Vietnam Part 3

I'm going to have to step up the pace if I want to get this done.  Part of it is that my work commuter no longer lets me access my blog.  I can read but I can't post.  We flew into Da Nang after a short flight and we were greeted with an extremely modern and fairly quiet airport.  This felt like going from New York City to Des Moines or from Tokyo to Okayama.  Again we were greeted by family, this time Amy's Aunt and Uncle.  I feel horrible because everyone told me their names but I only remember about two from the whole trip.  Amy's Dad's family has 10 children and we met almost all of them during the trip.  I was surprised by their nice clothing (including matching gold watches) and their even nicer car (it looked like a Ford Explorer but it was a Toyota- I'm useless when it comes to cars, but I knew this was a nice one).

Though there was still a LOT of traffic in Da Nang, it was much quieter than Ho Chi Minh.  Everywhere we looked there were Vietnamese flags, and we were told that there was some sort of anniversary happening.  Amy had said that Da Nang was small but we still saw lots of familiar sights- like KFC.

We turned down an especially busy street and parked outside of a building that had some sort of office out front.  This was Amy's family business, and they lived above and behind it.  Amy's grandparents were there to greet us and they were a lot like Amy- short and friendly.  You definitely can see where she came from.  We were quickly ushered past the shop into the house and up to our "apartment."  Amy's dad recently remodeled the room in the house and it is very nice.  Big TV, new sink and shower, etc  It was like a nice hotel.  We took a few minutes to settle in and then went out with the Aunt and Uncle who had picked us up and the Grandpa for dinner.

They took us to a food court which was nice in that we could choose our food.  I secretly wanted a pizza (mostly because it looked pretty American which can be hard to find in Japan) but settle for a suggestion from Amy and Kym.  It was a spring roll set where you wrap them yourself and came with this fired egg type pancake that was really good.  We were joined at dinner by two of Amy's younger cousins, one of whom is quite the little comedian.  When told to, talk to us in English, he asked, "Who are you?"  He also sang along to some Korean pop songs on an iphone and told us he will never have a girlfriend.

After dinner we took a walk along the river in Da Nang.  It is very modern and not what I expected at all.  There was lots of live music and other people walking, rollerblading, and taking pictures.  We stopped at a small road side stand and the aunt bought us coconut water.  It was very sweet and I didn't really like it, but I drank it to be polite.

The next day we got woken up EARLY by Amy's grandma.  She told us to come down and eat (like any other grandma would in any other country).  I was the first to the table and there was a choice of this white noodle dish that was topped with what looked like Japanese fish flakes, or a sandwich (made on long French baguettes).  Not wanting to be "the foreigner" I tried the noodle dish.  It was pretty good, so I was surprised when Amy and Kym, the natives, chose the sandwich.  The grandma seemed pleased that I liked her food and offered to send it home with me to Japan.

After breakfast we got whisked away to a message parlor by Amy's aunt.  I thought we were just getting back rubs but us three girls were taken to a room and asked to strip to our underwear.  We were then covered by a towel and given full body massages including the thing where they put hot stones on your back.  I am not a fan of massages and this was my first time, so I don't know if it was relaxing or not, but it was an interesting experience.  I think mostly I was just unsure of what to do and a little embarrassed because compared to the average Vietnamese, I am OBESE.  I think if I were to do it again, though, I would know what to expect and relax.  And it was cheap.

After massages Amy's aunt came to pick us up with a friend of the family.  They drove us out of Da Nang to the beach where we had a huge lunch at an ocean side resort.  Since it was still spring and a little cool (though hot compared to Japan) there weren't many people at the resort and we had the outdoor restaurant to ourselves.  We ate hot clams with lime and salt, french fries, and spring rolls that we wrapped ourselves with fish and veggies.  Extremely delicious, though I was nervous about getting sick (I had heard horror stories about people having to go the bathroom every five minutes).

We went to the beach for a little big but I didn't have a towel so I didn't get in.  Amy and Kym also decided to sit out, but the sun was nice.

We then drove back through Da Nang to the other side where we went to a more traditional/more touristy village.  Here we saw a lot of tourists.  They had some fabulous tailors where you could get things made.  I kind of wanted to get a coat made but thought it might take too long or be too expensive (well, not really expensive, but since I thought we were just going to the beach for the day I didn't pack much money).  I had always read about people getting clothes made in Vietnam and it was kind of something I wanted to do...  I did buy postcards, though, and a nice card to frame.  The other girls were also waiting to buy things as well so we mostly just window shopped before stopping at a small shop for cokes.

