"Those are fried squid on a BBQ skewer, I know it," claimed Ari.
"No, I think it is a small animal," argues Lisa.
"5 baht (3 cents US)" claims the vender.
"Ari, I don't think that is squid."
"Trust me," claims Ari.
"Oh wait," realizes Ari. "Those are little legs."
"Chicken feet," we realize in unison.
One fellow traveler, who had lived in Thailand for two years, claimed that the Thais are crazy for chicken feet. "They just eat it up!" he exclaimed.
Although Ari and I decided not to partake in the chicken feet delicacy, we have eaten some truly amazing food. I lost track of how many times Ari stated, "I love Thailand" as we have eaten our way through the night markets. Green papaya salad, Tom Yum Soup, red curries, mango sticky rice and, mangosteens and an endless list of tropical fruits...The list goes on.
The Thais are passionate about their food and do a fabulous job with presentation, flavor, and spice. One traveler told us, "if I hiccup right away, after I take a few bites, I know it is too spicy." Ari and I have both experienced the sensation of sweat collecting on our faces as we take just one more bite, unwilling to give in to the Thai spice challenge. Definitely one of the best styles of food I've tried and one of the many things that we are truly enjoying in Thailand.
As a means to get closer to the Thai culinary experience, we took a one day course from our new friend and crazy Thai chef, Kan. She is wonderful. She just opened her own Thai cooking class business, so if you're ever in Chiang Mai, look up SukSaBai - Thai Cookery class. Her energy, enthusiasm, and humor make for a great day in the kitchen.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Americans in Vietnam...Surreal
The entire time we were in Vietnam, we continually said, "We can't believe we're in Vietnam." Often times we wondered why we, as Americans, are even allowed in Vietnam. I feel fairly ignorant as to the history of the Vietnam War, beyond the major historical facts, dates, aftermath, etc.
With that said, my middle name is David. That name was given to me by my parents in honor of my father's best friend, David Ugland, a West Point graduate who was killed in the Vietnam War. As a result, I feel a certain connection with the war and the country.
We discussed the war, which they call the American War, with a couple of our Vietnamese guides. We asked them frankly: "What do you think about Americans?" They explained that they have no ill feelings towards Americans or America. One guide explained it as follows: "The Vietnamese, as a people, have the ability to forgive. That doesn't mean we forget, however. After 1975, when the war ended and Vietnam was reunified, the country made a decision to move on and get on with life. Our main focus is the economy. We can't do this if we hold grudges."
I pressed the guide. Was he giving me the party line? He was, after all, a tour guide and admitted he'd been asked the question multiple times. What is he going to tell me, someone who just paid a lot of money for a 3-day cruise in Halong Bay? He was not going to tell me that anyone in his country hated Americans. I told him, as a tour guide, he is only going to tell me positive stuff. He said that is not true. He explained that whenever he introduces American tourists to everyday Vietnamese, they are always friendly and warm to the Americans.
What our guides told us, may be true, but I'm still not convinced. I assume there is a difference in attitudes or perspectives between those who fought for the North or the South. But, in defense of their remarks, the age of the average Vietnamese is very young and many, if not most, have no memory of the atrocities of war. I analogize it with my perspective towards Germans we've met on the road, of which there have been many. They have all been warm, genuine, and a joy to interact with. My first association is not the Holocaust and how their forefathers killed 6 million Jews. I am, however, curious about their perspective, thoughts, and feelings with regard to the atrocities committed. Maybe Vietnamese have a similar take on Americans. I do not know. And due to language and cultural barriers, I may never know. What I do know is that it is probably different for each Vietnamese citizen.
The Vietnam War and Iraq war are often compared. Lisa and I have wondered, will our kids (Moms: Lisa is not pregnant) visit Iraq and be welcomed as tourists some day? Hard to imagine, but I'm sure our parents could not imagine that some day their kids would be on a 3-day cruise in Halong Bay in northern Vietnam.
With that said, my middle name is David. That name was given to me by my parents in honor of my father's best friend, David Ugland, a West Point graduate who was killed in the Vietnam War. As a result, I feel a certain connection with the war and the country.
We discussed the war, which they call the American War, with a couple of our Vietnamese guides. We asked them frankly: "What do you think about Americans?" They explained that they have no ill feelings towards Americans or America. One guide explained it as follows: "The Vietnamese, as a people, have the ability to forgive. That doesn't mean we forget, however. After 1975, when the war ended and Vietnam was reunified, the country made a decision to move on and get on with life. Our main focus is the economy. We can't do this if we hold grudges."
