A few of other points on Guardian Witness to add from earlier. Firstly on copyright and payment. From the FAQ, it appears Guardian Witness is quite keen on the syndication idea, but not so keen on saying outright that the witnesses would be paid, how much or exactly when. They might be paid "according to circumstances", Our Terms & Conditions also state that, by submitting content to us, you authorise the Guardian to allow third parties to use the content, and this may include re-distributing items of content on an individual or wholesale (i.e. as a content feed) basis. In... Continue reading

I used to visit the Bun Mam stall in the picture above once per week for 5 or 6 years up until 2006. It was the single best soup I ever tasted in Vietnam. I've often wondered if the old lady, Ba Sau, was still there doling out her delicious muddy brown swamp. A few people have emailed over the years to ask where the stall is located. A few have even made it, and tried it, and liked it. However, I didn't have any photographic evidence of her continued existence until last week, when Brian Woo from Hong Kong... Continue reading

There's a pub in Edinburgh where all the Hearts fans go to drink and natter before the match. It's the Hearts pub. Every football team has one. You'll never find a Hibs fan in the Hearts pub and you'll never find a Hearts fan in a Hibs pub. One day, someone had the bright idea of builidng a new pub. One for all football fans of all teams. A place where they could all come together, drink and natter before the game, the owner was disappointed that no-one came. The Guardian has just launched a user-generated content platform, "(It) will... Continue reading

When I first lived in Hanoi I had a regular Xe ôm driver. His name was Dương. He drove me on his ancient Honda 50cc all over the city over a period of months. I'd visted his home, had tea with his mother, we ocassionally shared Bia hơi together, he recommended street stalls for me and, most importantly, he knew my routine. I didn't need to book him, he always arrived on time, waiting there on the pavement ready to take me to work. Then one day, he didn't. The day after he didn't show up, I moved house, my... Continue reading

I think I'm too messy a writer, make too many mistakes and alter too much as I go along to make working on paper my default option. Or maybe I just need to leave more space between each line? And use pencil? You do think slightly differently doing it this way. And the process of re-reading, editing and putting the words inside the computer probably makes the finished copy better. However, I'm yet to decisively swing one way or the other on this issue. The obvious benefit, of course, is that you don't get distracted by interesting web links on... Continue reading

Wherever you go to eat in Vietnam, you will soon learn about the "famous places" for this that and the other Vietnamese dish. In my limited experience, these famous places often become famously shit, through sheer laziness, complacency and an overdose of arrogance. Three lazy, past their prime cases in point in Hanoi: Phở Xào Phú Mỹ,45B Phố Bát Đàn Chả cá Lã Vọng, 14 Phố Chả Cá Bún Chả Hàng Mành, 1 Phố Hàng Mành I haven't been to Hanoi in ages and I'd love to be proven wrong on all of these. As far as I can tell,... Continue reading

I was working on a short passage about a Bún chả encounter in the late nineties earlier this morning. I was reminded of a guide I wrote for myself and later distributed to friends and colleagues in Hanoi at the turn of the century (How old does that sound...) It was designed to help newbies in Hanoi choose where to go and eat. Here is the passage I wrote to introduce the ubiquitous Hanoi lunchtime marvel. You’ll find Bún chả served all over Hanoi from 11 am - 2pm(ish) lunchtime. Barbecue grilled pork balls in a spicy fish sauce with... Continue reading

There's one small scene I'm thinking of writing for the book. It's about when I decided to give up my job as a teacher and miraculously transform myself into someone who sold words and sometimes pictures for a living. It was over a post-work snackette, some time at the turn of 20th century, in the place above that I came to that decision. The picture was taken on a return visit in 2006. Take a good look at it. Now watch the very short video below filmed in the same place in 2013. Seven years later and the place has... Continue reading

The northern market in Iksan in Korea I like a good panoramic photograph. This one is of a market I visited, or at least strolled through, almost every day when I lived in the city of Iksan, South Korea. A rather embarassingly long time ago. Continue reading

If funds permit, I prefer to go to a place, if the scenes I want to describe are lengthy and rather detailed. When it comes to locations, there is no substitute for going there to see for yourself. You spot things that can be found in no memoir, no guidebook, no Google entry—small details that, collectively, create "the ring of truth" (an overused but still accurate phrase). link Not much to disagree with and plenty to admire in this short piece from the Wall Street Journal on how the great Frederick Forsyth writes thrillers. If I want a scene on... Continue reading

If you've ever lived in Korea, travelled there, or know people from the Hermit Kingdom, the last sentence in this book review will tickle, but possibly not surprise you. The novel is about a group of Korean emigrants who set sail to South America in 1905 to seek a better life. The narrative is based on a true story. And, it would appear, that the kimchi-power is strong, stronger than language, While researching his novel, Kim Young-ha met some of the descendants of the Korean migrants who still live in the Yucatan. “None of them spoke Korean,” he says. “Yet... Continue reading

Here's a lovely little film on Vietnam and food, mostly street food by the looks of things. It's a bit bang-bang-bang, with each moving image lasting barely a second or two at most, but it's beautifully shot. Defintely brings a blast of the street to your computer screen. This is what the film makers say, We were invited last month to explore the food in Vietnam. This is that two week trip condensed into three minutes. Enjoy. Shot on Canon 5d Mark ii. EF 24-70mm f/2.8L Thanks to Uyen Luu for linking. Continue reading

