dw & i participated in our
local neighborhood
trivia night recently
we summarily got our
asses kicked
never mind that we are
devoted Jeopardy viewers,
our collective knowledge of
randomosity be damned,
the floor was wiped
with our asses
for staunch introverts
it’s something short of a miracle
to get us out of the house
if it’s not an actual
gathering with dear friends,
or a private 1:1 meal,
but there we were,
admittedly on the fringe,
right at the edge of the crowd,
quietly observing other trivia-buffs
i suppose we could’ve
responded more warmly to others
who attempted conversation with us
(do you really think we should
name our team elephantitis??)
i could’ve been wittier
(i have nothing witty to say
between these parenthesis)
we could’ve mingled
gawd, we are so awkward!
in the end, we came in
second to last
i take comfort in knowing that we were
the lone 2 person team,
everyone else being 3+ or more,
one team totaling about A DOZEN
i also take comfort in knowing
that our illegal rooftop
herb garden has been fruitful
not having to rush home with store-bought
basil or mint
trimming the stems & dunking it
into water to stave off wilting
now i can just turn to dw to
harvest a handful
and 10 minutes later
our meal is all the better tasting
we can’t be victorious in everything we do
i’ll take a victory at home herbage
over trivia anytime
Vietnamese Vermicelli Noodle Bowl
{bun thit ga nuong}
for the marinade:
2.5 TBL fish sauce (use the red boat brand)
1.5 TBL sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
2 stalks of green scallions, diced
1 whole organic chicken, chopped up
for the dressing (nuoc mam cham):
3 TBL fish sauce
3 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL sugar
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 TBL freshly squeezed lime juice
1 bird’s eye chili
mix all completely, can keep in clean jar in fridge for weeks.
extras & garnishes:
vermicelli noodles, cooked according to package instructions
cucumber, sliced
handful of washed & dried mint and basil leaves
pickled carrots/daikon (do chua)
crushed roasted peanuts
green scallions/onions chopped & mildly cooked in a bit of olive oil
spring rolls (which i always buy, ain’t nobody got time to make these from scratch)
treat this like a salad. in a bowl add in however much noodles and vegs you want. top with the grilled meat, garnish with green scallions oil and finish with the crushed peanuts. season with the dressing. you’re aiming for a sweet, sour, salty and spicy mix in your mouth.
yields: 2 bowls, serving 2 hungry people (*note: this is worst case scenario calculation. i typically err on side of fat ass) – calories: 447 | total fat: 2.2g | saturated fat: 2.2g | cholesterol: 145.3mg | sodium: 4163mg | total carbs: 28.7g | dietary fiber: 0.6g | sugars: 26.3 g | protein: 51.3g
other vermicelli noodle bowls:
angry asian creations – with grilled lamb
wandering chopsticks – with pork + shrimp
morestomach 
This looks delicious. I’ve never seen spring rolls in a noodle bowl – only ever as an accompaniment. I bet it give a great texture. I love meals like this, how you can ad lib to your own tastes and even each bowl on the table can be different. I adore coriander so I’d add a handful to my bowl but my husband would be happier without a single coriander leaf.
it’s called bun thu nuong cha gio. i’ve always seen it with this dish. if done right, it sometimes steals the dish.
We must be on the same wavelength. I was just thinking of making bun thit ga nuong since I’ve done pork and venison already.
I love trivia night! I remember once scoring points for knowing that Cristina Aguilera was born in Pittsburgh. The music reporter’s answer was New Jersey, but he wasn’t sure, so they went with me. And I only knew because it was on the radio right before then. And I’m not even a fan! Sadly, I need to boast because I score so few points on trivia night. 😛
chi wc, great minds think alike! 🙂
girl, i am the same way. i cheesed so hard on the questions that i did get correct, it was kinda sad.
Red Boat ftw!!
Nathan and I are introverts too. ONCE we went to trivia night, at Applebees. Our social anxiety makes things like that tougher. Happy that you attended and participted! Trivia is tough and Jeopardy is the death of me, I can’t even be Smarter Than a Fifth Grader.
One of my favorite, favorite Viet dishes! You’ve really simplified it here. And your photos are the best. As usual, showing up the rest of us 🙂
i’m not very good at trivia either, but it is perfect people watching. and really, sometimes, it’s nice to get out & be out of our comfort zone.
At least you didn’t come in last place – that’s impressive. : D (I’m a total wallflower
This vermicelli is gorge! I’m flabbergasted, as usual, by your photography prowess. xo
you are so sweet valerie, thank you.
*edit* sorry. Part of my comment was cut off…I can’t quite grasp how to leave comments on WordPress. 😛
how is it looking for you? email me or something, cus i want to make sure it’s easy for everyone to be able to comment.
As a fellow introvert, I usually avoid game nights like the plague. I want you to make me one of these fab noodle bowls!
please do let me know if you make this and how it turns out for you.
My stomach is actually growling right now. GROWLING. This reminds me of my favourite dish at my favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto. The #18. And I’d like to have some RIGHT NOW.
or you could make it yourself, when you’re not busy being awesome and baking fancy treats!
I am really bad with these trivia things and avoid it at all cost..These noodle bowl looks so good and i have said this before – i absolutely love your photography. You need to teach me.