I said that I would keep you updated on our trek West with the NIST
Standards In Trade Workshop.
We’ve arrived Hanoi a few minutes after Midnight on Tuesday. Labor
Day virtually disappeared in the white haze of the polar arc from
Washington to Seoul; the sun never winked out for even a moment of the
fourteen hours air-time, made tolerable by alternately snoozing and
snacking and in-flight entertainment. It’s probably lunch where you are
now, but we’re just getting settled for an uneasy, out-of-sync sleep,
twenty four hours en route and a cycle of day-night inversion. The
flight was actually not as painful as some...been on worse. Hardly been
on better, honestly. The trick is to ignore the saddle sores and with
providence, the turbulence and sweet sound of wailing babies.
We started in Dulles, of course, for some, the only way to fly. Nice
new terminal. Airy and as auspicious as should be the international
terminal for DC-travelers.
You already know, and have commented richly and with
none-too-slightly-veiled sarcasm, that the meals are one of the main
reasons I take these little treks. Appreciating well that fine cuisine
is not the mainstay of the airline industry, the Korean Airlines’
attendants offered a choice of “western chicken” or “traditional
Korean”. Devil-may-care and stomach-be-spared, I opted for the second
and it was pleased to try the “bi bim bap” dish: Cold vegetables, bean
sprouts, curious shredded beef(?) and zucchini mixed with warm rice and
a hot pepper sauce provided expediently in the style of a tube of travel
toothpaste.
Easing the alimentation was a fair red wine (origins unknown). The
Asian airlines still serve a beer or glass of wine back in steerage
where we are arranged close together, bunched in rows 32 and 33, our
colleagues from NIST and industry.
We’re getting ready to hold forth with our Vietnamese counterparts to
exchange ideas and processes relating to Fire Safety Codes and
standards. Our group is a cross-section of government and private
industry working to increase the level of engagement across the Pacific.
The three-day workshop is a followup to a visit by a delegation from
Vietnam last summer and is a critical element of the Standards In Trade
Workshops that NIST sponsors. Glad to be along; Standards is an area of
some interest to us, of course, but in a topic that we’re not so
well-versed: Fire Safety. Life, though, has a way of washing new sands
against the beach and standards is standards and the more we can
cross-purpose mutual agreement on topics, the better off trade, safety
and relations in general.
This trip has a couple of purposes, as I probably already related to
you. We’ve been working our conference gig for a few years, focusing on
food safety, product safety and energy efficiency. This go ‘round is a
planning trip for our Climate Change Forum in 2010 in Hanoi (please join
us, when you’re feeling better). The traction we gained from our event
in DC last May, where we were fortunate to have Ambassador Le come
speak, has elevated this project to a nice level. Some tides are not so
welcome and Vietnam, with her long coastline and large wetlands, is
especially vulnerable to Sea Level Rise.
Fisheries, farmers, whole coastal areas are at-risk and, even with
all the goodwill in the world, if the waters rise, there’s nothing one
can do but to have mitigation planning.
People are nervous about Swine Flu, but the planes are pretty packed.
One in a hundred wear masks. This region was devastated by SARS in
2002/3 and whatever measures can be taken to restrict the spread of any
noisome bug are taken. The limits on travel are hardly draconian, so hop
a plane and, when you’re feeling well, get your limbs to tuck into the
window seat, ignore (if you can) the over-ripe Australians and came on
over.
Ah, but we have arrived and survived and look forward to our week in
Hanoi and greeting your friends and mine.
Another day, another dong. Actually, 15,000 dong what you get for
your dollar. It’s down by a 1,000 dong since first arriving here a
couple of years ago (it still goes a long way, though). The Vietnamese
economy, in general, is “off”, just like the rest of the world, but the
GDP growth is still something like 4%, which is positive, at least.
There is a strong appetite for consumer goods, cell phone and an array
of food products, which are varied and unique and sometimes creatively
brought from farm to fork.
A purveyor of fine porcine products zipped by on his scooter on our
way to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) where
we had a learned introduction about Vietnam’s program of Integrated Coastal
Management (ICM).
We had a discussion about food safety and the role of standards (of
course, we being Standards Ueber-Nerds). One area that popped up
that dovetails into our climate change discussion is fisheries and
seafood. So much of the country depends on water; the
health of the seas and oceans is of paramount importance. The
preservation of the coastline and the ecosystems is of prime importance
now to the Vietnamese central government. With exchanges such as this
visit, the goal is to share lessons-learned on stewardship.