I deleted all Twitter apps from my phone and desktop a month ago. A month before that, I scythed through the people I follow on Twitter (no offence to the hundreds I cut; life moves on, I'm sure you're all still very interesting, but priorities and interests change. Sorry.) To state the obvious, Twitter is a timesuck. Not so much in the time you spend looking at tweets, but in the the random, fascinating rabbit holes those tweets send you down. If you need to concentrate on anything for more than a millisecond, Twitter will do a very good job... Continue reading

From 1962, Ian Fleming on how to write a thriller, In my case one of the first essentials is to create a vacuum in my life which can only be filled by some form of creative work. I am fortunate in this respect. I built a small house on the north shore of Jamaica in 1946 and arranged my life so I could spend at least two months of the winter there. For the first six years I had plenty to do during these months exploring Jamaica, coping with staff, getting to know the locals, and minutely examining the underwater... Continue reading

Spent the last eight days writing a proposal for a follow up to the Vietnam book. This is what was involved. Day 1 Write, write, write, edit, write Day 2 Edit, write, write, write, edit, write Day 3 Edit, rewrite, edit, write, edit. Day 4 Edit, rewrite, edit, write, edit. Day 5 Edit. Leave it for a few hours, then edit and completely rewrite. That bit you really liked and thought was dead witty - yeah, that bit - it's got to go. It doesn't work. OK, now you're ready to edit it again. Then rewrite it. Sleep on it.... Continue reading

Hitting brick walls at every turn at the moment. The thing is, when you want to describe that certain wee soup shop tucked down that little lane, behind that tree, the one with the wonky branch, by the old woman with no teeth grilling pork, along the alley a bit, next the photocopier shop, at number 4A, behind the faded green door, but only on a Monday, before 10AM and not during full moon. When you want to describe THAT place, photos, blog posts and memories only take you so far. I need to get back to describe. Alors, I... Continue reading

It's not just about the food. Eating on the streets in Vietnam requires a certain tolerance for noise, humidity, cold, heat, wind, rain, street hassle of every shade, questionable hygiene, exhaust fumes and low seating. You'll probably need to shout if you want to hold a conversation. You may need to learn to tune out the slurps, clicks and chomps of your fellow diners. You will have to get used to mess, both on the table and under it. Street food is a bit like smoking. It can seem somewhat disgusting at first, it takes a little time to get... Continue reading

I was first introduced to this restaurant at 11 Tạ Hiện street by a Deputy Minister in the Vietnamese government sometime in 1998. It became a firm dining fixture ever after. As far as I know, it's still there. Hanoians visit Trường Thọ for one dish - Chim quay - juicy deep-fried pigeons, served with a side of rau muống. Great bone crunching fun. I want to go back. Photo taken in 2006 Continue reading

An email from January 2007, sent to me by the daughter of the owner of one on my favourite restaurants in Hanoi. I want to introduce myself to you. I'm the daughter of the owner of Cha ca Thang Long - 31 Duong THanh street, Hanoi that was introduced in your report "The Get, Taste of Vietnam" on November 5, 2006 on The New York Times. I just want to say many thanks to you. My younger sister told me that on that day my mother didn't want you and the photographer to take the photos of our restaurant (I... Continue reading

Nothing much you can do when you've got the flu, real flu, not just a bad cold, but feverish sweats, zero appetite, aches and pains, medication and sleep. That's ten days I won't get back. Notebook's back out, reaquainting myself with where I'm at. Slow. Photo: Pho Thin on Lo Duc street, Hanoi. Continue reading

I store all the research I'm doing for the book in this Pinboard account. Pinboard is a superb social bookmarking tool that, simply put, acts like a filing cabinet I can carry with me anywhere. The research path is taking me down some predictable paths and some more unexpected. Whether it be this video from an off-piste fishing village in the south west of South Korea where I used to eat sashimi, or a Saigon street food seller, first "discovered" by Cathy Danh, and featured in this week's Tuoi Tre newspaper, a wikipedia page explaining Thuốc lào or a herring... Continue reading

If this week has proven anything it is that, the whole #writingbook thing with #kidsick is a total non-starter. — Graham Holliday (@noodlepie) February 6, 2013 I think I can scratch any word count ambitions I had for this week. However, it's quotes like this - from Ray Bradbury - that make any minor complaints I have about available time feel a tad pathetic, “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper... I can work anywhere. I wrote in bedrooms and living rooms when I was growing up with... Continue reading

Self-motivation, masochism, call it what you will. Whatever it is, I find having a monthly wordcount target and checking that I kept to, or exceeded, it - whether or not what I've written is total crap - is a useful habit. Continue reading

There's a lot of information under a table in Saigon. See the "napkins". They're always thin, often from a cheap toilet roll. The limes, always halved. But, there's more here too. See the marks on the table legs where years of eaters have rested their plastic flip-flops. Then there's the plastic stool chair leg, on the right of the picture. There are two chairs stacked there. Why? If the chairs are already stacked, it must be near closing time. That fact that there are chairs there at all means this must be a market stall or a regular street stall.... Continue reading