Shadowing Practice: I Review VIETNAMESE BBQ! - Is Cơm Tấm Better Than A Western Grill? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hello, hello, it's good to be back, it's good to be back in Vietnam.
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Surely one of the most exciting food destinations on the planet.
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Why?
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Because it's got something, no matter what the weather.
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Winter has come to Hanoi, it's freezing.
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So I'm thinking barbecue.
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Just over there, a huge hole in the wall, plumes of smoke coming out grilled pork smells amazing how does
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Vietnamese barbecue compare to Western barbecue judging by the smell so far
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so good we're gonna order we're gonna see it taste it
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I'm gonna rate it out of ten let's dig in get over this road oh Oh hello Come sound in one piece
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There we go smells good Xin chào
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Xin chào anh ạ Oh dồi dồi rất ngon Níu thịt Thịt thịt lắc thơm Vâng,
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xuân Ok, tuyệt vời I'm so excited!
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Ha ha ha!
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Master chef!
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Come on, yeah!
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We can do it!
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We can do it a little bit!
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We can do it!
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Music Absolutely
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lovely restaurant.
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It's really simple, basic but clean.
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Super busy in here.
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It must be popular.
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So far the signs are good.
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The menu is also simple.
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Lucky for me, because my Vietnamese language skills are also quite basic.
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I'm going to go for the Cơm suồng bicha và ốc lá
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Which means I'm gonna get a fried egg with it To drink, nước ối ối is guava juice,
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freshly squeezed Okay, so I'm gonna order Anh ơi,
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chào em một cơm suồng bicha ốc lá Và một nước ối Không sao,
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không sao, trắng lèo Food ordered,
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see you when it arrives.
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Outside there are pools of smoke coming out of a huge chimney from that barbecue and I can smell it right here.
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Smells like good barbecue.
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Let's dig in.
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I'm going to start with the staple, the broken rice.
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Lovely.
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Let's move on to the vegetables.
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Some cucumber.
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Really fresh, crunchy and slightly pickled.
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A slight sweetness and sour.
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Lovely vegetables.
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And the rice is really warm comforting and soft vegetables crunchy so they contrast really well let's move on to this here
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it's like a pork floss fermented pork similar to like a nemtua salty sour taste
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What a lovely addition.
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This plate is like a treasure trove.
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So much going on.
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What's this here?
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Let's have a look.
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It's like a kind of pork terrine.
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It looks really juicy.
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Have a look again at that.
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How succulent that looks. That looks delicious.
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Mmm.
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we like that how about the egg the all-important egg i love it
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when they fry eggs so it's really crispy and golden
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but oh yeah and there's still some runniness in that yolk i love that
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i would have liked the yolk to be even more runny i like it when the yolk
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breaks all over the plate and all over the meat but hey it's still good
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have a look at that egg crunchy golden the runniness of the yolk there
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i'm glad i came out tonight just for that Love it.
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So far, all of the components, fantastic.
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How's the meat?
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I've got a fork and a spoon.
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I'm not quite sure how I'm supposed to cut with a spoon.
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Where there's a will, there's a way.
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I've bent the fork.
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That's the money.
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That's the good stuff.
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That's the taste of how it smells outside.
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Smoky and sweet.
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Whatever they've marinated the meat in has made the pork succulent.
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Let's have a look here.
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Succulent.
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It's got that char on it.
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They've cooked it perfectly.
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whatever they've marinated it in and then on
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that super smoky fire pit is something really special let's start
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to mix it up we'll get some of the meat get
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a little bit of rice get some more egg oh we like that and some of this pork cake which I really like
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and a little bit of the crunchiness of the vegetables and we're going to pour on it a little bit
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of this fish sauce
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which is infused with chilli broken rice
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This dish isn't broken, it's perfect.
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I love it.
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So much going on but everything complements each other so well.
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And when you bring in this fish sauce, which has been sweetened slightly and infused with chilli,
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it really elevates the dish.
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I like that.
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And that's not all.
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We've got our soup as well.
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After the sweetness and smokiness of the meat,
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you got this soup here and it's cold.
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And it's got an earthy, salty flavour, full of cabbage.
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So refreshing to contrast the sweetness and smokiness of the meat.
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a well thought out, well put together dish.
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I'm going to finish up here and I'll see you outside for my final thoughts.
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Come down.
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I like this.
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How much money?
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175 for you.
