The $29 Omelette, NYC

The Carnegie Diner & Cafe (at the corner of 7th and 57th) served up perfectly cooked eggs and hash browns, a salad of very fresh greens with a tasty dressing, and excellent coffee. The toast left a bit to be desired. But the service on a full-house Sunday morning was absolutely efficient and New York City friendly. None of the gushing, in-your-face “Hi, my name is Jason, and I am going to be your server today” that drives me crazy in Denver. Just a guy who took the order, got the food to me in a timely fashion, and made me feel like he was paying attention to what I needed. That cup of coffee was never empty.

But $29! That’s ten days or even two weeks of local breakfasts at home in Hoi An. No wonder I suffered from severe sticker shock for the entire month I was in the US.

Street Side Breakfast, Saigon

The sign says the proprietor has on offer rice noodles in soup I presume, fried noodles, rice porridge with herbs, wonton, and some kind of cake or sweet bread – I was not familiar with the Vietnamese and Google’s English translation did not enlighten. Being a big fan of all kinds of rice porridge from Vietnamese porridge with duck to Hong Kong style porridge with preserved egg and pork, I am curious about rice porridge with herbs. Too bad I did not pay more attention to the sign when I walked by.