Graham Holliday

A journalist takes us on a colorful and spicy gastronomic tour through Viêt Nam in this entertaining, offbeat travel memoir Growing up in a small town in central England, Graham Holliday wasn't keen on travel. But in his early twenties, he saw a picture of Hà Nội that sparked his curiosity and propelled him halfway across the globe. Graham didn't want to be just a tourist in a foreign country, though; he was determined to live in it. An ordinary guy who liked trying interesting food, he moved to the capital city and embarked on a quest to find real Vietnamese food. In Eating Việt Nam, he chronicles his odyssey in this enticing, unfamiliar land infused with sublime smells and tastes. Traveling through the back alleys and across the boulevards of Hà Nội—where home cooks set up grills and stripped-down stands serve sumptuous fare on blue plastic furniture—he risked dysentery, giardia, and diarrhea to discover a culinary treasure trove that was truly unique. Graham shares every bite of the extraordinary fresh dishes—pungent and bursting with flavor—that he came to love in Hà Nội, Sài Gòn, and the countryside. Here, too, are the remarkable people who became a part of his new life, including his wife, Sophie. Funny, charming, and always delicious, Eating Việt Nam will inspire armchair travelers, those with curious palates, and everyone itching for a taste of adventure.

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Eating Vietnam

A journalist and blogger takes us on a colorful and spicy gastronomic tour through Viet Nam in this entertaining, offbeat travel memoir, with a foreword by Anthony Bourdain. Growing up in a small town in northern England, Graham Holliday wasn’t keen on travel. But in his early twenties, a picture of Hanoi sparked a curiosity that propelled him halfway across the globe. Graham didn’t want to be a tourist in an alien land, though; he was determined to live it. An ordinary guy who liked trying interesting food, he moved to the capital city and embarked on a quest to find real Vietnamese food. In Eating Viet Nam, he chronicles his odyssey in this strange, enticing land infused with sublime smells and tastes. Traveling through the back alleys and across the boulevards of Hanoi—where home cooks set up grills and stripped-down stands serving sumptuous fare on blue plastic furniture—he risked dysentery, giardia, and diarrhea to discover a culinary treasure-load that was truly foreign and unique. Holliday shares every bite of the extraordinary fresh dishes, pungent and bursting with flavor, which he came to love in Hanoi, Saigon, and the countryside. Here, too, are the remarkable people who became a part of his new life, including his wife, Sophie. A feast for the senses, funny, charming, and always delicious, Eating Viet Nam will inspire armchair travelers, curious palates, and everyone itching for a taste of adventure.

Michael harbors an ambition to direct Macbeth and gets his chance with the autumn production of The Shellsfoot Thespians. He encounters problems from finding enough men to telling grande dame Geraldine she is not to play Lady Macbeth, despite her offered bribe which would pay production costs. He casts his wife in the part opposite Frank, with whom she is having an affair (unbeknownst to Michael). It soon appears that the jinx surrounding the play extends to amateur productions and to Michael's life, but he remains determined to get the show on at any cost that includes his job, his wife and finding a new venue when banned from the church hall.7 women, 6 men

Graham Holliday

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