Buzz
In a modest traditional outfit, skillfully handling bananas on the charcoal stove, it's challenging to recognize Ms. Ngô Thị Bích Thủy, the maestro behind the grilled sticky banana that captivated nearly 100,000 guests at the World Street Food Congress (WSFC) held in Singapore.
The story begins when Ms. Thủy was coincidentally introduced to attend the WSFC for 15 days by a culinary expert. It marked her first overseas trip, presenting her signature grilled sticky banana after more than 20 years.
The results were unexpectedly astounding as, throughout the two weeks, the Vietnamese grilled sticky banana consistently drew the largest crowd at the event.
Selling 700 portions daily (compared to the usual 300 portions at home), Asian tourists flocked in, some even indulging in 2-3 portions at once, continuously praising, “Very good, very good!”
Even in Vietnam, this grilled sticky banana cart has become a familiar spot, especially in the districts of Phú Nhuận and Bình Thạnh (Ho Chi Minh City).
At 4 PM, Ms. Thủy pushes her cart out, and even before the charcoal heats up, two or three motorbikes swarm in, buying either grilled sticky bananas or shredded sweet potatoes. This continuous flow of over 300 lively customers comes and goes until 9 PM. The demand is so high that for the past two years, Ms. Thủy had to hire two additional assistants, even though it's just a roadside grilled banana cart.
“Many of my regular customers have been buying bananas since primary school, and now they have families!” Ms. Thủy shares. Every day, at 5 AM, she wakes up to boil bananas, cook sticky rice, fan the charcoal, and prepare coconut water. Every step of this process is meticulously and attentively done by Ms. Thủy herself over the past 20 years.
Another peculiar aspect of this grilled banana cart is that from Ms. Thủy to all her staff (both male and female), they all wear traditional attire with conical hats, rain or shine, while selling by the roadside.
“Grilled sticky bananas are quite common, so I added a little creativity to make it memorable. Many overseas Vietnamese and foreigners passing by find it intriguing and stop by to not only enjoy the bananas but also take pictures!” Ms. Thủy reveals, her hands skillfully dancing with over a hundred delicious, fragrant grilled sticky bananas.
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Source: Mytour Travel Handbook – Via: Tuổi trẻ Newspaper.
MytourJuly 5, 2013
