* "It might make some people’s skin crawl or stomach retch but it has been known for rats to be served up for dinner in Vietnam and there’s no respite just because it is the Year of the Rat." From TO.

Said it before, and I'll stand by my words, that's one dish I have yet to try and never will. But I really, really hate rats. But then doesn't everyone? Even David 'pick flowers with the gorillas' Attenborough hates rats.



*Nothing to do with Vietnam whatsoever #672: As nothing happened over Tet and just because he's a funny writer I'm reading a lot of lately, Charlie Brooker on UnValentine's Day.

Valentine's Day, International Women's Day and Vietnamese Women's Day never seem that far apart here (I might be very wrong about that...) and from a distance I really can't tell the difference in how people celebrate each one -- perhaps Valentine's Day is more discriminate. and on or either or both of the women's days whenever I'm out there's always a huge table of drunk men with the ladies who have on the day that's in it been allowed to tag along for the night and receive a dozen or so single red roses.

Each of these celebratory days, along with teacher's day, is also a time for florists to rejoice and think about adding another storey to the top of their house.





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