Much good stuff comes from the land as well and this is where some of
the challenges lie in good Integrated Coastal Management because the
silt, runoff and other pollutants that murk up the coastal waters flow
from the significant river systems, which are under the auspices of
another division of the MONRE. Fortunately, the Prime Minister and
Parliament have recently pushed regulations that strengthen the role of
Vietnam Administration for Seas and Islands (VASI). This provides for a
multi-faceted agency that provides research, management and enforcement
of the Coastal Resources.
VISIT TO VASI
Hence, our discussions with Dr. Nguyen Chu Hoi, Deputy Administrator
of VASI. Dr Nguyen, who studied environmental science in Poland during
Vietnam’s alignment with the Soviet Bloc, is an energetic and talented
administrator and instructor. Over a traditional lunch of beef noodle
soup and squid (with salt, lime and pepper condiments), we discussed the
cooperation during the 2010 Hanoi Climate Change Program which we are
putting together with the MDEAP in February. Back to Hanoi? Sure. Maybe
we can get you to come next time, too.
Vietnam is loooong. It is 1000 miles from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City
(like Boston to St Louis). And the coastal region of Vietnam is
especially of interest because of its vast and complex nature.
Considering that Vietnam stretches a full 15 degrees of latitude (the
same as the West Coast of The United States), it has a variegated
coastline of over 1000 miles: plenty of air, land & water interaction to
study and explore. The key contribution that we can make, as a set of
Maryland and Virginia companies, is to employ elements of our experience
of the Chesapeake Bay, for instance (dos AND don’ts). Of particular
interest to Dr. Nguyen’s group are climatological modeling of
water-borne nutrients, physical parameters and aquatic life patterns. As
Dr. Nguyen put’s it: “If the Ocean is healthy, then the Planet is
healthy.” (Maps roughly to scale...but not quite World Geography
homework).
VISIT TO THE FIREHOUSE
I rejoined the rest of the gang, who attended a visit to the
Institute for Building Science and Technology and we headed out together to
a local Hanoi Fire Station. We were hosted by the Chief of the
Station Captain Trung. He laid out some of his challenges to our Mike
Love, Division Chief of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.
The contrasts made for a very enlightening discussion.
Hanoi’s urban population is about 8 million souls in about 570
square miles of land. It is served by 9 fire stations with about 450
firefighters. Density is one station per 40-50 square-kilometer.
Montgomery County (admittedly one of the most affluent counties
in the US) has nearly 1 million souls in about 500 square miles. It
is served by 40 or fire stations with 1200 firefighters in three
shifts. Density is one station per 2.5 square-kilometer.
Hanoi’s firefighting force is under the same civil authority as
the Police.
Montgomery County (and most of US) splits the Police and
Firefighting duties into separate authorities.
Hanoi’s fire hydrants are spaced at nominally 2.5 km spacing
(sometimes more). To make up for the gaps in hydrants, there are
water storage units deployed in various locations around the city.
The US code calls for a fire hydrant every 600 feet
or every 0.2 km.
And the fire trucks have to navigate roads like this to get to a
conflagration:
At the end of the meeting, we had a tour of the station. The guys
hang out in simple ready-rooms, waiting for one of 20 or so calls for
assistance they may get in one month. Here Mike poses with his
Hanoi colleagues.
Oh, and by the way, what did they ask for when as we wrapped up the
meeting? US Standards.
Vietnam Journal: Building on a Common Past and an Entwined Future
Dear E,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Yes, we did open the
NIST-sponsored Standards in Trade Workshop on Fire Safety.
NIST’s Dr. Ajit Jilla opens the conference, co-hosted by Dr. Belinda
Collins
And no, we did not stay out too late last night. We did have a nice
food interruption with a small celebration, a sober but sometimes
spirited evening--for there’s always politics to season any
discussion--at Club De L’Oriental on Ton Dan Street in the Old French
Quarter (in the Hoan Kiem District). A chance let our hair down for some
fusion of goodminded celebrants and Asian-Fusion Food.
Arriving after appetizers were palm-leaf (?) boat-hulled simulations:
three food-filled crafts we dubbed The Nina, The Pinta and The Santa
Maria: carrying stir-fried beef and shoots and noodles cargo arriving
after a confused bit of ordering in English, muttered Farsi and
fractured French.
