my best culinary experience

for half a year, i worked & lived in ho chi minh city.

the most fun looking food was always found at isolated street stalls, below flickering streetlamps or in gaps between buildings. many delicious shid. bahn mi with pate exposed to flies & elements. roast meat which followed the banger recipe of: 1 part charcoal dust, 1 part car exhaust. my favourite was clam rice, made by a cute, chainsmoking old lady. she was always happy, at her well patronised, unregulated foodstall. 
the expats always told me to avoid these places, especially if not being in pain for 3 days, was something i valued.

but

a) never listen to white ppl about food b) i was depressed & alone

if I died from eating dese things, dont care. if i didn’t, the food was always fuckin delicious.

eating dis simple $2 fare, always cheered me up.

the combination of genuine human cook, unhealthily flavourful ingredients, & food poisoning roulette,

always reminded me to appreciate dat the world can be very beautiful, and how ridiculously lucky we are, to be us, to feel the things we get to feel.