5 Ways to Become an Alchee in Saigon
One. Heat. It's February folks. It's the coolest time of the year. It's still 90 degrees. Today I walked out of my house, hopped a xe om (motorbike taxi) to the ferry dock, crossed the river, walked about five blocks to a French bakery for the best roast beef sandwich in Saigon, and proceeded to pound a beer faster than the cashier could ring it up. I challenge anyone to do that 20-minute journey in a temperature that's hotter than four hells and not quaff at least one. No chance.
Two. The stuff is cheap. I mean really cheap. Like, a dollar. In a restaurant. Go to the store and it's more like 50 cents. And I'm not talking about Keystone Light quality. I'm talking Heineken, Tiger, Bud. The Czech kind. If I was in Salt Lake City, the only place I'd be able to find that would be at the Bayou, where they'd probably charge me 5 bucks for something lukewarm because a minute ago it was in storage. Oh, then they'd expect me to tip. Here's a tip: Come to Vietnam, and skip that insanity.
Three. Sometimes, it comes in really big bottles. Just look at the picture here of Claire. Those are bottles of Halida. All over the place in Hanoi. In Saigon, it's Tiger. We took some down last night at our favorite sushi joint, Zen. Went fast, too. They do these bowls of fresh carrots and cabbage and cucumber that you dip into a thick soy sauce, then dab in a saucer of salt. Had to have been the salt. Before the salmon handrolls showed up, the beer was gone. And I don't think Claire even managed a sip. (She likes Sake better anyway!)
Four. There's really not much else to do. In Utah, you can play in the snow, go for a hike, and tee it up ... all in the same day sometimes. In Seattle, you can go for a run down the Burke-Gillman, throw a Frisbee around at Gasworks, and watch the sun set at Golden Gardens ... all in the same day easily. Here, there's little green space, the occasional patch of blue sky, and a river browner than my dress shoes. Our saving grace is the swimming pool. And beer. It's a popular combination in our neighborhood on Sunday afternoons, too.
Five. Taxis are a joke. Tonight, we were supposed to meet friends for dinner at 7:30. We called a cab at 7. Then we called again. And again. And again. And ... well, you get the picture. Finally, at 8:30, the cab came. We don't know if this place is just suffering from some kind of Tet hangover right now or what, but taxis seem to be getting harder and harder to come by. It can either by frustrating or fun. We made the most of it -- we cracked a beer and watched American Idol. We even caught the first few minutes of The Office. I think Michael was going to break up with Jan.
Two. The stuff is cheap. I mean really cheap. Like, a dollar. In a restaurant. Go to the store and it's more like 50 cents. And I'm not talking about Keystone Light quality. I'm talking Heineken, Tiger, Bud. The Czech kind. If I was in Salt Lake City, the only place I'd be able to find that would be at the Bayou, where they'd probably charge me 5 bucks for something lukewarm because a minute ago it was in storage. Oh, then they'd expect me to tip. Here's a tip: Come to Vietnam, and skip that insanity.
Three. Sometimes, it comes in really big bottles. Just look at the picture here of Claire. Those are bottles of Halida. All over the place in Hanoi. In Saigon, it's Tiger. We took some down last night at our favorite sushi joint, Zen. Went fast, too. They do these bowls of fresh carrots and cabbage and cucumber that you dip into a thick soy sauce, then dab in a saucer of salt. Had to have been the salt. Before the salmon handrolls showed up, the beer was gone. And I don't think Claire even managed a sip. (She likes Sake better anyway!)
Four. There's really not much else to do. In Utah, you can play in the snow, go for a hike, and tee it up ... all in the same day sometimes. In Seattle, you can go for a run down the Burke-Gillman, throw a Frisbee around at Gasworks, and watch the sun set at Golden Gardens ... all in the same day easily. Here, there's little green space, the occasional patch of blue sky, and a river browner than my dress shoes. Our saving grace is the swimming pool. And beer. It's a popular combination in our neighborhood on Sunday afternoons, too.
Five. Taxis are a joke. Tonight, we were supposed to meet friends for dinner at 7:30. We called a cab at 7. Then we called again. And again. And again. And ... well, you get the picture. Finally, at 8:30, the cab came. We don't know if this place is just suffering from some kind of Tet hangover right now or what, but taxis seem to be getting harder and harder to come by. It can either by frustrating or fun. We made the most of it -- we cracked a beer and watched American Idol. We even caught the first few minutes of The Office. I think Michael was going to break up with Jan.
Comments
Great to read your stuff! Post some on how the work side is going.
Enjoy the warm weather. While you're doing that, I'll be NOT enjoying the millions of feet of snow we seem to be getting every. Single. Week.
We miss you guys!