I love BBQ…however it depends on the place. Most restaurants make their BBQ sauce way too sweet. There was a place in SA called Tom’s Ribs that had the best BBQ in the world bar none. 10-15 years ago there were queues out the door with people waiting to get in. I saw a lot of San Antonio Spurs players there. Then the owner got greedy and expanded from 1 location to 4 in a year’s time….and the quality of the food suffered. When the economy collapsed….Tom’s Ribs went under. I never found a new place that could ever compare.

I hate banh feet.

What about B-B-Q? Don’t tell me. You don’t care for that either.

Right now, I really crave a cholesterol-laden bánh chưng!!

If I were to go look for a Taekwondo teacher….I would much rather be taught by a Korean black belt…than perhaps Master “Billy Bob”….or if I wanted to eat authentic Vietnamese food I would go to a restaurant run by a Vietnamese family instead of a “Pei Wei” style ripoff. These are rather poor analogies…and it doesn’t excuse the basic issue….but I as I said…there are schools that will hire VK….so if you have a problem at one place; there are many other options.

Yes I know Popeye’s well. I never could find a Church’s in Indiana and had to settle for Popeye’s. I hated it initially…it was dry and the chicken always seemed burnt. Turns out that if you buy the regular chicken instead of the spicy version….it is very similar to Church’s. Funny thing is….only a few places up north seems to carry Jalapenos….and I cannot eat fried chicken without Jalapenos. I would have to run out to the grocery store to get some Jalapeno peppers just so I can eat my chicken.

As for Mexican food…ugh….I hate it. The only Mexican food I actually like is Fajitas….and the best Fajitas I’ve eaten anywhere is at Taco Cabana. It’s all in the pico di gallo. If your pico sucks…the fajitas suck….and TC has the best pico.

Have been invited to a bunch of Tet events….not sure if I’m going to go. Trying to get over a cold the past few days and just not feeling up to snuff. Might force myself to go out for a bit and take some pictures.

It’s kinda funny. We suffer some discrimination in the States, then receive similar treatment in VN. It must be our deodorant. I was not really looking for a paycheck by teaching ESL or law. I was aspiring to do some good. The compensation, if any, is icing on the proverbial cake. If I have to make money in VN, then I’d rather get on welfare in the US. However, if my own brethren thinks that my professional knowledge and/or skills are not good as the babbling blue-eyed blond Ken doll, then I’ll just stay my behind in the Lone Star state and collect my retirement.

I’ll bring a few Oreos when I go over there in April. Do you remember Popeye’s fried chicken? Church’s came out with a kicked-up spicy version last year, and it’s really not bad. Since you lived in San Antonio, have you found a decent Mexican restaurant over there?

The one thing I have been wanting to do since 1975 is to spend Tết over there. I could never find the time to do it because of my job, and now leaving the school-age kids on their own during school year. So, enjoy your assumedly first Tết over there, post your experience on the blog.

Chào or ciao!!

Most schools require some kind of TEFL certificate….with the CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) being the most desired. With your law degree and experience I would try to apply to RMIT, a foreign owned University with campuses in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. RMIT has a history of hiring VK teachers…and the pay there is by far the best….mid 20 to 30 thousand/year…..which is an enormous salary in VN. And at RMIT you can actually teach Law instead of basic English.

As for junk food…I was referring to chocolate, chips, etc. I just discovered the local Sieu Thi had some Oreo’s hidden on a back shelf. Made my day. I do miss Church’s Fried Chicken though….never was much of a Kentucky man.

btw…sorry about the Colts………………………………..not.

I’m considering packing my bag and “bụi đời” in VN for a little while in a few years. I am definitely not looking to make a fortune in VN, but to be reasonably paid to teach English and/or law. Sounds like a couple can live on a grand monthly, so that’s not bad. Your blog is very enjoyable for me b/c (1) you’re a VK (regardless of any connotation one attributes to that term), and (2) painstakingly describes daily life in VN from a VK’s perspective.

Junk food – What’s junk to you may be ambrosia to me. I tried KFC in Saigon and the chicken is tough, chewy and lean. It looks like the chicken atrophied or suffered consumptive dieseases prior to slaughter. That’s a disappointment for a Yankee “gourmet”. I live in TX and we’re “damn” proud of our fried chicken with biscuits and gravy, sir. My pizza experience was slightly better. Cheese can be expensive in Nam, so the pizza cook tends to skim on the mozzarella. Anyway, I went to those places b/c my nephews wanted American “junk” food.

Take care, dude.

To be honest…I haven’t really considered getting a job yet so I really don’t know what the job market over here is like. I spend most of my time reading…researching orphanages I can go teach at, and my relatives also have been requesting a lot of my time. I pretty much have been playing each day by ear. In a few months I should have a better idea of what my longer term plans are.

Not sure how I should take the “semi-literate” comment…even if it is true.

Happy new year to you too!