I;m still recovering slightly from last night, which was the closing of the 1st Annual Saigon Beer Festival. After bargaining the guy at the door down from the absurd entrance price of 400,000 VND I got in and found myself in a quasi-nightclub/bar where about 25 different kinds of beer were on offer. Also there were:
- Many many English teachers (and Westerners of all kinds)
- a Filipino cover band
- pool and foosball tables
- Chasids
The last were having a spot of trouble as they were unable to eat any of the food avialable, which was invariably of the fried and Bratwurst variety, and so had to down their beers without the consolation of calories. Unluckily, I forgot my new tailored shirt in the cab on the ride over. It only cost $20 but I really liked it and now I gotta go make another one.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Man Bites Dog
So I suppose I might as well admit it: I ate a dog the other day. Don't judge me!
It wasn't an accident, some mystery meat from a street vendor. A Swedish friend of mine had vowed that he would not leave Vietnam without eating dog, and he brought me along for moral support.
Traditionally, dog is eaten more in the North of Vietnam than in the South, probably because it is considered a 'warming' food and the South is hot enough already.
As for the taste, it was rather like lamb, only even greasier. That's the reason it warms you up so quickly - there's so much fat. It wasn't terrible but I won't be eating it again anytime soon. For some reason you can definitely tell it's a dog; you can almost taste the barking and I find it a little unsettling.
It wasn't an accident, some mystery meat from a street vendor. A Swedish friend of mine had vowed that he would not leave Vietnam without eating dog, and he brought me along for moral support.
Traditionally, dog is eaten more in the North of Vietnam than in the South, probably because it is considered a 'warming' food and the South is hot enough already.
As for the taste, it was rather like lamb, only even greasier. That's the reason it warms you up so quickly - there's so much fat. It wasn't terrible but I won't be eating it again anytime soon. For some reason you can definitely tell it's a dog; you can almost taste the barking and I find it a little unsettling.
Monday, June 01, 2009
A Vietnamese Joke
Stop me if you've heard this one...
A Brit, and American, an Australian, and a Vietnamese man enter an elevator. Suddenly the air begins to smell foul. The Brit wrinkles his nose and asks 'Who farted?'. The American waves his hand in front of his face and demands 'Who farted?'. The Aussie gags slightly and asks "Who farted?". The Vietnamese guy glares at everyone else and demands 'I did!'.
Explanation: in Vietnamese, the expression 'Who farted?' (ai dit) is pronounced 'I did'.
A Brit, and American, an Australian, and a Vietnamese man enter an elevator. Suddenly the air begins to smell foul. The Brit wrinkles his nose and asks 'Who farted?'. The American waves his hand in front of his face and demands 'Who farted?'. The Aussie gags slightly and asks "Who farted?". The Vietnamese guy glares at everyone else and demands 'I did!'.
Explanation: in Vietnamese, the expression 'Who farted?' (ai dit) is pronounced 'I did'.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
The Opera Curse Returns
About two weeks ago I was thrilled to see that the Saigon Opera House was planning to do Mozart's Bastien und Bastienne, one of his first operas and a charming little rustic comedy. I was a little put off by the fact that the brochure wasn't even printed in focus, but I put that down to the usual Vietnamese slapdash way of doing things.
Alas, four days before the opera was to be performed they announced that instead it would be replaced by a double bill of opera arias in recital and Mendelssohn's violin concerto in E minor. Much as I like those tings (and the performance was quite good), I'd really rather see Mozart. I guess my dream of seeing an actual opera in Vietnam will have to wait for the distant future.
As said, the performance was itself rather excellent save for two things: the Vietnamese singers attempting excerpts from 'Porgy and Bess' managed to make a hash of it (perhaps not unexpectedly) and the violinist insisted on doing an encore of the concerto's third movement, which delighted the crowd but ruined the symmetry of the piece. It's hard work being a snob.
Alas, four days before the opera was to be performed they announced that instead it would be replaced by a double bill of opera arias in recital and Mendelssohn's violin concerto in E minor. Much as I like those tings (and the performance was quite good), I'd really rather see Mozart. I guess my dream of seeing an actual opera in Vietnam will have to wait for the distant future.
As said, the performance was itself rather excellent save for two things: the Vietnamese singers attempting excerpts from 'Porgy and Bess' managed to make a hash of it (perhaps not unexpectedly) and the violinist insisted on doing an encore of the concerto's third movement, which delighted the crowd but ruined the symmetry of the piece. It's hard work being a snob.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
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