanoi cuisine is a topic that attracts a lot of attention from researchers and writers. Thach Lam has devoted many pages in his book.

a memoir to write about Hanoi's delicacies. With a soul in tune with the ancient, elegant, and refined beauty, Thach Lam has portrayed a picture of Hanoi that is "beautiful" and "fragrant" to the heart. In Hanoi's Delicacies , Vu Bang once exclaimed: "Hanoi... is so delicious...! Hanoi is delicious not only because of its special delicacies, but also because of the way it is eaten, the way it is advertised, the way it is presented, the way it is sliced, the way it is divided" [2,197]. Discussing this issue, Dr. Le Duc Tu commented: "It is not simply a pure dish, but deeper than that are the spiritual values, the cultural beauties, not only for the present but also for future generations . " “Hanoi's dishes, under the pen of Thach Lam, achieve perfect uniqueness and the height of culinary culture because of the coordination from two sides: the one who makes them and the one who enjoys them” [1,39].

With his keen observation and sensitivity to unique methods, Thach Lam carefully selected and put into his works the gifts that are present on every street corner. It is no coincidence that his pen describes in detail the way Hanoians make and enjoy them. Because "Hanoi gifts have always been famous for being delicious and polite, moreover, gifts... also mean people". Perhaps, these are the most special pages of writing, because "so many good intentions and feelings are put into a little gift in the city".

The “Hanoi gifts” that Thach Lam mentioned in his work are rustic, simple gifts. They are “street vendor gifts” with familiar dishes that are echoed by the cries throughout the streets, even in the alleys. Hanoi gifts are first of all eye-catching because of their form, appearing through the eyes of the poet who enjoys beauty. The gifts that Thach Lam calls “authentic gifts” include: rice rolls, but they must be the right kind, “Thanh Tri rice rolls, thin as paper and clear as silk.” . He

The description of seasonal sticky rice dishes is very attractive: “In the hot season, there are sticky rice and porridge stalls: thick flower porridge with fragrant rice smell, sticky rice with strong sticky rice smell. Sticky rice with beans, sticky rice with peanuts, sticky rice with sesame and coconut. Oh, sticky rice with sesame, grabbed in small handfuls, both rich and fatty… In the cold season, the sticky rice is hot, steam rising like fog, eating it warms the body and fills the stomach” [6,21]. There are many other attractive street foods. There is a bowl of young sticky corn with fragrant onion and fat, “a tray full of bowls of red blood, wriggling white coconut fibers, dotted with fresh basil leaves” , pho stalls, mung bean porridge stalls, black bean sweet soup,…

The writer is also very subtle in classifying street food. He describes both salty and sweet food very carefully and very realistically. The salty dishes are very diverse and rich, "such as vermicelli with crab, vermicelli with grilled pork, eel vermicelli with grilled pork, spring rolls, nem chua, eel vermicelli and vermicelli with snails. Each dish, of course, has its own delicious taste, and each shop also has its own delicious taste" . Vermicelli with grilled pork has thin noodles, the pork must be the delicious type of pork belly grilled with fresh bamboo, served with Lang basil to be authentic. Vermicelli with grilled pork is elaborate, must have enough small pieces of bamboo shoots, must add a little turmeric to "dye the food a yellow color of the sunset on summer days... add a few red tomatoes, a few square pieces of papaya". Vermicelli with pork ribs - a dish that Thach Lam commented that: "just gentle, nothing sophisticated. Just make the water sweet and the noodles chewy, that's enough" makes people like it but not love it, not hate it but not too much. Another type, according to the author, has a more attractive flavor, which is bun soup. It is a blend of celery and celery, which is best when "hot enough to pour into the mouth, making you exclaim" [6,33]. There are few places where the types of noodles and vermicelli are as diverse and delicious as in Hanoi. Banh cuon attracts diners because of "the fragrant taste of the cake, the fine and chewy flour. Vegetarian cakes are light. Salty cakes are rich because of a bit of scallion oil" , and there is also a type of filling made from a bit of half-lean, half-fat shoulder meat mixed with shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, and sliced fresh West Lake shrimp. A clean and pure gift

Like "rice balls, long and small, lying on a tray covered with a pure white cloth" are popular with women going to the market because they are cheap and keep you full for a long time.

Thach Lam sometimes acts like a food critic, sometimes transforms into a real talented chef. Readers are captivated by the way the author presents the unique menus of the thirty-six streets. These are pho stalls with “clear and sweet broth, soft but not mushy rice noodles, crispy but not tough fatty meat, lemon, chili, and onions” , a bowl of wonton “with herbs, sa siu, sometimes a few pieces of sausage, and a portion of eight duck eggs” ,… are familiar street foods. Wandering around the streets of Hanoi, people are also easily attracted by the fragrant smoke of grilled pork “curling like mist on the mountainside, the drops of grilled pork fat sizzling on hot coals like a sigh, and the sound of the fan gently beating like a shaking tree branch, the dish of vermicelli with grilled pork has many charms that are worthy of being called soul-stirring if not stomach-stirring” . Thach Lam wrote “how can very ordinary, very simple things, when placed close together, produce such a unique flavor?” [6,30]. It is true that not only is the appearance beautiful, but "Hanoi's gifts" also attract diners with their very unique flavors. Not only famous for savory gifts like pho, Hanoi's streets also attract many people with their sweet gifts. That is the light taste of lotus seed sweet soup, black bean sweet soup, green bean sweet soup cooked with the shell, and "Phan si thoong" sweet potato sweet soup. Another gift has conquered many diners. That is green rice - a gift of young rice. Thach Lam has reserved for this special gift the utmost care and respect. He considers it "an offering from the vast green rice fields, carrying in its flavor all the rusticity, simplicity and purity of the Vietnamese countryside" . The most delicious is probably Com Lang Vong "the reputation of Com Vong has spread throughout all three districts, and when it's Com season, people in Hanoi's 36 streets often look forward to the pretty Com vendor, neatly dressed, with the special sign of a shoulder pole with both ends curved up like a dragon boat..." [6,49]. Com is also an ingredient for making

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