Lesson Learned: when
going out with a group in a foreign country, trust
La Maitre
d’--and we did (and we stayed well within our per diem--don’t
worry, S, we have the receipts, in French and Vietnamese, in
dollars and dong. Then there’s the fun of splitting a check in
two currencies...as rivulets of sweat roll past the collar as
the waiter counts the money...Do we have enough? Or will we be
washing dishes?).
We figured out the check and made it to the street.
Hanoi proudly and practically mixes her traditions of many centuries
with the recent past. Speaking of France, they beat feet out of here 55
years ago after their Custer’s- Last-Stand-Style defeat at the battle of Dienbienphu and the US fell to
her infamous folly. That aside, there’s
still a strong colonial influence that is embraced, maybe as a child
might still love an eccentric and overbearing in-law. And miraculous
springs fresh new relationships. And certain promise!
I don’t really know what strains beat in the hearts of our hosts
after OUR very long stay here some forty years ago, except that
friendship synchronizes our heartbeats with theirs. That’s a good start.
The 900 kilogram gorilla in the room is the war, but that beast is
rarely given any air, not during my half-dozen visits to Hanoi. The mood
is exploratory and the ground is new, and common, with bright prospects
for future cooperation as old enmities expire and exhale their last foul
breath.
As I mentioned, the conference convened with well over one hundred in
attendance, with a mix of government and industry in attendance. With
strong support of STAMEQ, the complex and important message of Fire
Safety in Buildings was well-conveyed.
Vietnam has pushed past, or outrun, the limits of her infrastructure
in many ways and the conventions that worked for single story and
low-rise structures just don’t cut it anymore. There are few buildings
that one might call “high-rise” in this country, a typical mix of the
modern and the traditional hug West Lake, where we are staying.
A very typical house in this country consists of a single-wide space,
stacked several stories high and 30 feet deep. Many are
beautifully-constructed and appointed, reflecting a refined and
deliberate sense of style and sometimes a bit of Oriental
gingerbread-whimsy.
For all that style, the Codes and Standards that we routinely deal
with and take for granted (materials selection and assembly, space
planning, emergency egress, permitting, inspection and commissioning)
are just now being worked into the mind-set of the government and
industry. That is why it is so fascinating to be involved with type of
trip: the chance to witness a transformation in thinking and practice as
the country evolves. Electric! Of course, this means that some of the
quaintness will be dissolved, but Vietnam will always remain a unique
place (just a bit safer for the populace).
The workshop brought a dozen experts from the US together to present
the US ways and means of construction with a historical perspective of
the progression of our system, developed and refined over the past 100
years. The topics ranged from the Code-based regulatory building process
to Performance standards for materials (fire withstand criteria,
components, best-practices, approvals and the multi-variant mechanisms
for maximizing occupant safety. We take it for granted that the public
and private spaces that we utilize (offices, malls, libraries, schools,
homes, etc.) have a complex network of requirements and processes that
are constantly refined, reworked, studied and improved. Here, this week,
our experiences and practices are eagerly embraced by the professionals
building a bright future for Vietnam.
Interpreter Chi and NIST’s SIT Organizer Patrice Boulanger
Certainly, a group that travels together binds together. This trip is
no exception and you hear a few good life-stories. Three of our group
fled Vietnam as adolescents and the return this week is not a little bit
apprehensive. Coincidentally (or no) about the same time, one of our
group fled Iran as the Shah slipped from his precarious power perch.
Four lives, four similar stories and the United States a blessed
sanctuary for all. (I’ve never met stronger patriots and believers in
the promise of America than the first and second generation immigrants.)
But the Big Mystery is how we any of us ended up here together, during
this week, speaking on Fire Safety, as a result of life-threatening
inconvenience and outright damning circumstance: Fate. Providence and
maybe just a generous dose of Good Luck.
Reflecting on the safe upbringing we enjoy as Americans, the biggest
conundrum I had as a teenager was which local hangout (a la “American
Graffiti” but with less action) could one find action and, important at
the time, how the heck were we going to get beer so we could hang out
properly.
In college, a year or two later, my lab partner, Hien, a Vietnamese
son-of-a-boat family, related the story of his adolescence: desperate
escape, brutal capture and the subsequent incarceration in a packed cell
for a month after an aborted attempt to flee (“In jail, only I could
stand or I could kneel, it was so crowded.”). Hien finally came to the
US in 1978, about the same time as my maximum mis-spending. If there
were justice, there would have to be some recompense for his sad loss of
youth and innocence, but the creaking of Atlas’ burden shifts round his
shoulders and we, now, come blindingly into some new light.
