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)

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