Sixteen Candles

Since landing in Vietnam, the John Hughes classic, Sixteen Candles, has been on the brain. The country currency is VND, or Vietnamese dong. More than once we've exclaimed, "Dong, where is my automobile? Automobile?"

That said, a Vietnam vacation is quite cost effective! You can get a great meal (the best we've had on this trip) for about $5USD for two. You can get an even better meal for $5 more. For the past three nights, we've been in Hoi An, a coastal fishing village on the central coast of Vietnam near the town of Hue and Cua Dai Beach. We love it here. Not only has the weather been mild and sunny, but the town is quaint and the shopping is unlike anything we've ever seen. The only downside is that people target foreigners with calls of "look in my shop, buy something." The marketing is that blatant and in your face.

We had a great experience with the Phuoc An Cloth Shop on Le Loi Street where Jake had a suit made and I had a dress made. I had taken note of the dress in a "Who Wore it Better?" column in Us Weekly when Kristen Stewart was pitted against Taylor Swift. I don't remember who won, but I remember loving the J. Mendel design and researching the retail price online for a potential rehearsal dinner ensemble. Not so much...

I showed the photo to the tailor online and within 24 hours, they made an exact replica of the dress in the color I had chosen. It literally looks the exact same for 1/15 of the price. Pre-wedding brides take note! (Ahem, KS...) This shop would be perfect for bridesmaids dresses, and in fact, they do that sort of business overseas apparently all the time. Jake's suit was a perfect fit after only 3 fittings with super fine quality silk. Amazing...I asked Jake why this isn't widely available in the U.S. but he reminded me (being the lawyer that he is) that there may be legal issues with it...understood. Now we're just hoping that the 4-month sea shipping actually reaches Iowa!

Even more impressive than the shopping in Hoi An is the food. Surprise, surprise. Jake agrees that this is the best we've had on the trip so far. The freshness of the seafood, meats and vegetables is unreal. It comes from the sea and the farm morning of. Today, we took a cooking class to try and replicate some of the local specialties - Hoi An Spring Rolls, Pork Clay Pot, Summer Salad with Papaya and Shrimp - all so tasty! Hopefully we can re-create the meal we've had for our Chicago guests.

There is a woman that goes by the name Mrs. Vy and she owns 4 restaurants here. While we weren't able to meet her (however we initially tried to book her cooking class which was full), we did eat our way through 3 out of her 4 establishments. Our favorite? Morning Glory restaurant at 106 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street (thank you again PJL and Lonely Planet). We sampled another Hoi An specialty called Cao Lao, noodles in a beef broth with sliced pork, fresh herbs and the Vietnamese version of croutons. Jake's favorite was the Caramel Fish Clay Pot, made with mackerel. It is a sumptuous dish infused with a pork and shallot, very similar to the Nobu staple Black Miso Cod. But who was first, Mrs. Vy or Nobu? It was also here that we learned of the 3 friends of Hoi An - shrimp, pork and spring onion. Together they make a tasty combination.

In addition to replicating the dishes we learned during our cooking school (thanks again to Ngoc who showed us the way), we will try and find a good Pho cooking class in Chicago. I admitted I make pretty weak stocks to which Ngoc replied to treat food like I would my husband, with tender love and care. Makes sense! That, and a little more elbow grease to begin a stock the night before you wish to serve it, should be a good start!

We're now about to board a 12-hour+ overnight bus to the southern beaches. They call it a sleeper bus which means the chairs recline but the jury is out on whether or not this is a truly comfortable way to travel. I know none of you are envying us at the moment...