102808 Eating

The food is amazing...Though when you see a bunch of dead chickens tied to the back of a scooter, meat sitting out on a counter all day, you'd best not think about where it is coming from.  The staple is noodle soup or rice with chicken, pork, beef, or tofu.  The broths are delicious, as are the various noodles, spring rolls, and rice dishes.  There is always plenty of veggies served, mostly carrots, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.  Sometimes beans and the other day, we had pumpkin blossom. 

Hudson has always loved Thai and Vietnamese food, so as long as we can get him his basics, he's been  OK.  We've also gotten the occasional pizza and spaghetti - which is pretty close to the American version.  The trick has been in the snack department - we ate through our Cheerios, bars and goldfish crackers pretty quickly.  Luckily, we have managed a steady supply of chocolate milk, Oreos, and Ritz crackers.  There is a large French influence in Hanoi, so we have found lots of yummy ice cream and pastries. 

Though Lila has 4 chompers on top and 2 on the bottom, she has only ever eaten mushed up food, so she can't handle any texture at the point. She drinks formula and eats rice cereal. At our old hotel they made us porridge (potatoes and veggies all pured), which was great. In Hanoi, we have not been able to convey this, so they make her a gloppy thing of rice with some mashed pork in it. We have had to buy jars of pureed fruit and veggies for her.  We are excited to get her home so she can relish in the joys of finger foods.