I pressed the guide. Was he giving me the party line? He was, after all, a tour guide and admitted he'd been asked the question multiple times. What is he going to tell me, someone who just paid a lot of money for a 3-day cruise in Halong Bay? He was not going to tell me that anyone in his country hated Americans. I told him, as a tour guide, he is only going to tell me positive stuff. He said that is not true. He explained that whenever he introduces American tourists to everyday Vietnamese, they are always friendly and warm to the Americans.
What our guides told us, may be true, but I'm still not convinced. I assume there is a difference in attitudes or perspectives between those who fought for the North or the South. But, in defense of their remarks, the age of the average Vietnamese is very young and many, if not most, have no memory of the atrocities of war. I analogize it with my perspective towards Germans we've met on the road, of which there have been many. They have all been warm, genuine, and a joy to interact with. My first association is not the Holocaust and how their forefathers killed 6 million Jews. I am, however, curious about their perspective, thoughts, and feelings with regard to the atrocities committed. Maybe Vietnamese have a similar take on Americans. I do not know. And due to language and cultural barriers, I may never know. What I do know is that it is probably different for each Vietnamese citizen.
The Vietnam War and Iraq war are often compared. Lisa and I have wondered, will our kids (Moms: Lisa is not pregnant) visit Iraq and be welcomed as tourists some day? Hard to imagine, but I'm sure our parents could not imagine that some day their kids would be on a 3-day cruise in Halong Bay in northern Vietnam.
Nap Time in Vietnam
The Vietnamese don't let anything, such as extreme heat, loud noises, lack of a bed, or ridiculous locations, get in the way of their mid-day nap. Lisa and I stumbled, sometimes literally, on people napping.
Tuk tuk drivers would sleep in their tuk tuks. We found people napping throughout the markets, on top, below, or on the side of whatever they were selling - fruit, fish, fabric, etc. With a magic internal sensor that sprung into action when you walked by, momentarily waking up to state, "you buy?" then back to horizontal.
There was a shop that Lisa and I entered in Mui Ne (sleepy beach town on the southern China Sea) where Lisa thought she heard a bulldog snorting loudly. Turned out to be the shopkeeper laid out in the middle of his shop on a cot partaking in his mid day nap. Neither of us had heard snoring of this magnitude.
The best napping experience, was in the train station in Nha Trang. We arrived at the train station to find that although our Lonely Planet said the station would be open until 2 pm, it was only 1:10pm and the station was dark and closed. We had a moment of panic as we did not want to lose a day and night by having to stay in Nha Trang. We walked up to the window and Ari noted a woman napping on a cot inside the ticket office. He started to tap on the window, only to be stopped by a local, pointing to a sign written in Vietnamese. Apparently the sign stated that nap time was from 11:30-1:30, when the train station was apparently closed. The local told us to wait 20 minutes, which we did. At precisely 1:30, the lights turned on, the women rose and put their cots away, fixed their hair and makeup, and opened their ticket windows. We promptly purchased two train tickets for the overnight train to Danang.
Tuk tuk drivers would sleep in their tuk tuks. We found people napping throughout the markets, on top, below, or on the side of whatever they were selling - fruit, fish, fabric, etc. With a magic internal sensor that sprung into action when you walked by, momentarily waking up to state, "you buy?" then back to horizontal.
There was a shop that Lisa and I entered in Mui Ne (sleepy beach town on the southern China Sea) where Lisa thought she heard a bulldog snorting loudly. Turned out to be the shopkeeper laid out in the middle of his shop on a cot partaking in his mid day nap. Neither of us had heard snoring of this magnitude.
The best napping experience, was in the train station in Nha Trang. We arrived at the train station to find that although our Lonely Planet said the station would be open until 2 pm, it was only 1:10pm and the station was dark and closed. We had a moment of panic as we did not want to lose a day and night by having to stay in Nha Trang. We walked up to the window and Ari noted a woman napping on a cot inside the ticket office. He started to tap on the window, only to be stopped by a local, pointing to a sign written in Vietnamese. Apparently the sign stated that nap time was from 11:30-1:30, when the train station was apparently closed. The local told us to wait 20 minutes, which we did. At precisely 1:30, the lights turned on, the women rose and put their cots away, fixed their hair and makeup, and opened their ticket windows. We promptly purchased two train tickets for the overnight train to Danang.
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