All kinds of food vendors traverse the streets and alleys of Hanoi. Bread vendors balance baskets on their heads, fruit vendors resemble human scales with their basket on each side, sticky rice and hot corn cobs are pedalled around on run-down bicycles and, occasionally, I see a bowl of noodles being delivered on two wheels.
It’s a hard life, pounding the footpath for much of the day for not so much money in the pocket.
This banh ran vendor bailed me up as I was negotiating with the custard apple seller below. Her thinking was “if he’s spending on fruit, if he’s got his hand in his pocket, if he’s parting with 20,000 for custard apples, what’s another 1000 for one of my sugary doughnut skewers?” It’s a sophisticated marketing technique used at supermarket checkouts all over the world.
She thought she’d nab me on the impulse buy.
And did you? Were they any good?
Posted by: CW | 31 August 2007 at 03:51 AM
I didn't get sucked in to that old ploy. But I have bought them before CW, and like any cakey thing, it really depends how far away from the oven they are. Stale doughnut skewers are like chewing cardboard!
Posted by: Sticky | 31 August 2007 at 08:32 AM