For my birthday, I headed down to the Huong Ly, a great little Vietnamese place just north of Belt Line, off Greenville. Don’t go there for the atmosphere: go there for the great food at very reasonable prices. We had four entrees and two appetizers for right at $30.

First to arrive were the spring rolls… delightful little things, full of contrasting temperatures and textures. Dip them into the sweet peanut sauce for more fun.

Next were the fried eggrolls. As mentioned here previously, these are full of meat and very little filler. Absolute heaven in a compact cylinder. They arrive freshly fried, very hot on the inside. I have to wait a little before starting on one of these so I don’t burn my tongue, but I definitely eat one.

Next arrival was the durian smoothie. I love durian stuff. I love the way it stinks at first and then becomes an irresistible flavor after tasting. Not everyone likes the durian, but I am truly blessed in that regard. Calvin took a taste and liked it, Yvette tried it and said, “meh,” because she has no sense of smell. Malia took a whiff of it and found it objectionable. Little kids can be like that.

Malia’s sandwich was next to arrive. She tried it, but the fish sauce on it was a bit too strong for her. The rest of us took a bite and found it fantastic.

The main entrees were soon in arriving at our table, given how they were on the same tray as the sandwich. Calvin had the chicken with rice noodles.

Yvette had the pork chop on rice…

… and I had the pork and shrimp on rice noodles. Those crumbly things on top are peanuts. There’s a little bit of sauce to pour on top of it and stir around. Everything in it tastes wonderful and there’s an amazing interplay of flavors. I could go on with more gastronomic praise, but suffice to say this stuff didn’t just hit the spot. It smacked it right on the nose.

And then, Malia asked to try the durian smoothie. I thought, sure, why not? I don’t want to try to talk her down from exploring new flavors. In spite of its smell, I soon saw this:

She ate about half of it! The flavor Andrew “Bizarre Foods” Zimmern can’t swallow, she ate half of! I couldn’t believe it. I’m proud of her for giving it a try and finding another new taste to add to her repertoire.

I decided to eat some of her sandwich in exchange for the smoothie. 🙂

Was it good? See for yourself:

We pretty much cleaned our plates. Thank you for the happy birthday, Huong Ly!

I just watched this video twice and cried both times. We can make differences in the world, each day in small ways, bringing more kindness and love to those around us. We can do it, and it’s worth doing. 90% of the world’s people only want to have enough to eat, a place to live, clean water, a song to sing, and someone to love. It’s the 10% that grab for power that bring evil into the world. Be the 90% that chooses life and love.

OK, so it’s actually Chinese martial arts and clogging, but “Ninja Squaredancing” makes for a better headline. Well worth seeing.

Nunovo Tango is a clever little video from the Czech Republic. If you like Tim Burton, you’re going to love this macabre treat. The music is a nifty tango with great timing. Go Czech it out. GET IT? HAH! I’M HILARIOUS! Anyway, yeah… gotta see this one.

I love this bad boy. It’s got a flavor and texture unlike any chocolate bar made for the US market. It was made for Mexican tastes… and mine as well, apparently. I love how it crumbles in my mouth as I eat it. I find it a perfect complement to a lunch of al pastor tacos and try to eat it when I still have the taste of the pork, cilantro, and onions lingering in my mouth.

It’s not for everyone. Some find its sweetness presumptuous and its texture off-putting. Not me. I love it.

Carlos V is also smaller than US candy bars. This is a good thing. It’s bigger than a fun size, so it doesn’t leave me wanting more, but it’s smaller than a full size, so I don’t feel like I got mugged by the Sugar Bandit when I’m done with it. It’s just right. Also, it has a great finish: a good, sensible sweet chocolate flavor that lasts. Too often, I can eat a candy and it leaves me with a bad aftertaste. I can always count on Carlos V to rule my tongue fairly and wisely.

When you have Internet access during presentations you’re not totally engaged with, the time just flies.

Thank you, Mr. Gore. Because of you, I did not have to chew one of my legs off today.

Orange Juice in Mexico with Sprite

One of the many reasons I’d love to go back to Mexico.

Also Mexican sodas. No high fructose corn syrup in those bad boys! Just straight up sugar, the way they were intended to be made.

But back to the orange juice. The oranges that went into that juice were chillin’ with their homies on the tree just the day before. They never knew so much as a refrigerator, let alone a freezer. Picked, halved, and juiced all within 24-48 hours. That’s why the juice there tastes so much like orange juice, but more so. There’s orangeyness in that orange juice one does not know about when dealing with oranges less fresh.

I know I’d do more than just have a glass of OJ if I went back to Mexico, but that glass of OJ is at the top of my list.

The Gate of Hell

I know something titled “The Gate of Hell” seems to be an odd sort of reason to live, but I’m sticking with this one. No, it doesn’t turn your gray skies to blue. It just puts your life in perspective. This is where “The Thinker” was intended to go, by the way. The iconic Rodin sculpture is not just some guy thinking about what to have for lunch or anything mundane like that. He’s sorting out where he is in the scheme of things.

As long as you’re alive, this says to me, you can still sort things out. No spiritual problem is insurmountable. They seem huge, but are not insurmountable.