After that we went to yet another beach, one that is under a lot of development.  In Vietnam we saw a lot of building going on of what are going to be posh resorts.  It makes me want to go back in five years to see if things work out.  I hope so.  The beach is beautiful so it would be a nice vacation spot.  We walked along the beach and then went to a restaurant for even more food.  We were seriously stuffed at this point, but so far all of the food had been great and I hadn't been sick.

Quick Picking on American Food

Sorry for another delay in the Vietnam story but I have to get this off my chest.  I am doing it on my blog because I really don't need to start a fight on Facebook with someone I don't know.

A few days ago a woman I know in Japan posted this on her page...

Should American food be given UNESCO World Heritage status?

She was referring to the fact that Japanese food is being considered (or has been chosen) to be given the status.  A lot of people commented simply, "No."  I said No because I don't feel American food is entirely original since most of our main dishes are based on foreign dishes where as Japanese food is unique to Japan.  I felt fine with people saying NO.

But I got angry with the comment from one Japanese person that said, "No. 　American food is fatty and greasy. generally, most people from middle of the age in America are overweight."  I really just want to respond to him with the old, pot calling the kettle black.

Now I will admit that I agree that a lot of Americans are overweight.  However, I feel that there are a lot of other factors that contribute to this and that it is not based on American cuisine.  I feel that Americans are overweight because,
a) We have larger portion sizes.  Steaks the size of plates, spaghetti big enough for three people, colas bigger then your head.  And let's not forget the Big Gulp!
b) We have cheap all you can eat buffets and free refills on soft drinks and juice.

c) We have poor public transportation and it isn't popular to ride a bike (or it's too cold to ride a bike).  People spend long commutes in their cars, drinking and snacking.
d) Though there is a pressure to be thin, it isn't as high as in Japan where many women skip meals and pregnant women are asked to diet.
e) Our genetic make-ups are different.  My husband constantly over eats and never gains weight.  I eat half of what he does and still pack on pounds.
f) We don't drink teas but instead stick to higher calorie drinks like sugar-filled coffee and cola.

Now I know foods like McDonald's, cheese pizza, and Taco Bell are greasy.  But you could say the same for many popular Japanese foods.  Have you ever eaten...
a) Gyudon- or beef bowls.  Places like Yoshinoya and Sukiya pack a lot of calories for little nutrients.
b) Yaki-Niku- or BBQ  I know they offer vegetables but most of the time I go out with Japanese friends we just end up ordering lots and lots of red meat and rice.
c) Ramen and Gyoza- fried dumplings  These foods are delicious but filled with grease.
d) Tako-Yaki- Fried Octopus balls.  A lot of batter and little octopus.
e) Katsudon- or fried pork cutlets Ebi Fry- fried shrimp  Enough said.
f) Cup of Noodle, UFO, Instant Ramen  My husband ate this for breakfast yesterday and whenever we have a "bring your own lunch to school" day, a lot of the male staff just eat this.
g) Yaki-Soba Sandwhich- a hot-dog bun filled with fried noodles.  Carbs + Carbs
h) Curry Rice  Places like Cocos Ichiban curry can't really be called non-greasey, can they...?

I don't criticize these fatty Japanese foods because I know that a lot of Japanese people don't eat them everyday.  The same goes for Americans.  I might be biased because I am from Iowa (aka farm country), but most of the people I know eat things like baked chicken, brown rice, and corn on the cob for dinner.  Unlike Japan where karage (fried chicken) or stir-fry are common dinner foods, my mother never deep fried anything for dinner and rarely used a fry pan.  If we wanted fried chicken, we had to go out because she wasn't going to cook it.  When she made things like pork chops or roast, she would mostly serve them plain without sauce.  She would add salt and herbs and maybe some water, but that was it.  The same for her veggies.  We regularly ate things like carrots, corn, and broccoli as is.  We never got white bread, only wheat, and she wouldn't add butter to her sandwiches.  We only drank skim milk and weren't allowed sugar cereals for breakfast.

Again, my family isn't the healthiest, but we aren't the worst and I get angry when Japanese make generalizations and cheeky comments about American food.  One day at elementary school we had a fired pork sandwich, cabbage doused in vinegar, and strawberry mousse for lunch.  One of the teachers said, "Oh look, it's an American lunch box."  I couldn't help but say, "Actually, my American lunch boxes always had a cheese sandwich, carrot sticks, and an apple.  Plus skim milk instead of whole."  Japanese lunch boxes are low in calories because the tiny boxes don't pack much, but they are often filled with things like small hot dogs, fried rice, fried shrimp, fried egg, etc

When I used to bring my lunch to the Jr High all of the students made fun of me because I did things like eat broccoli raw, eat tofu without frying it or adding sauce, and because I didn't have an extra large carb like rice or bread.  One woman said to me when I was eating the Japanese lunch, "Do you like Japanese food because it is the healthiest food in the world?"  At the time we were eating salmon that had been fried with cheese on top, white rice, and vegetables soaked in vinegar and soy sauce.  I said no, that I liked it because it was delicious.

