Keeping Fit - Difficult or Not ?!!!

For some weeks lately, everyone who has met me has given the same comment that I look fatter. Hearing these words, I am not yet worried right now because I can see myself still slim in the mirror everyday, but I have truly realised that it is already time to be more vigilant to sweets, cakes, sugar, milk, butter… and their related products, and simultaneously to think seriously of a more proper diet regime and a more regular training program so as to control my weight effectively, keeping it from putting on any more.

As per my own experience in the past, to keep fit is not too difficult and quite feasible, but it requires patience and a high spirit of determination. That means for a certain period of time ahead, sometimes I must sacrifice part of my interests, I cannot live only by instinct. Furthermore, I must live by more will, essentially follow some strict rules for my daily living activities. I must choose which habits are good to maintain and develop while removing which are not good. Especially for my eating habit, from now on, I should temporarily limit myself from almost all roasted or grilled dishes or other fat-high food stuffs with their attraction for at least 3-4 months. Instead, I should offer my top priority to calcium-rich and fat-low or fat-free dishes, especially more vegetables and fruits. I know this process is not easy, but everything is always difficult at the beginning, should be gradually easier in doing afterwards. Therefore, for a practically beneficial objective of keeping fit, getting a healthier mind and body, living younger and looking nicer to everyone’s eyes and to myself too, I must overcome all and try my best.

To start this challenging campaign, this afternoon, I tried to make up a relatively adequate menu of several healthy dishes for one month ahead for convenient automatic implementation and unnecessary to think or wonder before cooking or eating out each day. As soon as I completed drafting a table on Winword for my new menu, very promptly, appeared in my mind the beautiful image of a special dish named Bun Rieu Cua.



Bun rieu is a Vietnamese traditional and typical rice noodle soup, which can be seen in many popular street-shops in every corner of Hanoi.There are several varieties of bun rieu, including bun rieu cua, bun rieu ca, and bun rieu oc (respectively with crabs, or fish, or snails as main bases for the soups). Bun rieu cua is served with tomato broth and topped with crab paste. In this dish, various freshwater paddy crabs are used, including the brown paddy crab found in rice paddies in Vietnam.The crabs are cleaned by being placed in clean water to remove dirt and sand. Then the crabs are pounded with the shell on into a fine paste. This paste is strained and the crab liquid is a base for the soup along with tomato. The crab residue is used as the basis for crab cakes. Other ingredients for this dish are: fried tofu, me or giam bong (kinds of rice vinegar), Garcinia multiflora, split water spinach stems, shredded banana flower, rau kinh gioi and some other herbs.


For me as well as most of other Vietnamese people, bún riêu cua must be enjoyed at its full delicacy with some small slices of fried tofu. Besides, depending on each person’s taste, bun rieu cua can be more flavored with a special sauce being shrimp sauce well stirred with lemon, fresh chilly, and a bit sugar. Finally, for me, this speciality is more perfect if taken with some pickled baby eggplants (ca phao), very typical of the Vietnamese countryside, that is the origin of Bun rieu cua.




Enjoying these charming images of Bun rieu cua, I am telling myself that this simple dish, with so remarkable qualities of calcium-high content, cool and fresh ingredients of tomato and various herbs, rich natural protein source of crabs and tofu, and most importantly, its special taste and flavor, is worthy of the top and opening position in my new menu. Today my menu is still short, but hopefully, day after day, it will surely get longer with more healthy dishes.