Vietnamese eating habits
Vietnamese food is varied and distinctive. It is considerably low fat and high in carbohydrates. Traditional Vietnamese cooking usually uses fresh ingredients, little dairy and oil, and various herbs and vegetables. Different sauces such as fish sauce, shrimp paste, and soya sauce are quite popular in various regions.
There is no concept of ‘courses’ in a Vietnamese meal. A meal consists of various dishes: main dish (meat, fish, egg or tofu), vegetable, soup and rice. Rice is the staple in Viet Nam. In many families, people eat around a tray of food with a small bowl of fish sauce in the middle. Around this bowl are the dishes. If people place the food on a table, a similar arrangement is followed. Dishes are served communally. Usually there is a big dish/bowl of each dish, and people use chopsticks and spoons to get their share.
In general, Vietnamese food is considered healthy and is popular in other countries.