We headed out of the parlor for a post-massage lunch. Our cab driver navigated the endless honking of the motorbikes and delivery trucks to get us there. We stopped at Bún Chả cá Ba Phien for lunch. It is an open-air local hot spot that specializes in drum roll please, Bún Chả cá. What is it you ask, well, it’s a soup made from different kinds of forcemeat cakes, fish, and rice noodles. It usually has chunks of hard squash, simmered fruits and, of course, the side of an entire garden served with everything in Vietnam. 
I did what I’ve done since arriving and let someone else order for me. A large bowl of steaming Bún Chả cá was placed in front of me, and save for the fin and bones left in the chunk of fish floating in my come hither bowl, it lacked surprises. But it did not disappoint in flavor. I piled my garden onto it, doused it heavily in its condiment-caddied sidekicks, and slurped it down rather quickly. 
I may have been a bit heavy-handed on the fresh ground chili paste. It went from mild to explosive faster than a Lamborghini Countach in the quarter mile. Nonetheless, I consumed it with great vigor. We ordered some things to go for our companions that did not come to lunch. Grandmother was rightfully sleeping. As the to-go’s arrived, I had a bit of a Western laugh.
Our to-go drinks and soups were packed in plain, non-ziplock sandwich-style bags with rubber bands tightly keeping their contents subdued. The drink bags were fitted with a straw in the opening, and I was told that it would soon be clear that this was how to-go was done in Vietnam. It was an excellent post-massage lunch.
We dropped off the food, and I was getting ready to finally nap when, before I could even get open my room door, I heard the words behind me. “Market”. No one was going to any local market without me. You want the heartbeat of a city, a people? From a small town to a metropolis and any size in between, you go to the local market in most other parts of the world. Sleep would have to be shelved yet again. This time, I was pushing it off myself.
