Back in the early 80’s my friend Tanya Hernandez told me she’d found “the perfect place for you.” What on earth was she going on about, I wondered. “We can walk there from you apartment,” she said. And with our friend Bruce, we did just that. It was just after 6 pm when we got there. It was a plain glass storefront with a sign above the window that said Hy Vong and a bench and chairs outside so you could sit and wait. It was right on Calle Ocho. Zero atmosphere. Cars driving past with lovely fumes, clubs nearby and plenty of noise. Bruce and I rolled our eyes. Still, we wrote our name on a list. And waited. And waited. Eventually we were able to squeeze onto the bench. And then we waited some more. When we got inside (sooo small, and sharing a long table) we were greeted with the scent of the best Asian food I’d ever smelled, and by that point I’d traveled a fair amount in Asia. The menu was on a blackboard, in English and Vietnamese. We ordered and waited. And waited. And waited some more. (You would only go to Hy Vong with people you could happily talk to for hours…) when the food started arriving, you usually share because it wouldn’t all come out at the same time for you and your companions. Sharing was hard. Because it was the most delicious food I’d ever eaten. I already loved Vietnamese food, having bought Imperial Rolls and Tofu fritters every Saturday from a Vietnamese family at the Coconut Grove farmers market for years. But this food was unlike anything I’d ever eaten before or since. I still remember my husband (then boyfriend) looking at me like I was crazy when I first took him to Hy Vong and told him we needed to bring cushions. When I put a cushion on his wooden chair he thought I was mad. Of course, he never questioned after waiting for more than an hour to eat the best Vietnamese food he’s ever had. (Caption continued in comment below.) #hyvong #mangoandpeppercorns #tung #lyn #kathy #perfectfood #vietnamesefood https://www.instagram.com/p/CniASJgvMhr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=