On a warm January day off, sitting on the beach,
enjoying the skimmers, pelicans and gulls, and a family fishing nearby.
In Vietnam each seaside village has a secret fish sauce recipe.
Reading Vietnamese-American, Andrew X Pham's
Catfish and Mandala –
a very brave piece of storytelling about one man's search
for his bearings, that takes him back to the village in Vietnam
where his life began. Through foreign yet familiar landscapes,
the author bicycles his way across memories,
encountering dangers he hadn't imagined and finding
the grace that his soul so badly needed in a simple encounter.
It is a true hero's journey.
The family scurries off the vanishing sandbar and gathering my book and chair
I head to my favorite Chinese restaurant for some scallion pancakes.
Lainesblog Thinking Out Loud 
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