Robert wants everyone to know that he is the best husband ever.  But, sometimes he needs a little refresher on the rules.  And, he got such a refresher today.  And, it hurt.

Here is what he learned.  It doesn’t matter how badly you want a banh mi.  It doesn’t matter if you haven’t had one in months/years.  It doesn’t matter if your horrible wife hasn’t let you have one in the first 72 hours in Vietnam because she doesn’t eat them and likes to eat meals with her husband.  It doesn’t matter how hungry you are.  This is not where you get your banh mi.

You will be disappointed.  You will comment that you have had better banh mi’s in Chicago.  You just don’t go to the place full of tourists that is spotlessly clean and hygienic.  Never, ever, ever.  (OK, there might be one exception — if you are recovering from food poisoning you might want to pick this place because it is likely one of your safest options).

Instead, you go to the lady down the block (you know, just about 10 meters away from the first place) who has set up her banh mi station on a street corner with little stools.  You go to the lady with the far superior product at a lower price.  You go to the place that is just a little bit dirty, because that is what makes street food good.  You go to the place where your crumbs drop on the ground and people drive up on scooters to grab their sandwich.  Trust Robert on this.  Don’t make the same mistake he made….  (Because then when you don’t have room for dinner because you had to eat two banh mi’s, you will have a not so happy wife…..).