Another heavy downpour caught me under the sagging plastic tarpaulins of the Hang Be market, dodging the big flying puddles being sent down by the jab of broomsticks. For these stallholders, it's a kind of sport which breaks the tedium of their 12 hour a day, 7 day a week existence. If you splash a foreigner, there's extra points!
So, there I am, soaked through to the undies.
To my left, a fresh bun (vermicelli noodle) vendor who's been ostracised from her ilk across the way, is eyeing me as if I were about to knock off her life savings. To my right, a salad merchant is pushing papaya, in wedges and shreds, fresh lotus stems and cucumbers. The stall in front of me is not doing a roaring trade in vacuum-sealed vegetarian chicken feet for some reason.
And I don't think it's the rain!
This reminds me of when I went through a vegetarian phase. My Dad and I went to a Buddhist restaurant in Hanoi, and all of their dishes were vegetarian, but they were named after meat dishes, looked like meat, and almost tasted like meat. Not quite what I was expecting!
Posted by: Preya | 06 July 2007 at 04:07 AM
It's a bizarre concept, one which I seek enlightening on???
Posted by: Sticky | 12 July 2007 at 09:32 PM