Jackfruit

This is a picture of a random produce stand at the market in Saigon. This stand did not have any jackfruit, one of my favorite new fruits. A jackfruit is an enormous specimen and when carved open, there are many smaller fruits inside. Or maybe they are seeds. Bear with me while I check Wikipedia.

Ok, I was right as usual. The jackfruit is the largest tree borne fruit in the world. Should I quote that? Or make a citation? Because I plagiarized. Anyway, there are many seeds within the large fruit and surrounding those seeds are "sweet yellow sheaths" that I am fond of consuming. They taste like a cross between a mango and a banana, but worse than a mango and better than a banana. The texture is like neither. I would say it's like a Twizzler, a little rubbery and squeaky on the teeth.

They also make jackfruit chips, which I have also taken a liking. I prefer the small bags because regardless of size, I will eat the entire thing. Recently, I took the time to read the bag and I have to say it is the funniest translation I have ever read. Here you are:

Throughout the entire process in making the chips, no chemicals are added to the chips at all. The fruits and vegetables are specially processed in order to ensure that their natural flavour and goodness are retained.

Ok, seriously it get's funny...

These products have also a good smelling and crunchy feature which gives a good taste and provide more nutritive facts, vitamins, mineral salt necessary to the organism and protecting from the extra glucoza.

Chuc Mung Nam Moi!

Happy New Year! I'm a bit late in saying so, but it's the thought that counts and I do hope you have a happy and joyous new year. Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, is always celebrated in late January or early February depending on the lunar calendar. This year, it began on February 7, but festivities began much earlier. In Ho Chi Minh City, aka Saigon, there was a gigantic flower market to mark the occasion and many happy locals saying Happy New Year whenever the opportunity arose. It arose a lot.

I spent New Year's Eve in a place called Nha Trang, basically a place crawling with people like me. Not like Thailand by any means, but there were a lot of tourists. There was a big stage right near the beach with little girls singing and twirling their umbrellas in unison. There were probably a few dirty men ogling them in unison as well, but I didn't notice. And then there were motos. Motos everywhere. Like an enormous drive-in with motos. And everyone was in a celebratory mood. For Tet is the most important and popular holiday and and biggest party in Vietnam.

At midnight, the firework show began. And it was good. Nothing out of this world, but I certainly didn't expect that. It must have been above average because I didn't even oooh and ahhh sarcastically like I'm usually prone to do. Right after the grand finale, the mass exodus began. Like a parking lot after the Superbowl. The problem was, as usual, there was nowhere to go. Gridlock. It was entertaining yet annoying because the honking was even more incessant than normal.

Around one o'clock, I think I made it back to the vicinity of my hotel with my traveling companion of the moment. We ventured into a discotheque for about ten minutes before I decided to call it an evening. I couldn't tolerate this guy anymore. I can't tolerate a lot of things, I am perhaps the most intolerant person I know, so it was no surprise. I know I need to leave the scene when I want to scream and accidentally rip someone's head off. So we parted ways and I got some sleep and he got to dance with a lady boy and eventually got pickpocketed stumbling drunk on his merry way home.

The Kindness of Strangers

"If we really think about it, our very survival, even today, depends upon the acts and kindness of so many people. Right from the moment of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents; later in life, when facing the sufferings of disease and old age, we are again dependent on the kindness of others. If at the beginning and end of our lives we depend upon others' kindness, why then in the middle should we not act kindly toward others?

Anyone who considers himself or herself, above all, a member of the human family should develop a kind heart. It is a powerful feeling that we should consciously develop and apply. Instead we often neglect it, particularly in our prime years when we experience a false sense of security.

Kindness and compassion are among the principal values that make our lives meaningful. They are a source of lasting happiness and joy. They are the foundation of a good heart, the heart of one who acts out of a desire to help others."

-The Dalai Lama
from the preface of The Kindness of Strangers

Motos part II

What can you fit on the back of a moto? The answer is EVERYTHING. Seeing this craziness has been a highlight. You would not believe what can fit and when you see it, the unimaginable become imaginable. Two people, three people, four people, a family of five with their laundry basket, a pig, two pigs, baskets of chickens, of ducks, a cage of dogs, multiple double mattresses, another moto on its side, I have seen just about everything. But I have not seen it all.

Here are some pictures. I just wish I had the camera at the ready more often. You blink your eye and it passes you by.

Moto madness

The motos are everywhere, the honking is constant and the vibrations in my aural cavities are preventing me from obtaining decent sleep. It's madness I tell you and this video does not do it justice!

Cambodian gas station

This is a common sight all over Cambodia. Small gas "stations" in front of virtually every home. There are "proper" gas stations too, but those are more expensive. These little ones tend to do the trick for most motos who pull in, pop up the seat and the reused soda containers are opened and the contents are poured. It is cheaper to buy gas this way because I believe it avoids some of the taxes associated with petrol and obviously there is no real cost in building up the "station" or renting the land.

A side note: petrol cost about 4500 riel for one liter. That's about $1.12 per liter and since there are 3.8 liters per gallon that would be 1.12 x 3.8 = $4.26 a gallon. In Cambodia! In a country with one of the lowest GDP's in the entire world!

All I am saying is we need to quit our bitching about the price of gasoline. It's still amazingly cheap compared to prices around the globe. I'd rather we paid more, utilized more fuel efficient vehicles and I wish people would recognize how absurdly low our prices have been for so long. Ok, lesson's over.

The art of negotiation

It's usually pretty entertaining for me. The sales people approach you and if you show even the slightest interest, they won't leave you alone. I enjoy talking to these people, usually kids, and if I can't get rid of them, I usually lowball them so much that I anticipate a quick departure. I'm not trying to piss them off, but I really don't want anything. If they accept the lowball offer then by all means I'll buy it, but that is a rare occasion.

This one guy selling glasses made eye contact with us on the bus. He was asking $5 for a pair of fake Ray Bans. Nah. Then he flashes four fingers. The guy next to me is already sporting a pair of fakes. I don't wear sunglasses because it is too inconvenient to switch my glasses all the time. The guy drops a finger. We should ignore him, but he's just too interesting. He hand signs two for five dollars. We continue to shake our heads. I don't remember the three fingered offer - suddenly he's giving us the peace sign. This is ridiculous. No thank you we mouth through the window. Finally, he's holding up one finger. He doesn't understand it's not about price, we just don't want them.

Today at the market in Saigon I foolishly stop at a booth to look at the wares. Everyone is trying to grab your arm. I decide to look at a t-shirt and then decide I don't want it. It's not about price, it's about quality. She's asking five dollars. I say No way while crumpling my face and shaking my head simultaneously. That's too much for a shirt here. She asks me how much I want to pay. I'm really not interested so I say I wouldn't buy it for two dollars. She says Ok, two dollars. I really have to go so I just start walking. Now there are two women involved. Ok, one dollar, sir, one dollar. I keep walking.

Finally, there are the people who come out at night. With stacks upon stacks of books. Photocopied versions of all the guidebooks, best sellers and classics. I've been wanting to read 1984 and On The Road so I peruse the stack quickly. If they catch your wandering eyeball, they've got you cornered. We were about to get our dinner and I already have a couple of unread books so I wasn't really interested, but I inquired about price anyway. 60,000 dong for On The Road. That's about four dollars. I lowball, offering 30,000. She suprisingly accepts and so I pay. This is a crazy world.