Income inequality: It's fascinating to me that there appears to be very little economic segregation in the cities (I'm not sure about rural). Million dollar homes are right next to overcrowded apartments. It's as though Anacostia was mixed into Georgetown. There are signs that the more wealthy are beginning to segregate themselves. In Saigon, new posh apartment buildings are being built on the outskirts of town and have all the gatekeeping accoutrements one would expect of a wealthy part of town.
BBQ: One of the best food ideas that I'll take home with me is the BBQ dipping "sauce." Equal parts salt, pepper, and lime juice. Should be a soupy paste. Might need to add more lime juice. Dip your grilled meat, fish, or veggies into it. Brilliant!
My accent: Apparently, I have a very nice accent, or so Nick kept telling me. And according to others, it's a strange mix of american and french canadian (which I can only assume comes from my mother's side of the family). I know that we never think of ourselves as having an accent, but since I ridded myself of the massachusetts accent, I really thought my voice to be rather bland---so that was a fun revelation!
British?: By the middle of the trip, it was clear that I had been hanging around the Brits way too much. Over lunch one day, I turned to Lisa and said, "when my friends would ring up..." with absolutely no affectation at all. It was a bit startling!
Dog: So, yes they eat dog in Vietnam. From what Bon told us though, it's generally not a typical meal. It's either eaten because the family is hungry and it's necessary or it is eaten when they are sad and need to be happy. Sort of like a vietnamese prozac. However, not all dogs are eaten. Only a particular type, those that seem to be related to the dingo/australian ridgeback. I will say it was always a little difficult when I saw them because I knew they were an "eating" dog.
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