So we end up in Ha Noi, the capital and preservation of Ho Chi Minh’s
earthly remains. “He was like a farmer, simple, wore simple clothes and
could talk to the people.” said my driver as we drove slowly by the
large black-granite tomb. Ho and his struggles are a long and
interesting story for another day.
I mentioned before--and I hope you’ll join us--next March, we plan to
return to do our Environmental and Climate Change conference.
Twenty-five percent of Vietnam’s population will be affected if the
waters rise just one meter, so the illuminated are focused in on methods
to either slow this process or to mitigate its effects. The program is
taking shape with our friends at STAMEQ (Directorate for
STAndards,
MEtrology and
Quality). We will concentrate on three aspects of
environmental challenges: Policy, Societal Impact and Commercial
Opportunities. Hopefully, the cooperation can outrun our short two-day
program. Once you meet these folks, you’ll be convinced that it can.
That’s quite enough, for now, E. I’ll weigh in on Vietnamese Water
Puppets, the story of Le Loi and a trip to Halong Bay, a world
historical site that, like our own Chesapeake Bay, is a beautiful and
historically significant area and worth a look--and saving.
Thanks for letting me share a few thoughts and pictures. (We snapped
a few more at the bridge to the Ngoc Son Temple on Hoan Kiem lake, where
the mystical golden turtle lurks.)
This will be my final installment (of this trip at least). I’m nearly
adjusted to the time zone here soon, so it’s time to get back to the US.
So how does one cap off a week of discussions of fire safety in
buildings? How about attending a building fire! Well, not exactly
one that caught on fire, but a full-up fire drill with three trucks,
noise, smoke, orderly chaos, hoses, water and the kind of occasional sur-reality
that one experiences in Vietnam from time to time.
Ready to Squirt
But first, a final word on our NIST & STAMEQ Standards in Trade
activity as it was the impetus for this visit here: In sum, we firmly
accomplished what we needed to do. The conference wrapped with a firm
sense of continued commitment. Vietnam, with a population of 86 million
people (fourth in the world) ranks 66 in terms of land area. Considering
that much of land is either really wet or really mountainous, this
translates to a pretty spectacular population density, ranking 50th at a
density of 660 people per square mile, eight times that of the US, which
ranks 177th.
Vietnam suffered approximately 2.8B dong in fire damages in 2008.
That’s a load of dong for a developing country. A good dose of
preventiveness, coupled with an improvement in response and suppression
resources, will go a long way towards reducing the damages cost of
fires. Standardizing requirements such as Fire Rating for materials will
improve the process. As Mr Do Van Son, Director of the Ministry of
Public Security Fire Prevention and Protection Department pointed out
“All bricks are not created equally. The bricks are different between
the North and South.” With much of the country reliant on masonry
construction, this seemingly mundane observation is critical, as
specifications are meaningless without standards. Mr. Do outlined three
important areas that need focused attention:
- Promulgation of normative standards that support the process
of design, reviews and approvals
- Establish a database for design that is applicable to
Vietnamese conditions
- Education manpower and develop more formal training in fire
prevention practices
Further engagement is certainly warranted and pledges were made to
continue the good work.
A final word on standards, this bit fortuitously published my last
morning in HCMC in the Vietnam News Daily, an English publication; it is
government-controlled, so garnish the stories with salt--but this day
some international standards news is served up with pomello (grapefruit
by any other name) and dragon fruit.
Vietnamese Fire Drill
One area of practice that may beg a little review is fire drill
procedures, as I was about to find out.
But first I had to get there.
Running late to my three o’clock at one of the local (fine) hotels,
and with no taxis in sight, I stood wanly on the side of the road,
waiting for a car. One of the many guys who seem to hang out on their
scooters sensed my predicament and offered to take me where I needed to
go for five bucks. Handing me his extra helmet, he tucked my briefcase
in front of him and I alighted the back of his bike. At first I was
concerned that having a 200+lb wheezing lump behind him might be a bit
of challenge, but I discarded that notion when I recalled that they haul
heavier and more unwieldy cargo than me.
For some live action, here’s a little video short of the rollicking
50cc express through the mid-day Hanoi traffic.