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Yes. Can you eat it?
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It's good.
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Thank you very much.
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Sorry.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Hello and welcome to my final thoughts.
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This place, I noticed, It doesn't have a name.
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All of the letters have fallen off over the years
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and they haven't bothered to replace them you know what it
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doesn't need a sign the sign is right here there are plumes of smoke coming out of
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that chimney and the people driving by you see them smelling it
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and they stop they pull over
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and they come in gum thumb a dish from the south of Vietnam Saigon
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or Ho Chi Minh City made for workers
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and poor people with the the scrapings of the rice from the rice factory from the floor
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cooked to make a really cheap dish but now it's enjoyed by everybody
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and i can completely understand why the meat marinated
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and cooked on a smoky barbecue is delicious sweet smoky salty
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and then everything
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that it was served with the rice for the carbohydrate the vegetables for the crunchy sourness
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and that cake of pork and egg and mushrooms
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and maybe some noodles in there it was succulent and juicy
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and then of course a fried egg fried at a really high temperature steaming hot oil making it crispy
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and golden and then the fish sauce
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which gives it a sweet saltiness with a slight kick from the chili in there all of that together
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and then with a little bowl of soup to refresh the
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palate gum tum is an amazing meal i can understand why it's so busy in there
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the price 85 000 vietnam dong which is about two pounds 65 pence or just over three dollars and then
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And then 5,000 Vietnam Dong for the iced tea, which is about 15 pence or 20 cents.
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I would have liked the egg to be more runny in the yolk, so that the yolk breaks all over the meat.
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For that reason, I'm going to give it a 9 out of 10, otherwise it would be a definite 10.
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What a great meal, and what amazing value for money.
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Vietnam, you never cease to amaze.
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How lucky am I to be here to come and enjoy that.
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And one question, how are all the Vietnamese people eating the meat without a knife?
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Just with a fork and a spoon, I did struggle.
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Hello.
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I did struggle to get through the meat just with a spoon.
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I'm not sure how they're doing it.
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Mainly just with their teeth.
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Arrrr!
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Also, the guava juice, the orange juice and stuff on the menu, that wasn't there.
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I would have really liked a fruit juice to go with it.
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So I just ordered an iced tea.
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And that was a mistake because it is absolutely freezing.
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Fortunately, you can come here to a Kumbtam restaurant in Hanoi to warm up.
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Come and hang on!
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Okay.
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Until our next food adventure, take care.
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See you, man.
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Delicious.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English listening and speaking skills through a vibrant exploration of Vietnamese barbecue. You will engage with a video that highlights not only the delicious food, like Cơm Tấm, but also the cultural nuances of dining in Vietnam. By immersing yourself in this content, you will enhance your vocabulary, improve your English pronunciation, and learn to express your opinions about food and experiences using descriptive language.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Cơm Tấm: A popular Vietnamese dish made from broken rice, often served with meat and vegetables.
- Xin chào: Hello (a common greeting in Vietnamese).
- Nước ối ối: Guava juice, a refreshing drink mentioned in the video.
- Pork floss: A type of dried, seasoned meat that adds texture and flavor to dishes.
- Fermented pork: A traditional Vietnamese food that has a salty and sour taste.
- Pickled vegetables: Vegetables that have been preserved in vinegar and spices, often adding a dynamic flavor to meals.
- Comforting: A term to describe food that is warm, satisfying, and evokes positive feelings.
- Treasure trove: A phrase used to describe a collection that has much to offer, often referring to delicious and varied foods.
Practice Tips
To make the most out of this lesson, consider using the shadowing technique. As you watch the video, try to listen carefully to the speaker's intonation and pace before attempting to repeat their words. This is particularly effective as the speaker uses a lively tone and varied speeds, which can challenge your pronunciation and fluency.
Here are some tailored tips for using the shadow speech method with this video:
- Start by listening to short segments of the transcript. Pause the video and repeat sentences out loud to practice improving your English pronunciation.
- Use a shadowing app to record your voice and compare it to the original audio. This can help you identify areas where you need improvement.
- Focus on the rhythm and flow of the speaker's words, mimicking not just the sounds but also their emotion and emphasis.
- Practice daily, even for a short period, to build your speaking confidence and fluency.
Engaging with this content will not only help you learn useful vocabulary related to food and culture but also enhance your overall speaking skills through consistent practice. Happy learning!
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.