Vietnam’s art of incense
All that incense wafting about the altars in Vietnam’s homes, shops and pagodas has to come from somewhere. I did not expect to discover...
Banh xeo… Let them eat pancake!
Vietnam’s crepe-like pancake, banh xeo, is a delightful, messy, savory culinary experience. From Saigon pancake in the south to the smaller rounds served up in...
Cholon’s pagodas serve up atmosphere aplenty
A fierce dragon stands guard at Quan Am Pagoda, in Cholon, Saigon’s Chinatown. The district, home to Chinese traders and merchants for centuries, is...
Cooking with Miss Vy
Vietnamese food is the epitome of fresh, I am discovering. Market stalls are piled high with green goodness and every meal layers on herbs...
Something fishy in Vietnam
Before I lived in Southeast Asia, I knew that fish sauce--that fermented, salty essence of the sea--is an indispensable condiment for many of the...
Ben Thanh Market’s metamorphosis
In the evening, the streets on either side of Saigon’s Ben Thanh Market sprout bustling restaurants, set up after the daily market closes at...
Saigon’s Ben Thanh Market
The Ben Thanh market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam is one-stop shopping central, just about 24/7. Top quality fruits and vegetables, seafood and...
The (mostly unwritten) rules of Basel Fasnacht
Life in Switzerland is orderly, no surprise there. Fasnacht turns that tidy world upside down—for starters, it takes place during the first week of...
Gulf Coast seafood heaven
After a sunny February morning’s visit to the Fresh Market in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, my companions and I were in search of seafood. We...
Flying South? Try Concourse E
Earlier this month, I paid my second visit to One Flew South, an upscale restaurant in Concourse E of Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport, recently listed...
