There was an incident on the 2007 Queens Guatemala Mission Trip involving a batch of homemade papas fritas. Our host mom, Avilia, made us an enormous pile of papas fritas—almost a mountain, really. They were incredible—crunchy and delicious with lots of salt. We eagerly whittled down the pile until there was barely anything left, thinking that it was meant to be dinner. We were stuffed and happy.
It wasn’t long after the pile of papas fritas dwindled that we realized there may have been a misunderstanding. Avilia began to bring more food to the table: rice, beans, tortillas negras, etc. We were a bit horrified: there was simply no way to communicate that we were full without hurting her feelings, but we could barely move! I can still remember how difficult every single bite was. Even still, Avilia took our small appetites to be a reflection on her cooking--it was so difficult to explain in our broken Spanish that the meal she served us was delicious, but we were full!
Two years and thirteen time zones away from that homestay in Xela, I’m writing to you with a stomach full of homemade banh xeo. And I mean full.
When Joey and I left to get dinner tonight, the owners of the guesthouse we’re staying in were on the stoop cooking dinner. They offered me some, promising to keep a plate for when we returned. I’m not sure what I was thinking—we ate dinner (albeit a small dinner) at a vegetarian place down the street, and even stopped for cookies at a little bakery on the way back.
By the time we arrived home, I was comfortably full. Our hosts* were still cooking, and promptly served Joey and I a plate of banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake with seafood, meat, etc.)—complete with an A&W! It looked a little bit like this:
They intended for Joey and me to share it, but it was full of all sorts of meat and seafood, so he had to opt out. I was on my own. It was delicious, and I surprised myself at how much I could eat! Then she offered me a second….
I spent one long moment wracking my brain, trying to remember if an offer for more could be politely refused in Vietnamese culture without offending one’s host. I was pretty sure I needed to accept. And so I did.
Needless to say, I’m more or less a worthless blob for the next hour or two—it’s good, really, because I have a ton of catching up to do for this blog. We’ve been in Saigon for nearly four days now, and I have a lot to share…not to mention Phu Quoc! I promise to post a recap within the next few days, as soon as I’m able to sort through our pictures. Between some unforeseen changes to our plans on arrival in Saigon to our TEFL course starting yesterday, we’ve been busy! But we’re doing well and enjoying the fun of learning a new city.
More to come!
*I should specify here that when I talk about the guesthouse we’re staying in, it’s a mini-hotel rather than a homestay. We’re paying for our accommodations, and so our hosts certainly have no obligation to share their dinner with us—they’re just generous and thoughtful!
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