Sugar High - Ca Phe Sua Da!

I stopped at a little street stand for an iced coffee, on my way back from the Independence Palace last night and had a lovely chat with an old Vietnamese guy who taught me how to order iced coffee like a local. My attempts elicited giggles from him, his wife, his exwife, and their many grandchildren. Ah... blended families.

Ca Phe Sua Da - really strong iced coffee, with sweetened condensed milk over ice. Guaranteed to make your teeth fall out, and very tasty even tho I dont usually like sweet coffee. Two glasses in the afternoon, however, will cure your jetlag. I am now hooked. So much for my decaffeinated life.

Fun fact: Although coffee production here was virtually halted during the Vietnam war, when the highlands were depopulated by intense fighting, Doi Moi - the free market reforms launched in 1986 have made Vietnam the #2 global coffee producer. More interesting tidbits on the benefits of free enterprise to product quality can be found in the Wikipedia article , as well as recipes.