Wish we could have spent more time in Vietnam, but as the blog says, we need to get a move on, so here are some final thoughts...
Regrets:
- Not visiting Dalat, a mountain town where many Vietnamese go for their honeymoon
- Not finding Rich's soup made from rice paddy crabs (bun rieu cua) on any menu
- On the night train, buying what we thought were chips, but actually was a bun with possibly strips of cheese or butter and a filling that can only be described as fur! We found out later the "fur" is actually "pork floss," and I am sorry, call us close-minded, but pork should not be unrefrigerated and above all, should NOT BE FLOSSED!
Previously unmentioned highlights:
- Pho, the breakfast - or really any meal - of champions!
- A pretty decent steak and chips (steak frites, heavy on the garlic, from the French influence), which we never would have ordered except it was a popular choice at the street stall
- Walking through someone's living room with grandma and kids watching cartoons to get to the restaurant's "upstairs outdoor seating" on the balcony
- Hoi An crispy country pancakes (banh xeo)
- Being able to watch World Cup matches anywhere - from being with the family at the homestay in a mountain village to with hundreds of Vietnamese fans at a giant outdoor screen in Hoi An
The "fur" made me laugh out loud! Are you talking about the dried shredded pork you sometimes put on congee? I actually like that stuff! =)
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was what you are thinking, Rianna. Pork floss has the consistency of cotton candy and the same tendency to sort of melt in your mouth in a stringy way and leave a meaty-fishy aftertaste... so much so that at the time, we thought it might have even been dried fish, which would have been fine.
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