PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

The young ladies at Madame Cuc Hotel kept recommending the pizza place next door.  We were like, “We’re in Vietnam, we want pho and bahn mi not pizza.” But they kept telling us that this was a place to go.  The “girls” as they referred to themselves kept insisting that we go there.

They were helpful before.  They gave great directions and recommendations for places to go.  They protected from getting in a cab with a rip-off artist.  “So, what the heck?  It might be fun to have Vietnamese pizza.” Hey let’s have an open mind, people.

The waiter had an effeminate flair but he was very natural.  He spoke with both the stereotypical gay lisp and a thick Vietnamese accent.  He laughed at himself and I immediately viewed him as a kindred spirit.

There were items on the menu that didn’t translate well into English.  We required explanation and our waiter made the earnest attempt to help us understand.  Hilarity ensued.  He did his best to explain.  We ended up ordering a pizza with chicken and broccoli as the toppings.

It was pretty good pizza, too.  I don’t think anyone in Boston’s North End is sweating it out but it was tasty.  The use of cilantro instead of oregano was interesting and they were generous with the toppings.

It turned out to be a really enjoyable meal.  I was expecting good bahn mi and pho and decent Czech style beers from the local breweries but I wasn’t expecting to be writing a delightful anecdote about pizza in Saigon served by a waiter with both the gay lisp and a thick Vietnamese accent to boot.

It just goes to show that when you open yourself up to experience there are many wondrous and unexpected experiences to be had.  And even the mundane can prove to be weirdly wonderful if you look at things right.