This Morning's Cafe Sua Da

The company I work for, MSS, is throwing a lavish Christmas party this year at a cool venue in the city. The invitation I got said “Please choose the hottest and most charming costume”. Unfortunately for me, all of the qualifying outfits stayed at home in NY. With one day to go, I realized that other than office and beach clothes I brought, I have nothing to wear.

Just like any other sensible woman, I went shopping.

Shopping for a dress in Vietnam is really not a fun activity for me since:
A. I hate shopping. Whatever the occasion/season/location, can’t stand it.
B. This is no ego boost (to put it mildly), everything is very small, tight and short.

After a couple of stores I was ready to join the local “Weight Watchers” and vowed to lay off the cafe sua da (super sweet ice coffee). I walked by a maternity clothing store and even those dresses looked too small to me. Normally, this is when I would give up and reminisce about the good old days when my Grandma used to make my clothes for me. Not really an option this time.

Determined to win this battle and find a dress, I continued on. After what seemed like 50 stores, I found a very nice shop with a very patient and friendly saleswoman. I tried on a few dresses and they all fit! I chose a dress and left the store smiling.

I can now enjoy another sugary drink in peace.

I live in a small neighborhood called Ton That Tuyet in District 4, just across the Saigon River. This neighborhood is 100% Vietnamese, well, minus 2 people: Aryeh and me. This definitely makes for a more authentic experience than staying in the tourist area and I am loving it.

The other night, I decided to get dinner in my hood and started walking around checking out the street food options. My little stroll caused quite a commotion, with every third person stopping to say “hi”, kids smiling and some folks waving or simply pointing. I felt like the queen of England, only better dressed.

I sat down to eat at one of the street stalls and ordered “Bun Bo Hue”, Hue specialty dish and a personal favorite of mine. Within seconds, I had a whole group surrounding me: 1 self-appointed instructor showing me how to eat my dish (clearly he had no idea what a foodie I am), 1 volunteer asking if I liked my food and a about 5 others simply staring as I do my best to not eat the beef chunks.

Dinner was $0.80, the experience – Priceless.

(Pictures coming soon)