Vietnam

Today I was squatting in the kitchen area of the yard at my friends house having some Nestle 3-in-1. A small cat was sleeping under my chair. I asked my friend's Grandmother in Vietnamese if she liked cats. She replied with an emphatic yes. Then she continued, "baby cats are not tasty." And added, "big cats are very tasty."

Today another friend of mine, Tin, took his aunts, uncles, and cousins visiting from the country side to an ice cream shop. It was their first experience with ice cream. His 21 year old cousin asked him if she could take her ice cream cone home--that is 100km by bus or train to the south of Hanoi. She did not know yet that ice cream melts. Tin's mother was along, and she said she remembered her first ice cream bar as a child in Hanoi, enjoyed on a hot day. The frost was wafting like smoke from the ice cream. She blew on it for a long time thinking it was too hot to eat.

Tin and I had some good fun today sharing our stories about Vietnam country people. They are so charming and innocent.