Five bucks and twenty minutes later (limbs intact, nerves buzzing), I
arrived at the front entrance of the Hotel M to meet with our
contact/conference manager Cuong, an affable fellow who has helped us
out these past years.
At precisely 3 p.m. the fire alarm sounded and I was assured by the
front desk attendant that it was a fire drill. OK, no problem there, the
staff filed out nice and orderly. Guests, by and large lounged about and
there didn’t seem to be much fuss. Morten, the well-assembled (Danish?)
manager, strode up, introduced himself and told me not to worry “Just a
drill for our staff and for the local fire brigade. We do this about
once a year.” Right, well, what was that real smoke pouring down the
front of the building?
I exited the lobby and heard the first of the fire trucks roll up the
street. There was a LOT of foul greasy smoke; so maybe this wasn’t a
drill after all?
Stepping back away from the entrance, sure ‘nuff, there was a real
live fire up a few floors or more stories up on a balcony. Occasionally,
flames leapt above the railing. Then I saw the red banner hanging over
the wall, nicely captioning the event “Fire Drill 2009”. OK, it’s
for show, but that smoke is real.
The fire brigade sprung to action, rolling out the hoses and
deploying one team on the balcony while the others took siege positions
along the walls of the hotel.
On the ground, the pumper truck revved its engine and produced a
prodigious spray of water. Laying into the flames with a one-two punch,
the smoky oily inferno was soon out. I think the folks who had the best
view were in the still-occupied rooms a few floors up from the balcony.
Again, I offer a short video of the event:
Whatever has been said in these correspondences or during the
conference, the Vietnamese know how to really practice! I, however,
wondered during all this excitement: who was minding the puff pastries?
Not a bad way to end up a week of Fire Safety in Buildings. Thanks
Hanoi!
The rest of this installment, for the standards-happy reader, is pure
fun and exploration as we get a history lesson and experience the beauty
of the “Three Caves”.
Out of Hanoi: Touring the Three Caves
Hanoi, originally called “Ascending Dragon” (tăng lương) was
the seat of power until the Nguyen dynasty moved the capital to Hue, in
the center of modern Vietnam. As the Dragon is associated with the
emperor, there could not be more than one iconic dragon in the
geography, thus, the name “Ha Noi” was adopted (the removal of the
space between the “Ha and the Noi” is simply a romanization of the two
Chinese-based syllables, conveniently shortened for us westerners). The
Vietnamese language, or quốc ngữ was based on Chinese characters
until the early 1600s when missionary Alexandre de Rhodes, during his
fervent proselytization of the populace, wrote a
Portuguese-Latin-Vietnamese dictionary. Rhodes’ dictionary began the
long slow process of the modern transliteration of Vietnamese into the
shapes of the Roman alphabet, which was more or less universally
subsumed into widespread usage in the middle of the 20th Century.
Going further back in time, at the merciful end of a kidney-jarring
two hour ride south of Ha Noi (City Between the Rivers) is Hua Lu, the
ancient capital of Vietnam. Ancient, as in pre-magna carta days (ca
938). The first emperor of a cohesive arrangement called Ngo Quyen was
conceived when his mother stepped in the footprint of a giant.
“Immaculate conception” seems to be a common theme in human religious
development, certainly the Asian cultures believe that the power to rule
descended from God. Ngo’s mother--who did not have any paternity
recourse against the father-could not afford to raise her son, so she
sent him to a pagoda to be raised by Buddhist monks. Ultimately, under
his rule, the Ngo dynasty collected the warring tribes
together, defeated insurgent Chinese and created was the first semblance
of a cohesive nation.
Anyway, what’s left behind is a pair of pagodas in Hoa Luu, the
oldest markedly larger and more complex than the second. Seems there was
some intrigue after Ngo passed on and his widowed queen married his
successor; he got his own pagoda and her image joined monsieur numero
deux there. Not to get a session going about the injustice of
male-dominated societies (uh-oh, here it comes), but the mentality at
the time was that a male could have as many consorts during his life,
but a woman only one. The queen, having violated this precept, got the
smaller pagoda with the second husband. I don’t know, I’m just relating
what I heard and I’m really not sure how the math works out except there
must have been a lot of unattached men, which maybe explains all the
temples and celibate monks. At any rate, I think both pagodas are pretty
nice.
