INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours
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Cam Ranh Bay is south of Nha Trang, where my dad grew up. Oh ok I think I know what you had for lunch. It is one of my favorite dish too. Some people have it with grill fish instead of chicken. It just depends on your preference. If you are adventurous, you can try the wrap with Mam Nem which is a fermented fish sauce. It's delicious if the cook knows how to prepare it with premium ingredients,otherwise it stinks like heck. Did she come before 1975 or after the fall of Sai Gon? Tuyet Hong can also be translated as pink snow. I think I like snow rose better. It sounds more exotic and happier than pink snow. I am glad you at least had a good time at Rosie's despite the lousy weather.
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I'm still around. Still in crappie marriage, but living life and enjoying grandkids.
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Hi Nettie- thank you for the nice picture. I am glad you are enjoying your grandchildren. I am sorry about the rest. Men certainly do suck sometimes.
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Hi nettie, lookin good
Hey peeps whats shakin this weekend
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Loverof life- Maybe you can answer this for me. When we adopted our oldest DD from an orphange in CanTho we were told her name "Thuy Tien" meant "water angel "or "water fairy." Then after we got state side there was discussion that her name was an old fashioned water flower. The funny thing is this kid has never had any fear of water and swims like a fish. Fitting name for her. What do you think Thuy Tien means? My DD loves spicy food and anything seafood, she loves fish sauce.
Howdy all! Have a great weekend! Hi Nettie cute photo.
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Nettie. - glad to see you. Love the new pic.
Blondie. - hey there u still up I see
I am up can't get to sleep. Thinking a long hot bath might help.
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Hi Nettie!
Hey Rose, you adopted one of my peeps! Bless your heart. "Thuy Tien" means water goddess/fairy/angel or it can also mean a flower from the family of narcissus or crocus. Now, if she loves water, Water Angel fits her perfectly. Isn't she the one who buried her face in roses to smell themwhen she was little? Hahaha fish sauce to the Vietnamese is like butter to the French. She likes seafoods and spicy dishes.We can get along.
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Blondie- going to Santa Fe Sunday and Monday but reading it may be raining both days up there. Ugh, so much for pool time.
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Loverly......yes, it was Mam Nem! She had shown me years ago how to make it, and I love it.... A little fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, diced jalapeno peppers and water... Is that how you make it? I like it over any kind of salad...
Rosie was told to leave her house when she was little. So she was wandering the streets, and a military man adopted her, as his Daughter... He helped her leave Viet Nam alone, and was sent to her new family here, but first to NY... all alone, until she was finally picked up, and taken to her home....
This was before the fall of Sai Gon... I think she said 1972.... "Pink Snow"? Yes, that is beautiful too... It's amazing that either one of you have come so far! To a new land, and learn the language!
I have to make another jar of Mam Nem... And just keep the peppers out, and add when needed, because they sort of "get soft" after keeping in the liquid... But I keep it for a couple weeks... Ha!
And every dish has to have LOTS of sweet basil, and cilantro!!!!!!
Have you ever made Congee? That is that creamy rice dish from Thailand. Carol, my friend, had that a lot when she traveled to those cities... Just rice, lots of water, fresh chopped ginger, scallions or onions, and cook the dickens out of it for about 4 hours.... REAL creamy! Some use chicken broth, but I just use bouillon and then an egg drizzled across the simmering "soup" and stir it slightly, to let set, and it's ready to eat.
She said they can eat it at every meal... She bought it from a boat-vendor that came up along-side their larger boat... and tasted it fresh! So now it's one of the things that I love to fix!
I sound like Julia Childs.... Ha!
Nettie! I love your hair color! It is lighter now, right? Can't you kick that man out to the curb? Find him another partner and kiss his butt good-by!
TEKA!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MISS MISSY??? YOU should talk! You have been amiss also! We have new girls now.... you have to act interested and respectable.... well maybe not the last one....
Rosie! You are such a sweetie! Loverly will know... How old is your Daughter now? I know you said once, but I forgot!
Oh never mind.... She DOES know.... Ha!
One of our Doctors from years ago went to China, and brought home their first little girl.... THEN they got another one.... You folks are all guardian-angels.... ! Do you make your own Mam Nem? It's so easy.... and I keep it in a salad-dressing jar!
Yes Jazzy, if it is anything like here, it is damn raining again! It's a wonder I just don't mold.
