to Vietnam five years ago, two meals come to mind. One was at a street stall in Hanoi famous for its green papaya salad. There, I managed to break a foot-high plastic stool in two by lowering myself too quickly onto it. Merriment was had by all, and the salad was fantastic. With a bit more fondness I recall the other meal, at a simple waterfront restaurant next to a pearl farm north of Da Nang. We ate grilled oysters, which were served on the flame-blackened half shell and dressed with peanuts, fried shallots, and scallion oil. There was a squeeze bottle of Chin-Su hot sauce for a finishing touch. It