I think the biggest surprise to my husband was when I went home for six months in 2008 and lost weight in America.  I came back to Japan about 15 pounds lighter and I hadn't been on a crash diet in America, just ate normally and walked a lot at work.  However, it only took about two months in Japan for me to put the weight right back on.

I know that American food is unhealthy and that Americans make unhealthy choices, but so do the Japanese.  The world is full of stereotypes and I need to try harder to ignore them.  But it can be hard when, living in a small town in Japan, it feels like me against everyone.

Stitichin-Addiction Update

Just wanted to post a picture of a gift I made for a friend and his fiance.  It was a birthday and house warming gift.  I wanted to post it while I was making it but didn't want to ruin the surprise.  Sorry if I offend you, but it was made with love for two gays I love, and luckily they liked it.

This is a picture of it hanging in their house.

Vietnam Pt 2: Ho Chi Minh

The next morning we woke up early and headed to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.  I had been warned that I would most likely get sick from the food in Vietnam (like one might in Mexico) so I was a little weary to try things like the fruit and milk coffee.  I normally don't eat breakfast so I didn't want to eat much anyway, but I did try a nice hot rice porridge and some bread.  The other girls had pho which is a noodle dish with fresh beef.  It looked great but I really wasn't hungry.

We had a while before Kym's relatives were due to pick us up so we wandered over to a big market near our hotel.  It reminded me of all of the markets you see in any big city with lots of booths selling similar products.  It was nice to kind of get an idea, though, of what I might want to buy.  It was pretty hot and some of the fish and shrimp in the market were quite overwhelming, but we managed to avoid those areas.

We went back to the hotel and met up with Kym's cousin and aunt.  They asked what we wanted to do and I honestly said I was open for anything.  Kym and Amy immediately said that they wanted to get che (which sounded like jeah to me) so we went back to the market we were just in.  Che turned out to be a yogurt type sticky rice dish which I passed on since I am not a big fan of sweets.  It was fun to sit in the market, though, and people watch.  A lot of tourists were milling about and we tried to guess who was who.  If you haven't played this game, I'll give you one quick head's up.
A) European men wear black socks with sandals, American men wear sneakers with white socks.
B) Canadians usually have their flag displayed somewhere on their clothing so as not to be confused for Americans.
C) Australians seem to dress the most casual and they usually have on quicksilver or a similar surf brand.
D) Japanese wear too many layers and crocs.  Other Asians don't wear crocs.
(I am joking about this and don't mean to offend...)

After the girls had their fill of che we went out of the market and to another large mall/department store.  I was shocked as we literally went only about two blocks but went from crafts selling three for a dollar to Louis Vuitton and Zara.  We weren't wanting to spend money yet but we did have fun browsing.  Amy and I got excited when we spotted Popeye's Chicken and Carl's Jr.  It was only the first day but we did make a rain check to return on our last day.  Being still full from breakfast we skipped lunch and got yogurt.

After the mall we went back out into the city and saw the opera house, an old church (a lot of Vietnamese are still Catholic), and the reunification palace.  We didn't go into any of them because we didn't have much time- we needed to catch a flight to Da Nang where Amy's relatives are.

We got to the airport, checked in, and had a quick meal of random Vietnamese food (wish I remembered the name- I had some seasoned meat that was really good) before boarding the flight.

Vietnam Part One

Oh Vietnam.  I have so much to say about you but not sure where to start or how to organize it.  I had such a love-hate experience, although probably a little more love now that I look back on it.  I must admit you were pretty much the most foreign place I had ever been to (despite Guatemala) and yet you managed to make me feel at home (which oddly enough, Guatemala did too).

I guess I'll just do one of those boring day by days, if I can recall what we did day by day.  I'll have to get to adding and sorting the pictures soon.

The first day was a long one as it was mostly just travel.  We went to Tsuyama by car and then Osaka by bus.  We went to the airport by train and then to Tokyo by plane.  Finally we boarded the flight to Vietnam at about 5 or 6 pm.  I don't know why, but I never assumed that we would get movies on the flight to Vietnam.  I guess because I am used to just flying to Korea which is a quick flight.  Not only did we get movies, but we got fairly new ones (well, new for Japan).  I watched The Descendants with George Clooney about a guy whose wife is in a coma.  This was a great movie and at the same time quite a draining movie as it made me think about my family and losing my mom.  I bawled pretty much through out the whole film, which must have been a little disturbing to the people sitting around me.

