Diễm and I went out for a little breakfast at a nearby restaurant and it was a beautiful scene. We sat in the cooler morning breeze as the rain had returned and the temperature was much more bearable outside where there was a nice coastal breeze. Beef hot pot with fresh baguette was the dish of the morning and we sat enjoying our warm pots in a little quiet reflection. There was much to do today and this would be one of the few times we would have to be calm and relax. After breakfast we returned to the apartment and gathered all the children, Diễm’s sister and her cousin. It was time for a little trip to the quintessential symbol of my 80’s and 90’s upbringing…….the mall.
Vincom plaza was a relatively new facility in Da Nang and one of the nicest malls I’ve been too. Not to the level of Phipps plaza, but it definitely could stand next to a Lenox square. With doormen in their coats and ties eagerly waiting to open the doors and usher you in. Like most malls, the floors reflective and shiny and well dressed attendants waiting to sell you designer jewelry and clothing. She boasts five floors with a dizzying labyrinth of crisscrossing escalators that just seem to continue on skyward in perpetuity. The third floor housed the grocery store known as Vinmart. We would be visiting it before we left, I needed more milk for my coffee and a few other things, but first it was off to the food court. On the top floor was the typical American style food court. It was however inverted, with typical Asian offerings for the locals it had many funny renditions of American style restaurants, that made for a funny site. Probably not unlike what someone from Beijing would see when he walks into a mall in America and sees a Chinese eatery.
I got a chuckle at one of the restaurants signs, Hancook cafe and food. I thought Cafe denoted food. I guess I have been lied to my entire life, but I digress, the pairings at the American eateries was interesting and not something I would have ever thought to put together. We settled on Jollibee, a fried chicken house, and we ordered a 4 piece with fries and spaghetti for the kids. The only sides offered were spaghetti, white rice, steamed vegetables and French fries. The chicken was surprisingly good, hot, moist and crispy. They really enjoyed the food and then we got a little ice cream for an after lunch snack. We wandered the mall for awhile, grabbed some groceries and headed back to the apartment. I casted some old Tom and Jerry and Road Runner cartoons on the T.V. For Xú, Su and Đuong. It’s amazing how revolutionary, universal and timeless those old cartoons really are. With no words to confuse the audience, it’s funny to see Tom get hit on the head in any language. 
