Hanoi - progress

A quick note before the actual post.  I changed image hosting sites recently because Imgur, who hosted my pictures before, blocked access to the UK which also blocked access to some providers in South Africa.  As I have a few friends following me from there, I thought it'd help to change over.  If there are issues with it (I know one person has expressed such already), let me know and I can try another. 

Settling in here has been going well.  I'm still sort of figuring out how to feed myself, which isn't helped by delivery running anywhere from $4-7 and tasty food available just across the street for $2.50 or so.  A new favorite has been discovered: Cháo thịt quay, essentially rice porridge with minced meat (pork or beef, I'm not sure) and fried crispy dough of some kind.  Imagine taking an egg roll, hollowing out all the filling, and just eating the crunchy outside bit.  That's quay (apparently).  It's surprisingly good...and runs about $1.50 or $1.75 or so for a good-sized bowl.  That, incidentally is what I was laughed at - the thit is pronounced like tit, short i, but I'd done teet because...well, I don't have a reason really.

Cooking for myself is back to having its special international challenge of learning what things need and what to have on hand, stumbling my way through instructions in other languages, and sometimes just plain doing things wrong. 

While we're on the topic of food, though, it turns out that beef jerky is also surprisingly inexpensive here, running about $1 for an amount that would be at least $3 back in the US.  And not only that, it's differently packaged and 'served.'  That plastic tray underneath it was in the pouch, and the thing I'm holding is a packet of lime juice.  The jerky is far sweeter than most beef jerky found elsewhere (and WAY sweeter than biltong, for my South African readers), so it comes with a sour flavor to balance it out.  It's quite good...though it's much more messy than I'm used to because the sauce/marinade is stronger (and of course, it's now sprinkled with lime juice).

The topic of food continues, though.  Because it just so happened that last weekend was Vietnam's International Food Festival, with booths providing examples of local dishes from several countries around the world.  The furthest ones from here were France, Argentina, and Chile, but I also saw Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Albania, and yes, South Africa.  The US and Canada did not make a showing here, but that's okay.  Who needs a booth of American food when you can find KFC, McDonald's, and several others around.

It was pretty busy, so I didn't stay long, but I'm glad I went by.  I tried some crepes and sausage from France, some kind of dessert pastry from Armenia, some boerewors (essentially bratwurst but more gamey) from South Africa (partly to share with the person I went there with), and some chicken skewers from the Philippines.  The Mongolia booth was set up, but didn't seem to have anything - even cookware or plates.  So I'm not sure if they just ran out or if they set up later or what.  I'm curious about Mongolian cuisine, and this seemed like it might be a good chance to try it.  No such luck.

Finally breaking away from talking about food...tonight I found myself on the lakefront at night, providing a fairly dazzling view of the city.  And I also confirmed yet again that I am tall.