My life, of late

So, a quick update: nothing new. Still teaching and still editing for Vietnam Investment Review and the golf magazine (the horror, the horror. I write headlines like "The Bold and the Beautiful" and "Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright"). The weather’s turned colder and it wouldn’t be so bad except that as motorbike/moped is the most common way of getting around, there’s no protection from the wind slamming into your face.

The bird flu furor has died down a bit since I last wrote. For awhile selling chicken was banned from all major cities (although I know at least one Indian place that never stopped serving chicken tikka masala), but some of the larger supermarkets were recently allowed to start selling chicken again. They presumably come from unaffected provinces. Still, I won’t order any chicken. Although there should be no problem if the food is cooked, the ones likely to get bird flu are those who slaughter the bird and prepare the food, so I’ll do my part not to put them at risk.

The government is taking the H5N1 virus seriously. If they find one case of bird flu in a town, they’ll destroy all the birds there. I recall watching a VTV news segment that showed people throwing ducks into a burning pit. It was pretty sad, actually, watching as the now black-feathered birds tried futilely to get out. The government reimburses the farmers, but farmers only get a fraction of what the birds are worth.

And last of all, my sister is coming for a visit! And my Northwestern buddy Andrea as well. I’m thrilled to have a reminder of home during the holidays. Not only that, but Jackie’s bringing Miracle Whip and ranch dressing. The only thing more American is apple pie.