Faraway Places: Snails. It's what's for dinner.

I didn't know snails could be so filling. But when you order fourteen plates of snails you get pretty full.

Katia's home-stay sister, Chip, took her to this hole-in-the-wall place a few nights ago and Katia loved it and said it was something we all had to try. A few of us girls had been shopping in the Saigon Square beforehand (great clothes, fun atmosphere, bartering skills are necessary) so we walked right from the square to find them. I wouldn't exactly say we walked to a restaurant, because it isn't what we would consider a Western restaurant. The food was being cooked outside on the street in front of the building and people were just milling around. Thank goodness that Chip had decided to join us because the menu had no English translations, so we had no idea what we were ordering and no expectations for what would be put in front of us. I think when a menu has no English translations you know that you have found a spot that not many tourists encounter. I feel like I am experiencing Vietnam in a different way than most people– it really makes me realize that I made the best decision for going abroad.

I had originally planned on trying a few snails and then getting dinner elsewhere, but my taste buds had an alternative plan. Each time a new plate of snails was placed in front of me my mouth started watering. I tried every single kind and liked all but two, one of which was just because the overwhelming spice. I couldn't tell you what kind of snails they were, what they were cooked in or any of that important information. I can only tell you that they were amazing.

The atmosphere of the place only added to the experience. Like I said before, there weren't really any tourists there so we sort of stuck out. The fact that a group of ten American students were just crowded around little red plastic tables, sitting on the plastic stools that are actually six inches off the ground, eating snails made it the perfect night. I love Vietnam.