Bon Appetit

Thinking about the streets of Hanoi and the

thriving markets there, everything a person

would need to survive. Thinking of side streets

in Hong Kong, same thing, everything from

live birds to fresh seafood and herbs. Athens,

Greece, Sydney, Australia, Boston, Massachu-

setts, St. Louis, Missouri, Longmont, Colorado,

large cities and small towns alike—vegetables,

meats, fish, baked goods, myriad odds and ends,

everything mankind needs to survive and thrive.

A tradition of civilizations around the world for mil-

lennia. Some of these I have been to myself; others

as seen by me in travelogues on TV. The melding

of aromas permeate my senses to this day, even

though I am not there. I once knew an Army vet-

eran who caught the smell of Vietnamese food

cooking on the streets of LA. That triggered a

terrifying flashback of his wartime memories:

The Tet Offensive, 1968, automatic fire, explo-

sions, mutilated bodies and bloodshed—a sud-

den attack of PTSD, and he had to immediately

flee the scene to maintain his sanity. I, on the

other hand, was stationed halfway around the

world at the time, enjoying the delightful wafting

sensations of schnitzel, bratwurst and beer at a

marktplatz in a quaint town in Germany. And I

am reminded, in life some are not always able

to pick and choose from such a sumptuous and

bountiful menu. For every delectable morsel in
life be grateful. Bon appetit!

Chris Hanch 10-4-19