The Mouse Maze
The Hunt for the Perfect Bowl of Soup
📍Hanoi, Vietnam
Just another regular workday. I thought about ordering lunch, and after placing my order (and anyone who knows me understands this requires a lot of thought, concentration, and energy), I felt that familiar relief of "problem solved."
Except this time, after a few minutes, the order was canceled because the restaurant was too busy.
Okay, I guess I'll go hunting again.
I set out with an inexplicable craving for chicken Pho soup. I decided to walk to the cool street by the lake, where I'd previously seen tons of restaurants, cafes, and bars.
But something felt strange even on my way there. Mid-week, middle of the day, and the streets were quiet. Silence. Nobody outside.
Strange.
Even that street that was previously bustling with people - quiet. All the restaurants empty.
Until I reached the second part of the street, where I found mostly locals, sitting and drinking.
Where was all the food? The restaurants looked like they were closed, or about to close. When I asked the ones that were open if they had Pho soup, I was met with refusal.
"How am I struggling to find the most basic dish in Vietnam?!" I thought to myself, not understanding what was happening.
That's when I noticed people sitting with fans that weren't there before. The Vietnamese men were sitting with their shirts rolled up, exposing their bellies. It's a telltale sign of extreme heat in the Philippines too.
And then I understood - everyone was hiding from the heat. That's why the streets were empty and the city was quiet.
I continued to the parallel street. I remembered there were restaurants there too.
I found a restaurant serving Pho, but only with seafood. Then I found a local place that looked great with a huge "PHO" sign that reminded me of the first authentic restaurant I ate at, where the dish was simply amazing!
I sat down and showed the young waiter a picture of that dish.
"No, no," he answered firmly.
"Okay... maybe Pho?" I showed him the next picture.
"No, no!" he said again, leaving me completely confused.
On another day, I would have just stayed and pointed at the Pho dish I could see at the table next to me. But something made me get up. I continued walking, beginning to feel the hunger gnawing at me, and the frustration.
In moments like these, I look at the situation from a distance. I feel like something is moving me, and I imagine the situation as a mouse maze.
I advanced through the maze until I hit a wall. I turned back to continue on a different path. There too I hit a wall. I tell myself in my head, "It's okay, I'll find the cheese soon."
I walked a few more steps, and I arrived.
I saw from a distance another huge PHO sign. This time, standing next to it was a lovely woman who was just pouring chicken soup into a bowl and placing it on a tray.
I looked inside and saw a neat seating area with tall tables and wooden chairs - an especially rare sight in the streets of Vietnam.
And then I saw it. The one and only: the air conditioner.
I breathed a sigh of relief, sat down, and asked for "Pho Ga, please," while pointing at the first dish on the large wall menu.
Within moments, the nice lady returned with a tray and a huge bowl of Pho soup. I ate with pleasure and realized this was exactly the cheese I needed to find.
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