We got to Vietnam and right away noticed the heat.  We had been having light snow in Japan but Vietnam was definitely shorts weather.  We sat forever trying to get through the Visa process, though it was pretty simple.  Fill out a form and pay money.  We then went outside to quite a large crowd of people waiting.  If it had just been me I think I would have been at a loss for what to do, but luckily I was with Kym, a Vietnamese-Australian, and Amy, a Vietnamese-American.  Kym took no time in spotting her aunt and her cousin.  We went over to them and they greeted us in both English (the cousin, an university student) and Vietnamese (the aunt, a shop clerk).  We got loaded in a taxi and headed off to our hotel.

I was quite impressed with the cousin's English and more impressed with her boyfriend's English.  Not only did they know difficult words, but they also knew a lot of slang and idioms.  They were very informative as we were whipped through the streets of Ho Chi Minh.

I don't know if I can accurately describe the streets of Vietnam.  There are few traffic lights and though I am told that there are laws, no one seems to follow them.  You see cars driving side by side in one lanes and everywhere are motorbikes darting back and forth.  Seriously, for every car there are probably 20 bikes, and there are a lot of cars.  Instead of signalling most people seem to honk and so there is a constant noise to accompany the constant blur of traffic.  I felt ok because we were in a large taxi, but I know I would never be able to drive there.

We made it to our hotel and got checked into quite a big room.  Because Vietnam is so cheap we were staying at 4 and 5 star hotels.

Kym's relatives offered dinner but we were full from the train and pretty tired.  There is only a two hour time difference between Japan and Vietnam, but waking up at five was leaving us all a bit jet-lagged.

Words for Wednesday: Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy, and The days the Falls Stood Still

First off sorry I have been MIA.  Went to Vietnam and then was busy welcoming new teachers and getting ready for the new school year the week I got back.  I managed to finish one book in that time and started another which is half way done.  The first one I read is actually the sequel to a book I read a few years ago so I'll talk about both.

Shanghai Girls tells the story of Pearl and May who are sisters growing up in prewar Shanghai.  Though their parents are traditional Chinese, they are quite modern and work as models for an artist who makes posters advertising various products.  They go to night clubs, wear western clothing, and consider themselves modern women.

I don't want to give too much away, but things change when their father admits to being bankrupt and the girls are forced to become arranged brides to Chinese brothers in America.  At first they refuse to go, thinking they'll make their own money through modelling, but the war comes and they end up going to America to escape the Japanese.  Their life as immigrants and brides in America is vastly different, though they do get work as extras in Hollywood films.

The book is a quick read and tells about a part of WWII that I hadn't really thought about.  I've always been interested in that era but mostly focused on Europe or Japan.  I also love the details of life as an immigrant in 1940s America.  Being an immigrant myself, I can relate to some of the issues and frustrations of a language barrier, homesickness, and racism.  Of course my life is very easy compared to what the two sisters go through.

Dreams of Joy picks up where Shanghai Girls left off.  It's hard to describe the plot without spoiling the first book, but lets just say that Pearl ends up back in Shanghai about 20 years later under communist ruled China.  Obviously things are very different and just as dangerous as they were when she left.  I have read a couple of true stories about people living through the rule of Chairman Mao and some of the hardships/horrors they faced.  While fact is great, fiction is fun.  This book is interesting as it is able to present various viewpoints- both those supporting Mao and those against.  With fact, a lot of times you just get the authors feelings.  Anyway, as a set the books are some of the best I have ever read.  A little harsh and graphic at times, but good.

The Day the Falls Stood Still is a book I picked up for $3 at Barnes & Noble.  Not one that I really thought about, just liked the price.  It is about a girl named Bess living in Canada near Niagra Falls  during WWI.  The book starts with her finding out her father has lost his job at a Niagra Falls power plant and that she is to be taken out of boarding school.  Her sister has had her engagement broken off to the new family situation, and the mother has had to start working as a dress maker.  The father spends his day drinking at a nearby hotel.  Thus the girl goes from riches to rags.  The family comes to the conclusion that the best hope they have of reclaiming their status is to marry their daughters and to marry them well.  Thus Bess finds herself transformed from school girl to debutante, a role she hates.  Added to this is a young man she meets who seems to be a bit of a nomad.  He earns his keep by fishing at the base of the falls and by bar tending.

I'm enjoying this story as I never really thought about the fact that their are people living in Niagra Falls and that those who do live their would be somewhat dependant on it for their livelihood.  Also, given the time period the description of how people go about their daily lives and how tourists see the falls is interesting.  It isn't really an amazing book, but for $3 it's pretty entertaining.