Weekly update 3: In which David and Elizabeth achieve bò kho paradise

Last week was a little crazy because we got hit with the biggest storms I’ve ever seen. We’ve been calling it stormageddon, because of course. But I can’t really explain to you how crazy it was. Like, all of the roads flooded and motorbikes were getting abandoned and washed away and highways turned into rivers, and it was just complete bedlam. Also, I got stuck riding my motorbike in one of the storms and the rain was coming down so hard it was painful, and my rain jacket just wasn’t up to the task of keeping me dry :( The rain kinda derailed a lot of my plans for the week, and I ended up spending a lot of time watching Outlander in my bed. It was kind of like the hibernation I used to do in the winter in Europe and America, except this time it was caused by a monsoon and only lasted a week.

On Thursday the storms broke for long enough that I was able to attend an event hosted by Network Girls at Stoker Woodfired Grill. The wine and snacks were really nice, and Stoker felt like the kind of place that would be great for small events and parties. I probably wouldn’t go there on the regular, but it would be perfect for a special occasion. I’d never been to a Network Girls event before, but I’m so glad that I did because I had a great time catching up with some of the awesome ladies I know here (even though I ended up drinking far too much wine for a Thursday night).

I mentioned in my last weekly update that David and I had tried and failed to get some yummy breakfast bò kho last weekend. What I didn’t say was that this was the third weekend in a row that we had a failed bò kho attempt. Usually bò kho is the main thing I want to eat post-run, and I’d been craving it for like three weeks. Unfortunately, every time I went to one of the bò kho spots in my neighborhood, they had either stopped serving it or run out. So, dear readers, you should be able to imagine my immense joy at finally having a successful bò kho breakfast on Saturday. Here’s a photo:



Bò kho has to be in my top three favorite Vietnamese dishes. It’s basically a beef stew with carrots and onions and a baguette on the side. As with many dishes here, it comes with a huge pile of herbs, chillies and limes so you can adjust everything to your own taste. My mouth is literally watering while I write this, that’s how badly I want to eat bò kho every day of my life. Mmmmmmmm.

Later on Saturday, David and I headed over to Càfê RuNam to meet up with Missy and have a coffee (or five). Càfê RuNam is pretty ornate on the inside. I actually found it quite charming, although Zack thought it was a bit tacky. What followed was truly extravagant consumption of beverages and pastries, at least on my end. Pretty sure Missy and David ordered a reasonable number of things. Meanwhile, I ordered pretty much everything on the menu (whatever, I was really hungry after my morning run).

Next up: Weekly update 4 in which Elizabeth has anxiety dreams about her leftovers, and Travel update 1 in which Elizabeth and Zack go to Sri Lankaaahhhhhh! See y’all soon :)