Right now, the president of the United States of America, Donald Trump is meeting with up with the Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un in Hà Nội for a second summit that follows on from last year’s meeting in Singapore. Observers have given mixed reports about progress so far; yet even the more left-wing side of the media may consider the fact that they are talking face to face again to represent positive progress to an extent.
When it was announced that the meeting would take place in Việt Nam, Hà Nội and Đà Nẵng were touted as the potential venues for the summit; the latter being favoured by the US thanks to it previously successfully hosting the APEC summit, whereas the capital was favoured by Kim Jong Un thanks to it being where the North Korean embassy is located. In the end, Kim got his wish and the summit is now going ahead there.
Some of us were probably slightly disappointed that Đà Nẵng missed out on being given the honour of hosting such as prestigious event. However, some of us will feel relieved that the traffic is not going to be an absolute nightmare as a result of the heightened security presence that one would usually expect when such an event is taking place in their vicinity.
A few people decided that they would attempt to make the trip up North to attempt to witness the historic event first hand; but I have decided to stay put and wait until things have cooled down after the summit before revisiting the capital. Therefore, I will unfortunately not be able to be in the crowds cheering and welcoming either of those leaders.
If one was to look back a couple of years or so; they may recall this image of Donald Trump committing the ostracity of eating KFC on board his private jet; albeit with a knife and fork. This was very controversial indeed.
People on both sides of the political divide were quick to criticise him as they felt that there was something rather improper about his dining manners. Some probably felt that KFC or indeed any brand of fried chicken is best enjoyed using one’s fingers to pick up those pieces of chicken. After the meal, some purists would even state that one should ideally lick the grease off their fingers rather than making a trip to the washroom to use water and soap; although I think that’s taking it a step too far.
Some probably felt that it was representative of somebody who would not dare to get their hands dirty in any area of life; even when consuming the kind of fast-food that is widely enjoyed at the lowest levels of society. Others may have felt that the use of properly cutlery when consuming the food of the common man was proof that he is out of touch with them. Some however, probably admired his desire to maintain cleanliness at all costs.
If you are one of those people, you may want to salute Trump in your own special way. There is one particularly strange way that one could do this. That is by visiting any branch of KFC in Việt Nam. The local food in Việt Nam is absolutely amazing and tourist destinations such as Đà Nẵng have many gourmet burger restaurants lining up to compete with each other. Therefore, you’ve probably had no burning desire to visit a branch of KFC yet. Despite the superior options available to you, you should probably reconsider your decision to avoid it altogether.
Fate had it that a couple of months ago when my now ex-girlfriend was visiting me, we were caught up in a rainstorm, we were starving, wet and struggling to find a taxi that was willing to pick us up. Therefore, we tragically settled for dining in a chain fast-food restaurant that we would usually only ever eat at, if in a rush or badly hungover. It was just standing right there next to us, and it offered shelter and more importantly, something to stop my girlfriend complaining about her empty stomach.
It was quite possibly, the most romantic and class KFC meal that I’d ever had in my life; all it was lacking was a candle. Our meal was served with real plates, stainless steel knives and forks. Our cola was served in real glasses. For the first time in quite a while, I didn’t feel disappointed with myself deep down for resorting to the easy option; it tasted much better than the KFC meals that I had previously resorted to hurriedly scoffing in the train stations and airports of many another city, due to a lack of other decent options.
Did it taste better due to the dire situation that we were in at the time? Or was it the upgraded tableware that brought out those subtle flavours that you would otherwise miss when consuming it the same way that all of us regular peasants do, munching it without care in the world for table manners? Maybe it was the Trump magic that added a little something to the meal.
One may wonder if Trump will make a quick visit to KFC on his way home from the summit; he is known for his love of fast-food and many of the street level restaurants found in Hà Nội would prove to be rather intimidating to him. If he served his chicken like this, he won’t feel disappointed. If you use wish to eat your KFC like a president, Việt Nam is the place to do it.
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