Flavorings in Beer Land!

This place is nice, I thought. As a beer person, I didn't have that much exposure to wine. I mean, I knew a little, but not a lot. Now, here I was, at a fancy wine bottle shop in Hanoi Vietnam, trying lots of fancy wines. I had come up north for a beer event initially. The brewery had just expanded distribution to Hanoi and a little bar had invited us up for a beer release.

Saigon and Hanoi are nearly three thousand miles apart and two very different cities. Stateside, I would liken it to the difference that exists between Miami Florida and Washington DC. Hanoi is the capital city in Vietnam. It's colder and grayer and more formal. The main natural feature is West Lake and with the cool air and the humidity, a foggy mist is created that blankets the city.

The trip was to be a few day gettaway for me and as usual, I wasn't given much notice for the assignment. Hey, I need you to go up north for an event, Mike had said, I bought you a ticket. And then I went. I would arrive in Hanoi, the event would be the following evening, I'd spend one more day there and then head home on the fourth day.

The bar was owned by an Australian man name Chris who had moved to Hanoi years before. He had married a Viet woman and together, they had a son. He had started multiple little bars and restaurants and was friends with the brewery's Australian salesman.

By then I was used to travel in Vietnam. I arrived in Hanoi and made my way to the bar. Chris was sitting at a table smoking a cigarette and stood to greet me immediately when he saw me. He had a big smile and a bigger personality.

“Have a drink, have some food, I have some bad news for you,” he said. “The beer for the event has not arrived yet from Saigon and will be delayed until next week.”

By then I was also used to logistics in Vietnam. This did not surprise me.

“Oh. I might as well check out your draft system while I'm here” I told him. “We can make the best of this trip.”

Chris was a very gracious host. He had invited me for lunch at his home the next day. He had a few other friends over and his wife made the most amazing fish I have ever eaten in my life. The fish had cashews and mint and shallots and it looked as beautiful as it tasted. We drank and smoked and had a lovely afternoon.

One of Chris's friends, who had been at lunch, worked for a fancy wine bottle shop in Hanoi. They catered to the high end styles that only high end officials could afford in Vietnam. He invited us to the shop to try some of the wines.

He opened several bottles that were increasingly complex and valuable. Along with the wines, he offered us a beautiful charcuterie board. It had cheeses and meats and flowers and was just as fancy as wines we were drinking. I liked charcuterie and it was common in Vietnam. I think, again that a result of the French influence....

As I was sipping from a $600 bottle selection, Chris nudged me.

“Hey did you try the horse?” He said.

“The horse?”

“Yeah, on the charcuterie. That purple meat there in the middle. That's horse. It's very rare around here. It's a delicacy.”

Oh boy, I thought. They really do eat anything that moves around here, don't they.

My relationship with horses goes back decades, basically my entire life. I come from a family of horse people. My grandfather owned horse stables and my dad trained horses. At one point before I was born, my dad was the youngest-most winning-est horse trainer in the state of Florida. I had spent many summers at horse camp and rode every chance I could.

My mom rode too and she was no slouch. She actually got bucked off a horse one time. She got back on the horse, finished riding the horse, cooled the horse down, put the horse away and then went to the hospital to find out she had a broken back. She spent the next six weeks in traction. This is what I mean by horse people.

In America, we think of horses as having lots of uses although food is not one of them. But here I was, a grown up now and a world away in Vietnam where things were very, very different. And horse was being served at a very fancy wine tasting. Well, I was conflicted to say the least. But I also like to try new things and when in Rome...

“Try it!” Chris said. “I'll go first!” and he grabbed a slice of the purple meat and gobbled it up. It didn't kill him. “Not bad!” he said.

I took a small piece and ate it. Honestly, it didn't taste like much. It was lean and smoky and kind of dry. It wasn't terrible but it certainly wasn't anything special. The fish Chris's wife had made for lunch was better. I'll enjoy horses as they are for riding. Not eating.