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Cao Lầu, Hoi An, Vietnam

This is cao lầu, the best bowl of noodles I’ve eaten in Vietnam. (Sorry, pho!)

Cao lầu is a super-localized dish that you can only enjoy in the historic town of Hoi An. According to local legend, the rice noodles used in the dish must be made with water from a secret well, and mixed with ash from wood collected from the nearly Cham Islands. Other than that, ingredients and toppings change from chef to chef and restaurant to restaurant, but the dish usually contains some kind of pork and herbs.

We’d tried a few versions around town and were unimpressed, to be honest, until we were walking back to our hotel one night and stumbled upon this set up…

A lone man under a tent in an alley preparing noodles dishes…

His kitchen…

A closer look at the ingredients…

The dining room…

We ordered and he got to work, cooking the noodles, adding the soup and methodically constructing the dish…

In less than two minutes, this beauty bowl arrived at our table…

His version of cao lầu, as seen here, featured two kinds of roast pork, the belly and the loin, and came topped with fried pork lard for crunch. There was also a layer of herbs under all those pork parts, which you mixed all together by yourself…

As you can see above, the noodles are quite thick, similar to udon in texture, but with a very distinct taste.

No soup. Just a few secret sauces and a touch of vinegar.

You added chilli sauce, homemade of course, on your own as well.

I still can’t get over how good this cao lầu was!! Every ingredient came together to form a perfect formula of flavor.

All through our “dinner”, we were watched over by this young fella, the chef’s grandson, who kept eyeing me like I was going to steal one of his ribs…

There’s no address I can give you here, however, I was told this tent goes up nightly as long as the weather’s good. To find this killer cao lầu in Hoi An, look for this address in Old Town and you should spot this streetside chef making magic in the alley after sunset…

Here’s one more look for good measure…

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stayhungry-stayfree

If you find yourself thinking lately, “I can’t live like this anymore,” it means you need to change your life sweet soul, not end it. Don’t live like that anymore. Change your thoughts, your focus, your behaviour. If you’re willing to propel yourself into the unknown, give yourself the chance to do so while you’re still here. Rediscover a new life for yourself. Rediscover yourself. Rediscover what it means to be alive.

alyssa-m

i think my problem started early on, i always picked weeds letting them be flowers. commenting how beautiful they looked in my hands, even though everyone told me that they did nothing more than just ruin the garden.

i just found beauty in place where others saw errors.

alyssa-m

June 16th

blemished, damaged, or imperfect in some way.

there are people i loved because they were flawed. there are people that love me because they know i am flawed. there are people that will unpin you like a balloon to show that you are flawed. there are people who will draw all over you to make sure you never forget you are flawed. there are people that will shun you because they know you are flawed. there are people who will celebrate you for knowing you are flawed. there are people who learn that you are flawed and take your hand and say ‘this world is lonely enough so if we at least recognized that our hands look like hands maybe then we’d understand that we aren’t so different.’

alyssa-m

June 12th

it hurt even more when his words were used against you, when i was trying to swallow them back.

sometimes when i least expect it his words come out of my mouth, like word vomit all over the kitchen table, there they are, dancing away like uncontrolled youth, you stayed too long and i learned your tricks, you stayed too long and i adapted your ways, and sometimes when i can’t handle it all, when i feel like everything is slowly loosing the hinges, i tighten the screws just like you once did, i start patronizing the arm chairs and the blankets, start calling them outdoor furniture and kick them to the curb, if there was ever a way to remove you fully from me i’d take that surgery, but for now sometimes i’m 24 but sometimes im 16 still scared of a boy with arms and a voice who might shatter my world without even being in the same radius.

jacintanest-deactivated20200103

Ladies, value one another. Celebrate one another. Champion one another’s goals, achievements and passions. Cheer one another on in your successes and in your failures and work together towards your dreams. Pick one another up, remember the forgotten and include those who are lonely. Be present in your conversations and give to one another more than you take from one another. Be reliable, be dependable and be true. Give one another the best of your time and the best of your character, and sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron. Compliment one another in honest words and keep one another sane. Bring the tissues, the laughter and the tea, and be the kindness that one another needs. Hold one another accountable and keep one another on track. Remember two heads are better than one, and you’re on this journey together. Hear more than what is said, feel more than what is heard and really see one another for who you are. Be ready for the breakdowns and break ups, and every brokenness in between. Have wild late nights and painful early mornings and never hold one another back. Give the hard lines to one another and raise one another up in prayer. Put effort into your friendships and develop their roots deep in your heart. Let them matter and hold a sense of worth and value within you. Show one another your bad sides, and forgive one another always. Love one another sacrificially, trust one another completely and accept one another unconditionally. Be the biggest builder of one another’s backbones and cherish the days that you have; and always, always leave those around you better than when you found them. #100daycreativechallenge Follow @jacinta.nest on Instagram for more.

