Vietnam - Hue - Mouthfuls

Vietnam - Hue Amanda Hesser reports on changes

#1 Rail Paul

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Posted 28 August 2005 - 05:04 PM

Amanda Hesser has an article in today's NY Times about changes in and around Hue. The ancient capital is being buffeted by rapid development, and once pastoral areas are being rapidly developed.

Changing Face of Vietnam

My only complaint was that if they need to charge me $30 because they're robbing the duck to pay the boar they might as well give me a more substantial portion of flour, water, and bits of meat.

Orik, on the pasta price at Hearth in NYC

#2 hollywood

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Posted 29 August 2005 - 01:13 AM

Evan Kleiman had a guy on her program yesterday talking about the first place in SoCal to serve pho. It's in Santa Ana where he says you see Vietnamese and Latinos side by side eating the stuff. He had high praise tho for some lemon grass chicken.

That shit cray.

#3 Ron Johnson

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Posted 29 August 2005 - 12:30 PM

I began reading the piece without looking at the name of the author. Within about five paragraphs I recognized it as Hesser. The giveaway? Needlessly condescending remarks about the Vietnamese people. Also, the snobbish act of introducing themselves as characters from the boardgame Clue. Perhaps Muffy and Chip found that anecdote funny, but I did not.

#4 Gary Soup

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Posted 30 August 2005 - 03:37 AM

I think there should be a separate "I hate Amanda Hesser" thread so topics like this don't get derailed by splenetic outbursts.

#5 The Scream

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Posted 30 August 2005 - 03:41 AM

Gary Soup, on Aug 30 2005, 03:37 AM, said:

I think there should be a separate "I hate Amanda Hesser" thread so topics like this don't get derailed by splenetic outbursts.

It's not just Hesser though. Lots of writers paint a portrait of cutesy natives.

As a joke I feel like writing about American eating habits from a Korean-centric point of view.

EDIT: I think it was Amy Tan on The Tonight Show telling Johnny Carson what her relatives from China thought about American food and eating habits. The audience was gasping. :lol:

I'm sure she did it intentionally.

Gone fishing for the summer.

#6 Rail Paul

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Posted 30 August 2005 - 10:40 AM

Gary Soup, on Aug 29 2005, 11:37 PM, said:

I think there should be a separate "I hate Amanda Hesser" thread so topics like this don't get derailed by splenetic outbursts.

eG had a Hesser-haters thread which became quite extensive.

Ms Hesser came on board to slug it out with a few of the more virulent posters, as I recall. If there's an interest in starting one here, Lifestyles / Written Word would likely be the place to start it.