I love Vietnamese cuisine as much as Thai food.

When I was living in the outskirts of L.A., I frequently ate out at Vietnamese restaurants. There were so many good ones because L.A. had a big Vietnamese community near by in the Orange county.

In Madison, Wisconsin, I enjoyed being a student in an international community that boasted a you-name-it variety of ethnic restaurants. I loved to eat fresh spring rolls (or summer rolls) from one of vender stalls just by the Memorial Library. (I also liked the orange juice of another vender, but that should be left for another time.)

There used be a multinational cafeteria sort of shop called Cafe Sua near my Nishijin Tea House. Cafe Sua served a good Vietnamese Coffee, and I went there quite often to have a sip of it. Now that both Cafe Sua and my Tea House are gone, I rarely visit the area any more.

There may be some more Vietnamese restaurants in Kyoto other than Com Ngon; however, I only know this place, but it’s good enough– way better than expected, so that I don’t dare to search for the others, anyway. If only Com Ngon were in the vicinity of my place in Haradani…

Phakchi (coriander): the straightforward name of the Thai eatery is a strong inducer, and of course, I can’t wiggle out from the charm…

It shows off a wheeled stall in the shop and posts the menu in Thai language on the wall, which meticulously reproduce the atmosphere of those shops and restaurants on the Khaosan road of Bangkok– more accurately, the shops of Khaosan I saw in the past because I haven’t been there for long.

Anyway, the food is tasty and for real. The only thing different from the real Kaosan shop is the price…

There are shops specializing Shichimi-Tougarashi（七味唐辛子）in Kyoto. I particularly like this shop, Chobunya (長文屋) of Kitano Hakubai-cho, where the shop owner, or sometimes his son, mixes various spices in a bowl in front of the customer, quickly using a pair of spoons that make a series of tinking sound. Embraced by the aroma of the spices, fascinated by the brisk motion and the sound, just standing in the shop to watch the mixing art gives me a mesmerizing time.