Struggles in Vietnam

First, we were only wary of hygeine. Not just because South East Asia has the "travelers diarrhea" reputation preceding it. In Vietnam, food is more than just street food. It's cooked on the street, eaten on the steet, everything on the street. We literally had to walk in between a person and his table just to walk on the sidewalk. Talk about no privacy. When someone is preparing your food right next to a smogging motorcycle and a stray cat and a pile of dirty dishes, I'm not really inclined to feel comfortable eating there.

Second problem: vegetarianism. I'm adamemtly not picky about food on principle, but seeing raw brains and raw octopus sort of sent me reeling. We made an unspoken "only vegetarian" rule for all sketchy street stalls, but we didn't know that this rule would be impossible to uphold. You can NOT eat vegetarian in Vietnam. You just can't. The snack food has pieces of dried pork on top. When we pull out the guide book at fancy, real, with-doors, restaurants to show the waitress "no meat or fish", she actually DID NOT understand and had NOTHING to offer us.

Third problem: No one in this country speaks english.

But, on the upside- Vietnam is my favorite place to eat so far. The food, whatever comes out, is always so good. I've mastered chopsticks, and am no longer shy to ask for help when I can only stare dumbfounded at what's in front of me. And the French influence! Mmm Mmm Good. Baguettes and croissants and all the desserts I could ask for. The smells wafting out of street side bakeries do their best to cover up the fumes and motorcycle exhaust...