Living on a secluded island where tourists come and go could get lonely. Luckily I get along well with the group of folks I work with and hanging out with them keeps any hint of isolation at bay.
We all live next to each other in staff housing and I became a part of their morning ritual to kick off the day. Pete and Corlie, a lovely couple from South Africa, and Brian, a funny English bloke, start brewing coffee on the porch around 7:30 or 8. I join in and pretend like I'm helping when really I just wait anxiously, cup in hand. This is not a Mr. Coffee situation, but rather a unique set up consisting of a small gas burner and a variety of espresso makers. We drink the real deal.
Early morning (early for me, anyway) coffee with Brian, Pete and Corlie
After coffee it’s off to Pho Bo, the classic Vietnamese breakfast. “Pho” is actually pronounced “fu”. (Kind of like saying “fur”, minus the “r") “Bo”, pronounced like bow of “bow and arrow” is beef. (although I’ve recently learned I’ve been eating goat in my Pho as well) All over Vietnam you see locals sitting at low tables in tiny chairs that I can barely fit my butt into, slurping up Pho Bo. We have a lovely Pho place adjacent to our guesthouse and often stop there before heading off to work and/or rock climbing.
Sitting in wee chairs at the local Pho Bo spot
After the day is done, sometimes a beer is in order and we'll meet at a bar called the Blue Note, run by a cool guy named K. (I don’t really know how to spell his name….but that’s how it’s pronounced!) Normally, I enjoy a Halida beer. However, one evening...I’m still not quite sure why...K busted out a giant carafe of rice wine. Rice wine in Vietnam is often fermented with a variety of animals, animal parts, and/or reptiles. A very common example is the snake wine that supposedly enhances virility. On this particular evening, K treated us each to a shot of Water Buffalo Testicle rice wine.
I am still the new kid around here so I really didn’t want to decline the small(thankfully) slightly cloudy shot he placed before me, as this can be considered in insult in Vietnamese culture. So Corlie and I, the sole women in the group, gave each other an extra cheers and down the hatch it went. I was pretty sure I’d want to yak it up the second it hit my taste buds, but alas, it didn't disgust me as much as I expected. It sort of resembled rubbing alcohol combined with…well….water buffalo testicles. I’ve never tasted anything like it before and am pretty sure I never will again, but the memory lingers…
Pete, showing off his water buffalo testicles, with K laughing in the background
That's a first! LOL.
ReplyDeleteOh Heather, I have sooo enjoyed following your progress. Thanks for sharing your experience of water buffalo testicles rice wine. O M G LOL
ReplyDeleteImpressive what kind a job that enable you to live on an island? I want one too :)
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