BUT, it sure looks green out.... Ha!
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Hey Afternoon, just waking up. IT"S FRIDAY. Party on Monday. MY Di is here and i'm choosing to do nothing. nada. the Queen. Oh so nice I'm a brat.
Hi Nettie and Teka Welcome back Have fun.
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Ok then the info we were given was correct! Yay. I loved Vietnam and the images of all those little kids in the packed orphange will be with me until I die. So many precious beautiful children just waiting. The older ones, ages 2 and up waved at us, knowing that they wouldn't get picked because folks wanted babies. Wrong I would have taken them. Our last kid was 4 when we got her. If it wasn't so expensive I would have more, well not now with stage 4 but I would have adopted more then back in 1994.
Everyone has to read this incredible article in the NY Times today called- "Your contribution to the California Drought." It could probably apply to Florida too. Anyway they have these visuals of produce, nuts, meat, dairy and how many gallons of water it takes to grow/ produce what ever it is, average consumption. It's an eye popping graphic display of avacado = # gallons of water. A few walnuts took like 20 gallons. I had no clue it took that much water to produce these items. Just scroll the photos and it's astonishing how much water is used to produce normally eaten food.
Have a great weekend. Be well and have fun.
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My friend Carol used to travel those countries with "Elder Hostle".... It is named something else now, but she especially loved the trip through Cambodia, Laos, Viet-Nam, and Thailand.... told me so many interesting stories of those countries and their people....
She also took that train ride through Canada, I think it was.... through the Rockies..... Went to Pearl Harbor, to help paint the dock/railings, with a "working" tour.... It was fun just listening to her, and seeing the pictures she took!
I realize how lucky we are, living in an advanced modern country.... Born here, so we don't know the hard-ships most of the people of the world have to go through.... She loved to travel, but I don't think I would....
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I would love to work on the garden this weekend or even clean the house, but can't for almost another week. Dust bunnies and crumbs on the floors are driving me mad. The one good thing is they only bother me. I am the Monk or Felix in the family.
Ms Chevy, the sauce you are referring to is called Nuoc Mam which looks like this
Mam Nem is more pungent
and is usually mixed with pineapple, sugar and chili peppers.
I usually make Congee or Chao when hubby or girls are sick. It is light and easily digested. I like to eat it for breakfast too. It's a comfort food. Don't make it much because family doesn't care for it
Hubby and DD like a solid meal because theyboth are carnivores. My younger daughter and I are happy with soup, veggies, and nuts. 0 -
My SIL is from Burma and does a lot of cooking. His mother has also made long visits and cooked. The GS always loved rice and never liked potatoes. We joked that you can take the boy out of Asia, but you can't take Asia out of the boy. We are lucky to have a Vietnamese restaurant 3 blocks away with really good food. And cheap enough we can afford to go often. They have traveled in Burma, Thailand, China, Singapore and loved it.
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Whoa, I looked up and saw your 2 posts! That tells you how slow I write and how sloth like my brain is.
Rose, it breaks my heart just thinking how many children there are in the orphanages. We have many here too in the foster care system. They all need love. We went to visit a few orphanages in Nepal and Philippines a few years back and you just wish you can take all of them home with you. With the recent earthquake in Nepal, we learned that one of the orphanage we had visited was completely destroyed, but praise be to God that all the children were spared. Life seems so unfair at times
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Haha Wren, it is very true!!!
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Loverof life- You know My DH was aPeace Corps volunteer and when he came back from the Philippines he swore that if he had any kids one would be adopted. He said he never could get the images out of his head of the street kids roaming in packs trying to survive. Well fast forward to being married. We tried to adopted from the Philippines and were told since we are not Catholic no go. DH loved the Fillipino people and was so sad since he felt he had much cultural experience to offer, not to mention language.
So I protested that there were 80,000 kids in CA where we lived back then in 1991 and we should take one from the US. We got all our social work stuff done. We said we would take any child male or female, any race, any disability, but nothing severe or terminal. (No HIV, no Cystic Fibrosis etc.) Well CA at the time had this idiotic rule that the adoptive parents had to match the race of the child or close. Here there were all these biracial kids and we couldn't get one. Plus I refused to do foster adopt where they do a trial run. Nope. You place a kid they stay, unless they are dangerous or completely unmanageable, animal abuse would also be out. So we waited for 1 1/2 years, denied every kid we asked about.
