I ate eggs this morning and I'm still alive. No Avian flu symptoms yet! In fact, throughout this bird flu scare, I haven't baulked at a chicken or egg dish once.
Without wanting to sound flippant or conceited, it seems that the western media are succeeding in scaring their own populations rather than expats or inhabitants in the affected countries. First hand, even by six degrees of separation, I've not heard of one case other than those reported in foreign media outlets. Having said that, I'm not about to start plucking chooks, collecting their eggs or getting overly amorous with them, but I will continue to partake of their flesh and bumnuts. Do not be alarmed!
At nine o'clock this morning, while tearing along Yen Phu street over near West Lake, we by-passed several noodle caves and pulled up next to a triangular tower of banh my (bread rolls). Breadwoman had a couple of options, duck-liver pate and fatty pork rolls or egg rolls. First option sounds vile but can be excellent. Nevertheless, we elected the quick fry three egg omelette banged in a warmed bread roll (banh my trung) with cucumber and chili sauce. Cooked in a flash, on a one burner gas cooker - unwashed since purchase it seems - right there on the footpath, we push a 10,000 dong note into her hand and go to take off. She spots us checking out her weird collection of wares. Amongst all the bread-egg-pate action, she flogs toys, choco-pies and incense sticks. Grasping at straws trying to figure out what we might buy, she offers us beer. At 9.05 am, we smile and decline.
Down the road, we scoff the chili egg rolls and declare ourselves fit to face the day!
Handover
10,000VND (USD62c, AUD83c) for two breakfast rolls
Bumnuts!!!!! HAHAHHA!!!!!!! Brilliant!!
Posted by: Niki | 14 October 2005 at 08:11 AM
I think you mean banh mi.
Posted by: Ben | 14 October 2005 at 10:28 AM
As far as I know Ben, my and mi are interchangeable. I consulted Godknows over at Vietnamesegod and have seen both spellings on signs in Hanoi. Maybe they only use one version where you are. Thanks for keeping us honest!
Niki - Nothing like a bumnut in the time of bird flu!
Posted by: Sticky | 14 October 2005 at 09:33 PM