Vietnamese (Coffee): Same Same..but Different

Still in Hanoi...

Did you know that Vietnamese coffee is considered the best after Brazilian? Me neither. The strong brew is potent even through the equal parts condensed milk. Sugar, anyone? Though I can't consider myself thoroughly knowledgeable with the French, but I have been there a number of occasions and French coffee has nothing on Vietnamese, with or without condensed milk. French coffee falls somewhere way below Ethiopian, Colombian, Italian, Kenyan... I'd say that Greek coffee has a fighting chance to be considered above the French. Sorry guys, in wine and pastries, and probably food overall, you are arguably the best, but coffee just isn't your thing.

Sidewalks and other free space are not meant for pedestrians; it is all for motorbike parking.

Why condensed milk, you may ask. Well, I certainly have not done full research, not even a read of a Wiki article, but for one, I believe there is the hypothesis (proof?) that east Asians do not digest dairy well therefore it has culturally been excluded from their diets. Or we can just sum that up to: it has just culturally been excluded from their diets, period.

Another thing is that, well, if you've ever been to SEAsia, you know that it's quite humid and quite hot and not exactly the right climate for storing cheese almost any time of the year. It's 2013, there are fridges and freezers, you may say, and then I can show you photos of raw fish staring at me from buckets sitting on a table in the sun.... no ice. Do you want to eat cheese that has been sitting out in 36 degree (97F) weather with 90% humidity? I didn't think so. Canned, condensed, Twinkie-like-preservation it is then. Don't get me wrong, there are refrigerators, but I see them used only for "special" occasions and "special" things. Everything else is hanging out outside.

I have some shoddy pictures of the coffee, but if you want to look photos of coffee mixed with milk, Google it. Here are photos of Hanoi instead:

Temple of Literature

Fried Amazingthigns. Like a pizzelle, same same but different

These things were just good. Crispy and a little greasy. I bought a bag to snap a few photo of the woman frying dough in a random side street just outside the HCM area in Hanoi. The crisps did not reach the cafe where I sipped on a coffee.

Flower Shop