Small stools and dirty floors

When walking around in Vietnam, it seems that every few feet there is food to be eaten. There are normal restaurants as in any other place of the world, but the more common and popular places to eat are rickety looking, sometimes mobile eateries that set up small plastic tables and tiny plastic stools. Sometimes they are set up in front of someone's home and they use an inside kitchen, but other times their whole set up is right there in the street: the pots to cook in, and lukewarm buckets of water to wash the just-used dishes in.  Now, some people may be turned off by such an experience, especially considering this is all happening on the side of the sidewalk, very low to the ground, where thousands of cars, motos, and people (and animals!) are passing by each hour kicking up who knows what. But to someone who just loves food as much as I do, I just want to know which one has the best food! And that's when I met Hoan.

Hoan is a young Vietnamese guy that introduced me to a very interesting concept: dirty floored restaurants are the best ones! The look on my face was probably as confused as yours. To a "Westerner" this sounds like a crazy idea. Why would I want to eat at a place that looks filthy? He proceeded to use a napkin on his face then throw it on the ground and said: "because of that."
The culture in Vietnam is to throw all your trash on the floor. (We got into the ethical conversation of that act later, but it was never fully resolved) Therefore, if there is a lot of trash on the ground/floor, that means there have been many people that eat there, which means the food must be good. Do they ever clean it up? Yes, eventually. But the theory is that they should be worried about the food and the customers; not about cleaning. If they are too busy making delicious food, then they won't have time to clean up!

I must say, I started to use this philosophy and have not been disappointed! In a world that knows not Zagat or the Restaurant Cleanliness Ratings, this is a great method to chose your next meal. Obviously, there are "proper" restaurants that cater to a more upscale or discerning clientele where you would not throw trash on the floor. This would be a safer bet if one has a queasy stomach as they have a likelihood (not a guarantee) of adhering to a higher level of sanitation.

A word to the wise: if you happen to find yourself in Vietnam and are adventurous enough to try one of these establishments, wait to use the toilet until AFTER you eat. In addition to being an adventure of it's own, it is also not uncommon to find dishes and utensils stacked just outside the toilet (how the bathroom/restroom is referred to in the rest of the world) on the floor. So hopefully, you enjoyed your meal! :)