tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684630672366511785.post7097614073593546754..comments2024-01-27T15:28:25.969+07:00Comments on Vietnam Adventures: Our new bedDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18191490894192919621noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4684630672366511785.post-16379176386483947812010-05-24T22:24:30.426+07:002010-05-24T22:24:30.426+07:00What's That Pho?
French 'loan words' ...What's That Pho?<br /><br />French 'loan words' in Vietnam hark back to old colonial days<br /><br /><br /><br />Pho is a French word? Who knew?<br /><br />One of the most popular dishes from Vietnam to make it to restaurant tables<br />around the world, from New York to London, is pho. There's pho bo and<br />pho ga and pho tai and more.<br />And while the jury's still out, it is widely believed<br />by linguists and word sleuths that the word ''pho'' is not a<br />Vietnamese word, but in fact comes from the French term "pot au feu"<br />(pronounced ''poh oh fuh''). The word was likely introduced to Vietnam<br />by French colonialists more than 100 years ago, according to longtime<br />Vietnam resident Didier Corlou, a top French<br />chef in Hanoi. Corlou told a food seminar in Hanoi in 2003 that<br />''pho'' most likely was a transliteration of the French term for hot<br />pot.<br /><br />The list of French "loans words" still used in Vietnam today is<br />gaining recognition as young Vietnamese<br />become more curious about their nation's past, 23-year -old Abby<br />Nguyen of Ho Chi Minh City told me in<br />a recent email.<br /><br />Before the Americans got involved in a long and protacted war in<br />Vietnam in the 1960s and 70s, the French had been heavily involved in<br />the country for over 300 years, she said. From 1853 to 1954, France ran Vietnam<br />as an<br />overseas colony. As a result, Vietnam's French<br />colonial past has left<br />an indelible mark on the country's language.<br /><br />The Vietnamese word for cheese, for example,<br />''pho mat'', comes from the French word ''fromage" -- say it out loud<br />slowly -- and cake is called "ga to",<br />from the French word "gateau."<br /><br />The word for butter -- "bo" -- comes from the French word "buerre."<br /><br />During a recent research expedition via keyboard and Internet, this<br />reporter came across over 25<br />"loan words" from French still used in Vietnam today, in addition to<br />pho mat and ga to and bo.<br /><br />To understand<br />all this, it helps to know a little French, but even if you never<br />studied French in high school or college and you don't<br />know bonjour from bonsoir, ''amusez-vous bien''. That means: ''Enjoy!''<br /><br />Liver pate is called "pa" in Vietnam today. Pate chaud, according to<br />Californian foodie Andrea Nguyen of the Viet World Kitchen blog, isDANIELBLOOMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05130493903696077379noreply@blogger.com