Eating In Translation

Three for the road

From my photo archives: drive-up service, Vietnam style, seen during a November 2006 visit to Ho Chi Minh City

Banh Xeo 46A

You'll get a look at the specialty of the house before you even sit down.

Orange juice stand

Got juice?

Fruit vendor

I don't expect to find a fresher dragon fruit than this one, so after a half-dozen samples at home and abroad, whole and juiced, I can say with assurance that only the bright spiky rind lives up to the name; the flavor is bland as can be.

Fruit vendor
Ho Chi Minh City
(From a November 2006 visit)

Thanh Binh

Oc nhoi thit (25,000 dong), snails stuffed with their own meat and perhaps pork, too, were studded with whole peppercorns. After withdrawing the meat and wrapping it in a mint leaf (or two, for the especially big ones), I dipped them in a sweet-and-sour sauce laced with garlic.

Thanh Binh
140 Le Thanh Ton, Ho Chi Minh City
(From a November 2006 visit)

Banh Mi Sau Minh

That funky mystery sauce closed the sale.

Tropicana Juice Bar

The menu inside was easier to absorb at a glance.

Squid and pork cart

Wonder if he's ever gone wind sailing?

Grilled banana roll vendors

You'd think this could be managed as a one-person operation, but two's company.

Nam Giao

My brunch began to snap, crackle, and pop after I poured on the clam broth.