Pick-Me-Up

The thing about coffee is that it has the ability to simultaneously a) calm my nerves and b) keep me awake even when I don't want to be--never the good without the bad. A bad I'm willing to put up with. 

One of the things that I love about Vietnam is their coffee: it's unflinching in its bittersweetness. You won't ever get coffee here that's sickly sweet or coffee that's totally bitter--even their espresso is pretty fragrant. This is terrible for my nerves and for my figure (not to mention my colds + cough) but I've developed an addiction to Cafe Sua Da or Vietnamese iced coffee (espresso + a shot of condensed milk). It's served in small servings with lots of ice (to cool the espresso) and is great post-light breakfast or while lounging around on a hot hot hot afternoon. I figure the fact that it's served in tiny portions is a good thing given how strong it is but the part of me that wants wants wants the precious can't help but fantasize of Cafe Sua Da in a Venti tumbler. Le sigh. Thank heavens there's no Starbucks here.

So far the best Cafe Sua Da I've had was in Zip Open, a coffee house in the Phu My Hung area (Sky Garden) which is a very, very pretty hole-in-the-wall. Visiting this place this morning made my day. A glass of this stuff is only 35,000 VND or 70 PHP. :)

Aaaand here's to another night of late-sleeping.