Christmas Eve Day around Hue
Above, a local market a block over from my hotel. Believe me when I say, I was the only non-Vietnamese in the whole market. I got some stares like I had a third eye or something. The market itself carried the staples - nothing very unusual, but a lot of activity.
I took a moto into the citadel area of the city. The original core of the city is protected by a moat and fortified walls, much like a European castle might be. Near a park, this vendor had attracted a disproportionately large crowd. Several people came by moto, ate and left.
They were selling bun hen, one of the specialties of Hue. Buried under the noodles is a bit of julienned banana blossom and greens, then atop the noodles are the tiny, sweet local clams (hen), a few pork rinds, some peanuts, cilantro, and a sweet chili oil dressing. There's no broth, so it's sorta like a noodle salad. Really tasty. I think it cost VND 8,000 or about US$0.50. Since the Vietnamese tend to be smaller in stature, and these vendors have to be mobile, those tiny plastic stools are the norm - or maybe the ones with the backs. I've been careful to choose sturdy looking ones, lest I crush it and treat them to a scene of trying to right myself like a turtle on his back.
The boulanger is rocking it old school with a wood-fired oven. As they were unloading the baguette, I saw one woman knocking excess flour and cornmeal off the bottom of some loaves by grinding it against the brick wall.
