Soda Chanh

Vietnam is a wonderful place for non-alcoholic drinks. In many a cafe, menus are a weighty tome  showcasing an array of tropical fruits, juiced, blended and concocted in a multitude of imaginative ways. Then there's the coffees in all their iced, frothed and flavoured varieties, and usually a page or two devoted to tea creations as well. 


However, as thirst quenching is often my biggest priority, I often skip the exotic and opt for a a simple soda chanh. Freshly squeezed lime and soda over ice is an extremely satisfying drink when you're feeling a little overheated.


For me, this drink has three ingredients, as described above. But as you can see from the picture, for most it is not complete without a tablespoon or five of sugar. It made me smile the other day, when this drink was most respectfully placed in front of me. It's funny how soft  drinks are usually loaded with sugar in the west too, but it's all nicely blended in so we can kind of pretend this naughty additive isn't there. 


It's an interesting difference in perception, but sugar's lack of taboo status in Vietnam and liberal use, especially in drinks, is somewhat concerning. This morning I had a freshly squeezed orange juice and requested it duong, just a little sugar, so she only whacked in 2 tablespoons. There's no doubt Vietnamese have a bit of a sweet tooth, especially southerners, because it's used a lot to balance flavours in savoury food too. With growing affluence, it seems that they will be treading the same path of health problems that western countries have.


When you're ordering a drink in Vietnam, a handy phrase to know is khong duong, no sugar.