Happy Hour Chao

Sometimes I envy the loads of friends and travelers passing through Hanoi who are just...traveling. They are off to see EVERYTHING while I struggle getting a couple of days off from research every other month or so. Then I realize that I'm being pretty dumb. First of all, I'm living in Hanoi, Vietnam, truly an experience of a lifetime (though this is my second time doing this, haha). Second of all, I'm supposed to be here for my research. Third of all, these travelers are seeing a lot but they probably are not seeing the same things I am while I live in Hanoi.

I love having the luxury of LIVING somewhere new and not just rushing through world heritage sites and must-sees. For example, because I am living here I was able to discover what I fondly call "Happy Hour Chao."

So, I live next to one of the larger universities in Hanoi and get the joys of being in a college student environment. After classes end on weekdays around 4:30pm-5:00pm, a couple pulls out their Vietnamese porridge street food cart that has become madly popular with the students. So popular that finding a small plastic chair is an accomplishment and that the lady will only let you buy one serving "so more people can have some." She usually sells out within 2 hours so I always consider myself lucky when I can grab myself a bowl on a cold day.

So ridiculously simple and amazing. Oh and it's only 7,000 VND ($0.35)