jacintanest-deactivated20200103

Take a moment to soak and seek in silence - in the peaceful, tranquil and quiet moments, in the settled place of your stillness - find God there. He is in the skin around your bones and the hairs upon your head; and in all that you are, He has left little pieces of Himself behind. In the wind, the ocean, the silence and even those around you who you struggle to love - there is a piece of Him intertwined. Perhaps you struggle to see God in the quiet moments.. But instead of looking at the things you and I have made, like iPhones, computers and televisions alike, why not find yourself looking at the things He offers you daily.. Like a silent and peaceful rest amidst the rainstorms, or arms stretched wide on springs evening grasses after a long day of sunshine, blissfully admiring the stars. It’s not an uncommon thing - Jesus Himself would often retreat away to quiet and secluded places; so why is it that you are so afraid of the silence He intentionally sought out? No noise, no distraction, no people.. Just you, God and His voice. He calls us to silence. He revealed Himself not in an earthquake but in a quiet whisper… Why? Because He wants us to want Him enough to come by only the smallest impression of His presence. Whether our time is spent in reverence or prayer; it is the act of separation and setting ourselves aside that positions us to hear from Him.. Not what we wear or what our status is on this earth, but our solitary act of prioritising His presence. Please, don’t get caught up in consuming your every waking moment with noise – in turn, drowning out the very harmony, melody and beat of Gods voice and direction for your life. Yes, it will be quiet, and yes God will seem absent at times.. But it is in the seemingly absent place of God that He is working loudly in the heavens for your sake. When you feel you are most in the dark about your future, is when you need to hold out your hand in silence and be ready for the moment when He takes your hand and spins you into all that He has been preparing you for. In the quiet peace, He is there.. You will find Him in the whispers, as long as you choose not to drown Him out.. He is waiting for you.

For more faith and inspirational devotionals, follow @jacinta.nest on Instagram, and feel free to share.

jacintanest-deactivated20200103

He heard you. When you cried from the depths of your weakness and heartache, He heard you. When you succeeded, surrendered, suppressed or sought wisdom .. He heard you. From the tiniest of your breaths in the wildest of winds, He heard you. From the depths of your despair and the peaks of your mountains, He heard you. Every whisper and word, every tear and every laugh. Every time you thought you could and every time you felt you couldn’t, He heard you. He prioritised the sound of your voice, He tuned His ear to your cries and He set His hands to the aches of your heart. He looked upon you with a love so consuming, and He heard you. When you mustered up the strength to utter a word of thanks, and even when you didn’t, He heard you. No moment went unseen, no joy went uncelebrated, no journey went unprotected and no thought went unnoticed. He looked for you and had His eye on you, when you hid yourself away and told yourself you were better in the shadows, He heard you. When answers never came though you desperately sought them, He heard you. He held your desperation in His hands, nurturing it into trust, patience and hope. He filled your pockets with faith and gave you the willingness to persevere, because He heard you. When you questioned His existence, He heard you, and His love did not waiver for you. In the seen and unseen, in the quiet and the chaos, He heard you. In your anger that exploded like fireworks in the night sky, He heard you. He dulled the excess of the pain, surrounded you with compassion and held you back from beating yourself into regret. When you fought back the tears, dried your own eyes and told yourself you’d do it alone, He heard you - and stayed with you. He never left your side, though you felt you were alone. He heard you in the depths of your heartache and He carried you. He gave you the determination you needed to put one foot in front of the other and try again, because when you said you’d had enough, He heard you. When you sat on the sidelines of life and released a sigh of exhaustion, He replenished you, He heard you. Don’t let silence fool you into believing you go unheard. He heard you. Trust Him. #100daycreativechallenge Follow @jacinta.nest on Instagram for more.

jacintanest-deactivated20200103

May you feel beautiful today. May you feel strong and brave and capable of becoming the person you have always dreamed of being. May your goals be reachable, your bad habits be kickable, your talents be usable and your heart be teachable. May you take negativity on the chin and refuse to harbor it within. May you be fierce in your pursuit of happiness, and maintain your composure when things don’t go your way. May you be kind and gracious, even when it requires more effort. May you take less for granted, and remain thankful for the big AND the small moments you experience. May you find joy in the service of others, and forgiveness when you look into your past. May you feel a sense of belonging, of hope and of purpose. May you be reminded today that you are royal and wise, with a sense of discernment to keep you from trouble. May you see the goodness in the eyes of those around you, and be willing to sacrifice a moment of your time for a glimpse of their happiness. May you acknowledge that the standards of beauty you compare yourself to, are set by you and you alone. May you see you are in control, and you decide what you will or won’t brand yourself, or weigh yourself down over. May you find a sense of acceptance each day, towards a new area of your life, your body, your mind and your circumstances. May you maintain your faith, your relationship with Christ and your spiritual health, and treat it as the breath of life that it is. May you be grateful for the things you have, rather than downcast over the things you do not. May you choose to see the light at the end of the tunnel, the bridge crossing over the raging river and the stairway that leads up the mountain. May you find the silver lining, the golden edge and the rainbow; and may you remember to treat each day as if it were your last. May you never miss a beat, skip a step or run away from what is to come; because you were born to experience it all - and to still make it out alive, ready to tell a story of victory and triumph. Don’t give up… May you never, ever give up.

For more faith and encouragement devotionals, follow @jacinta.nest on Instagram.

justcallmebishop

God is more invested in making you an overcomer than He is in making your situation easier.

justcallmebishop

Though darkness covers the Earth, and deep darkness the people, The Lord will arise over you, His glory will be seen upon you. Gentiles will come to your light and Nations to the brightness of your rising.

Isaiah 60

Rise children of God. Now is the time the world needs us most. Let Radical love prevail!

(via justcallmebishop)

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by okieapache70. Follow or click here for more inspirational posts: http://ow.ly/ZwciV

openmikeonline

#NewBallsPlease

My best friend said I should grow a pair My Cousin said it’s been to long to care My boss said my mind’s been elsewhere And lately I’ve been a bit worse for wear

My band mates say I’m never there And even my Dad said something, which is rare But I’ll focus on a the better days, that are near And make that still small voice The loudest one I hear

OpenMike

alyssa-m

he is telling me that still looks at me the same way with my sun blistered skin, like he would if i was bronzed by the tennessee summer or pale like an ice storm sideway. i’m molding over words in my mouth that say ‘wait are you asking me to be nothing more than myself? but everyone else told me i had to be a glass slipper to deserve any kind of praise.’

AMM (via alyssamemmo)

#AMM