So our adoptive agency asked us if we would consider 3 little girls left in an orphange in Can Tho Vietnam. One child had 11 extra fingers and toes (agent orange effect and we saw this all over the south!), one child had a large cleft and pallete and the little heart baby who was a severe failure to thrive. We took the child least likely to survive, the heart VSD baby who weighed 11 pounds 15 ounces at 11 months old. Little Thuy Tien who turned out to be a rubella syndrome baby- PDA, deaf, mild CP, mild retardation and mild autism. She would have died had we not taken her. It was like she had given up. She never even cried for a bottle since no one came if you cried. She had no head control at 11 months old. She's the "Little Engine that Could," a child with a zest for life, full of energy wonder and love. They gave us many couldn't, wouldn't and will nevers during her childhood. They were all wrong. She reads, writes, rides a bike, takes care of herself, plays on the computer, signs fluently and has a modified job! Ha for all the negative things we heard from experts!!! I love this kid, she is sunshine in human form.
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Yes Loverly....! It's been awhile since I made it.... and I forgot the minced garlic! Thanks for reminding me.... I also printed off a recipe for "Jook"...which is that rice dish.... plus the Nuoc Mam.... I forget, when I don't see the recipe ....
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Ms. Chevy
You are so funny! Vietnamese is not a easy language. I get confused myself. Haha0 -
Rose, thank you for sharing. Brought tears to my eyes. We have friends and know a few people who had to go to other countries to adopt. I don't know why they make it so difficult for people to adopt kids here in the States. Crazy also in the Philippines how you have to be Catholic in order to adopt. Can't imagine how many potential loving homes those children lose out because of the restriction. Love is love.0 -
Did you guys see what Rosie wrote? How she has given life to a little girl, that the world had given up on.... I don't think my words can express how thankful we all are that you did this for one little person..... I love your story, AND your little girl.... Congratulations to you and your Husband.... We need more families who are so un-selfish and giving to watch over the "lost" children in our world.
Sheesh..... You made her a miracle for all of us! I would love a picture of her.... Our little "miracle" mascot......
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I did what Rose wrote. Thank you for loving that little girl. She sounds so wonderful.
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Rosie, big heart, big love.............that little one would have soon died for lack of love.......bless you and dh
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Is my computer broken? Where is everyone. 9AM and no Chevester? Oh Yeah --holiday weekend. People have lives here. They're out PARTYINGGGGG. Me on the other hand can't figure out what day it is. Sure it was Sunday and I missed my Sat. PCP appointment. But got it figured out IT"S SATURDAY. I spent allot of time this week on the port& constipation thread. Too much time on the Constipation thread---we got a bit silly. Way silly. Nice to end up that way though with everything coming out well in the end.
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Good morning friends- wishing everyone a good holiday weekend whether you are traveling, barbequeing, relaxing at home, checking out a new summer movie release, etc.
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Rose,
What a gift, for both of you. I would love to meet your DD.
Chevy, I used to love the idea of traveling. Then, I got to travel, to a few places. Europe, Ireland, Mexico. Now I am back to loving the idea of it, harder to do it. I have always been picky about food. After H Pylori, diverticulitis & having 1/2 my colon removed I have gone back to my childish pickiness. Hopefully the food on the cruise will be fresh. ( who says that? I sound like a freak )
House closed yesterday. Having a few friends over for BBQ tonight.
Hello to all & have a super weekend !
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Hol- congrats on the house closing!
Cruises will have ALOT of food, but the last one I went on in 2012 had lots of fresh stuff like fresh fruit, salads, fish, etc. Lots of crap too. I loved the "midnight pizza bar" but only ate their once, just because.
I don't have the desire to travel internationally since bc. I think I still live with the "what if something happens" we all live with after cancer, and thinking about ending up in a foreign healthcare system. I have friends who are all taking international trips this summer, one just came back from Germany/Denmark/Austria and another returned form Australian/New Zealand/Fiji.
And then there are the ones trying to lure me to take trips with or through them (yoga teacher). Some know of my bc, others don't. But in the end, I am happy to travel in the US for now. The good thing is that I have done traveling overseas since my 20s (Europe, Middle East, South America, Central America) so I don't feel deprived in any way to not go again.
All this feels like part of my new normal.
Enjoy your cookout Hol!
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