Bun Cha

An obsession awaited Thom outside the Temple of Literature:  motorbike fashion.

You certainly didn't have to look hard to find it.

I told Thom the Lonely Planet guidebook insisted it would be "criminal" to leave Hanoi without trying bun cha.  President Obama ate it with Anthony Bourdain.  The route to the recommended sidewalk vendor did nothing to persuade Thom to change his mind.

Garbage collection tech doesn't come any lower.

Repurposing is a way of life in Viet Nam.   The Viet Cong delighted in using French and American military debris to make goods that could be used in the fight against the occupying forces.

Early diners, mostly young and local, crowded the alleys in the heart of the Old Quarter not far from our cramped hotel, the Golden Silk Boutique.  

Thom remained skeptical until we reached the restaurant and found this just-engaged Australian couple.  "Is it OK to eat in the street?" he asked, seeking independent Caucasian verification.  "No worries," said the woman.  "We've been doing it for more than a week and haven't gotten sick yet.  Everything is either boiled or cooked."

"Not the greens," I said to myself as we added them to a delicious broth that contained rice noodles and barbecued pork.