Buddhist pagodas are often surrounded by lotus ponds. The lotus
symbolizes wisdom because a lotus flower grows out of mud without being
sullied by the mud, so it is possible to grow into great wisdom from a
sullied condition. This is a great hope I hold out for every day.
Continuing the trek narrated by our friend Mr. Don (pronounced “Daahn”,
sort of), we hiked around some more pagodas that are particularly
well-suited for expressions of picturesque awe. And knick-knack shopping
from friendly locals.
This area, until just a few years ago was terribly depressed
economically. The hills are beautiful, but it is tough to grow crops in
this terrain. The flip side is that the goats do pretty good and grilled
goat, served in a cafe near our next stop was tasty. Not baaad at all.
Off to Tam Coc (three caves) a short distance away. Rising sharply
from the surrounding plain, the limestone formations have numerous
caves and features that speak mystically and poetically, and
sometimes a little menacingly. One can see the inspiration for the
classic ink drawings on rice paper, green hills rising above misty
plains.
And if you look closely enough, you can even imagine dragons among
the formations.
The locals all have steel boats that they used for fishing and
general commerce and transportation. According to Dan, there is one day
a month where, by whatever local control mechanism there is, the folks
get to use their boat to shuttle tourists up and down the river (passing
through the three caves--hence “Tam Coc”). One day a month to get some
coin and spend a day with the foreigners and that day, instead of Ha
Long Bay, we went to Tam Coc because the weather in Ha Long was monsoon
rain. Tam Coc was fine, but you can’t slip through the caves when the
floods come.
Dan may have been setting us up, but whatever the circumstances, the
local and well-played gig is to get the visitor on the boat and to the
half-way of the round trip. After a leisurely upstream journey, the
downstream transit is all sales: shirts, tablecloths, embroidered
pastoral scenes, doo-dads and the like. At least Dan gave us a heads-up
and the bartering and buying was conducted with no hard feelings and I
got some stuff I really didn’t need at a price I didn’t really want to
pay. These folks spoke a smattering of French and by the end of the
trip, c’etait tout harmonie.
Trinh (right) has 3 kids; Nam (left) one boat.
Ho Chi Minh City
Landing at a familiar place is always good. The Rex Hotel, an
institution that we’ve discussed earlier, has just expanded her rooms
and has pushed beyond her nostalgic vibe without leaving it behind but
now has a shiny atrium and nicely appointed rooms. Smack in the heart of
the city, it is the domain of our friend Nick, whom we’ve introduced in
an earlier entry.
My room overlooks the French-built town hall and the 3X statue of Ho
Chi Minh (Uncle Ho). The town hall is ethereally illuminated at night.
I’ve told you about Ho Chi Minh City in general several times and
hooking up with Nick and Tuan. Since parting ways a year ago, Tuan is
ready to open the Red Hot Wok open and serving his own menu of goodies.
One might say “typical” fare on Le Loi street that slices through the
middle of Old Saigon, from Ben Thanh Market to the Opera House.
You know, pigeons and shark lips. The pigeon was nicely prepared and
(really) tasted like, er, pigeon. The shark lips were sliced like wide
bacon strips, striated and gelatinous with a faint sea taste and mixed
with Chinese vegetable. I’ll steer away from them in the future, because
although I’ve kissed few sharks, they should be left to be.
Nick, not to be outdone, is opening a club complete with swimming
pool, concessions and fine dining. From where he gets his financing, I
know not where, but suffice it to say that he’s a growing part of the
new elite. like his future clientele, a mix of the privileged sons of
VC, returned refugees and all manner of members of this socially and
politically complex country.
On the road, were a few other specialties that we got to experience,
including a few crab variations. We stayed away from the dog, but saw
plenty of evidence for munching on mutt meat (which seems to be more
prevalent in Hanoi than in the south). We’ll stick to the seafood
creations like shrimp on sugar cane and the special stone crabs.
The crabs were females, fat with roe, that were boiled until the roe
had the bearing and texture of fine unsalted butter, the kind that
breaks apart when it is cold and fresh. Flavor? Fatty and rich. Fish
caviar pops. This simply dissolves.
The shrimp-cicles are wrapped and broiled around finger-width sticks
of cane.
Anyway, that’s quite enough for now. I’ve indeed more food pictures;
when we get back together we’ll discuss the various menu items and other
treats of this very warm, but immensely cool country.
I bid adieu to the wife of one of the local vendors who managed to
squeeze a few bucks out of me (Not complaining. He did say Merci).
