What's the harm in a few drinks among friends??
Staying with family presents many more opportunities versus a hotel or guesthouse, not the least of which are more opportunities to drink. Vietnamese men particularly, like to drink. Every drink is a 'bottoms up' event, and rounds rapidly follow each other.
Take yesterday for example.
After it was apparent my Blackberry was history, we were sitting around the house doing nothing in particular (except for drinking beer with Tina's 84 year old grandpa), when Saat appeared with a bottle of Vietnamese whiskey-sort-of-drink. Food appeared out of nowhere, and we were now eating lunch! Then we proceeded to drink the entire bottle of the home-made whiskey! Mike made the mistake of asking where he could buy a good bottle of American whiskey, and was promptly whisked away by Tina's aunt-in-law to her house. He returned with a gift box of Johnny Walker Red...and we started drinking it! Yikes!
Needless to say, everyone was ready for a nice nap in the shade. With the hammocks full, I found a small pad rolled out and snoozed in bliss. Tina remarked later how nice it is to drift in and out of sleep while all manner of sounds and voices bounce around in your head. To borrow a phrase from Rob Robol, "Indeed!"
I felt as if I could have slept for a few more hours, but awoke to Viet (Tina's mom) telling me to "wake up Jeem, we go to party now!" Great, more drinking.
The short version is this: we took a minivan to Antheem's house to get his family, then set out for the restaurant, which was tucked away in a nearby town. More people arrived, and before long, the table set for 22 was full. Immediately, the birthday boy grabbed a chest full of Saigon beer and began pouring and toasting to each man. Then came the wine, to which fruits and some type of sweet berry were added, making Vietnamest Sangria 2009 vintage! They have yet to learn the art of drinking wine slowly. Each drink was 'bottoms up' again. Somewhere inbetween there was fabulous food. Squid, prawns, soups, beef, and things I was told not to ask about the ingredients! My stomach, only 24 hours past my gastric attack, was surely being tested!
Correctly answering the question "Do you like to sing karaoke Jeem," we drove to a club and rented our own room to sing and dance in...and to drink in! The American songs that were available, are re-mastered versions. Some of the tunes are off, sped up or slowed down, or altogether butchered so the only recognizable element is the title. Or maybe it was just me and all the drinking!
Hours later, the sillyness of the songs and the fun of scoring a perfect 100 as part of a duet, the party was finally over and time to go. I barely could hold my head up to brush my teeth before drifting off to sleep, accompanied by Pink Floyd on my ipod.
I was the first to wake up, prompted by the unmistakable feeling of a cockroach crawling on my leg. It's a new day in Vietnam, and I am loving it!
Take yesterday for example.
After it was apparent my Blackberry was history, we were sitting around the house doing nothing in particular (except for drinking beer with Tina's 84 year old grandpa), when Saat appeared with a bottle of Vietnamese whiskey-sort-of-drink. Food appeared out of nowhere, and we were now eating lunch! Then we proceeded to drink the entire bottle of the home-made whiskey! Mike made the mistake of asking where he could buy a good bottle of American whiskey, and was promptly whisked away by Tina's aunt-in-law to her house. He returned with a gift box of Johnny Walker Red...and we started drinking it! Yikes!
Needless to say, everyone was ready for a nice nap in the shade. With the hammocks full, I found a small pad rolled out and snoozed in bliss. Tina remarked later how nice it is to drift in and out of sleep while all manner of sounds and voices bounce around in your head. To borrow a phrase from Rob Robol, "Indeed!"
I felt as if I could have slept for a few more hours, but awoke to Viet (Tina's mom) telling me to "wake up Jeem, we go to party now!" Great, more drinking.
The short version is this: we took a minivan to Antheem's house to get his family, then set out for the restaurant, which was tucked away in a nearby town. More people arrived, and before long, the table set for 22 was full. Immediately, the birthday boy grabbed a chest full of Saigon beer and began pouring and toasting to each man. Then came the wine, to which fruits and some type of sweet berry were added, making Vietnamest Sangria 2009 vintage! They have yet to learn the art of drinking wine slowly. Each drink was 'bottoms up' again. Somewhere inbetween there was fabulous food. Squid, prawns, soups, beef, and things I was told not to ask about the ingredients! My stomach, only 24 hours past my gastric attack, was surely being tested!
Correctly answering the question "Do you like to sing karaoke Jeem," we drove to a club and rented our own room to sing and dance in...and to drink in! The American songs that were available, are re-mastered versions. Some of the tunes are off, sped up or slowed down, or altogether butchered so the only recognizable element is the title. Or maybe it was just me and all the drinking!
Hours later, the sillyness of the songs and the fun of scoring a perfect 100 as part of a duet, the party was finally over and time to go. I barely could hold my head up to brush my teeth before drifting off to sleep, accompanied by Pink Floyd on my ipod.
I was the first to wake up, prompted by the unmistakable feeling of a cockroach crawling on my leg. It's a new day in Vietnam, and I am loving it!
posted by Meestah Jeem at 6:37 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home