If you do peel it, you can use the peelings to make ginger tea. The tea's fragrance and taste are most appealing. Ginger is great in desserts too. At Tan Dinh, the best Vietnamese restaurant in Paris of the early Eighties, I used to love the ginger creme caramel. Saigon was once known as the Paris of the Orient, and in California's Little Saigon, French influences abound.
Some buildings even have elements of French colonial design.
Often we meet Vietnamese who speak French. Vietnamese bakeries produce excellent French bread, some of the best in Orange County. Vietnamese meat sandwiches are very good. From your first bite into the crusty baguette, you might think you're eating a Parisian sandwich. But the sweet radish and carrot pickles and a few thin chili slices inside are vivid reminders that this tasty snack has a South Asian twist.