The Situational Noodle

Sometimes the best meal of all is the one you’re having right at that second. In my top 10 list of travel eats, I don’t give much credit to the expensive or elaborate—instead I choose the bowl that introduced me to Vietnam.

We roll into Hoi An around 5 am, dazed and just a little confused. No cars, no motorbikes and just the occasional stray dog lolling about makes it feel like we’ve stepped back in time. Seeing the town before it wakes definitely has its benefits, as it’s like a private, after-hours tour of a museum. Hoi An has earned its UNESCO status, with architectural influence from the many merchants who frequented the popular trading port. Signs of Dutch, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and French influence can all be seen in the beautifully decorated houses, temples and shops. It’s a bit like a movie set, but real.

The ghost-town atmosphere unfortunately leaves us without many options—three hours to kill before dawn, what to do? Lo and behold, we turn a corner and see a street vendor just setting out the standard child-sized plastic chairs and tables. We sit down at our chosen noodle shop and are greeted by a smiling face. The woman who runs this stall is thrilled to see foreigners out so early. No orders taken, no questions asked, and we suddenly have two heavenly-smelling bowls placed in front of us. I watch local workers filling in around us, beginning their day with a nice hot breakfast, and I look down to see the perfect bowl of noodles. It’s a quintessentially Vietnamese experience—a rich broth, thin rice noodles and a piece of freshly baked bread, still warm.

Where am I? Paradise.

Mike Poppe is our newest Trip Planner, bringing his Asian expertise (and hopefully some authentic noodle dishes) to the Farm.