Perhaps. Either way, now I had to deal with the situation and confront my fear. It was now or never with this rat
thing.
Luat knew that we didn't want to eat in tourist restaurants while we were in Saigon. We always asked him to take
us to “homestyle” Vietnamese restaurants when we traveled with him.
Michael lived in China for nine years and I, having been to Asia a number of times in the past, could spot a safe,
"Don't worry, we've got fried rice and eggrolls for the foreigners" type of place.
We had been traveling with Luat for a few days and he really wanted to treat us to a banquet of authentic local
cuisine with a little side show, so, much to our delight, he took us to the “Smashing-Clay-Pot, Crispy-Rice-Discus-
Throwing, Frisbee-Catching Local Vietnamese Restaurant". The actual name was…well, I don't remember, but if
I go back to Saigon, I’ll want to go back there. The food was great, the entertainment better, and the Rat, well....
When the waiters brought out the rice to the customers, it came in small terracotta pots with lids; the pots were
about twice the size of French Onion soup pots here in the States. The rice was cooked in the oven rather than
being steamed and appeared to be left baking in the clay pots after all the water was cooked off, so that a crispy
shell formed on the outside while leaving the white rice on the inside soft and moist. It was very good. I’d never
had that before.
thing.
Luat knew that we didn't want to eat in tourist restaurants while we were in Saigon. We always asked him to take
us to “homestyle” Vietnamese restaurants when we traveled with him.
Michael lived in China for nine years and I, having been to Asia a number of times in the past, could spot a safe,
"Don't worry, we've got fried rice and eggrolls for the foreigners" type of place.
We had been traveling with Luat for a few days and he really wanted to treat us to a banquet of authentic local
cuisine with a little side show, so, much to our delight, he took us to the “Smashing-Clay-Pot, Crispy-Rice-Discus-
Throwing, Frisbee-Catching Local Vietnamese Restaurant". The actual name was…well, I don't remember, but if
I go back to Saigon, I’ll want to go back there. The food was great, the entertainment better, and the Rat, well....
When the waiters brought out the rice to the customers, it came in small terracotta pots with lids; the pots were
about twice the size of French Onion soup pots here in the States. The rice was cooked in the oven rather than
being steamed and appeared to be left baking in the clay pots after all the water was cooked off, so that a crispy
shell formed on the outside while leaving the white rice on the inside soft and moist. It was very good. I’d never
had that before.
| It Took a Rat |
by Michael Domino
Copyright © 2007 by Michael Domino
Denis Proulx / Shangri-La Studio
| I had to figure out a way to enjoy this lunch, knowing that a rat was near the table. I was in Vietnam, Saigon. It was Thursday afternoon there; back home, it was yesterday and everyone was sleeping, but I was eating lunch with Michael and Luat and the Rat. I thought to myself, Michael, when you saw the rat run along the wall next to you, to the left, why did you have to say something? What you didn’t know wouldn’t have bothered you. True. But maybe it was better to have been warned, so you could be on guard? |
| Short Stories Page 1 2 3 4 |