Some behavior in restaurants can be a little disconcerting. As soon as you sit down, you may be assailed by young ladies dressed in the livery of competing makes of beer. Their aim, surprisingly enough...
Some behavior in restaurants can be a little disconcerting. As soon as you sit down, you may be assailed by young ladies dressed in the livery of competing makes of beer. Their aim, surprisingly enough, is to get you to drink the beer they are promoting. DON'T let yourself be pushed or rushed into anything: ask for the menu and take your time. After the menu arrives, the waiter who brought it will probably stand close by, expectantly awaiting your order or even reading out his recommendations over your shoulder.
DON'T be irritated by this, it is simply a manifestation of polite attentiveness. DO notice that dishes are usually meant to be shared: everybody picks things up from the middle of the table and puts it into his own bowl. DON'T protest if someone suddenly plops something down in your bowl: this isn't a mistake or a gag; it's a highly courteous gesture, offering you the tenderest duck's foot or the crispiest pig's fallopian tube. If you are eating out with Vietnamese friends or colleagues, especially if you ace male, you will probably be expected to do a little drinking. DO try to participate good naturedly, to the level of your abilities. Although well aware that Vietnam is not a lingering culture, a local custom that both the authors of this book find particularly irritating is the snatching away of plates as, or even before, the last mouthful of food is removed from them. Again, this is probably only proof of service and efficiency, but if it is not firmly curbed from the start, your dining experience may not be quite as restful a one as you would hope.
