A Cheese Sandwich

You would think that such a universal thing as a cheese sandwich would be of ease to an international 4 star hotel

I just flew in to Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, in southern Vietnam. fascinating place which seems to have inherited the French tradition of eclectic building codes where nothing seems to match. It's as though the architect burns her plans and starts anew with each building on the street totally ignoring the ones beside..

Traffic is best described as a swarm, like bees. Any obstacle such as a pedestrian or car is simply swarmed around without so much as a pause. This is the one place I reckon I would never ever drive no matter what.

Service in the hotel is nothing short of exceptional, except when I ask for something outside the circle.

Waitress: please sit sir, can I help u

Me: I would like a cheese sandwich please, no vegetable or salad and no mayonnaise

Waitress: certainly sir and drink?

Me: Diet Coke thanks.

That morning during a conversation with the people who brought me to Vietnam I was complimented on how clear and easily understood my English was. My accent is best described as Mid Pacific, not broadly Australian, tinged with UK English and a touch of Californian. All good however.

Said Waitress arrives with toast and butter. Where is the cheese I ask. She points to the butter and says " there sir"

Me: no sweety, that is butter not cheese

Waitress: no sir it's cheese.

Back and forth we go, finally she gets it and leaps off and this time returns with the cheese.

Vietnam, having been excluded for quite some time from the world after the war, struggles to truly deliver. By gosh they try hard though, nothing but smiles, but it seems most expectations fall short of the mark.

I will come back though one day, everyone smiles and is super friendly, traffic not withstanding.

The Diet Coke was awesome. I wonder if Uncle Ho drank coke.