The Oreo and Me in Hanoi

A slightly adapted version of a fun English class assignment:

I never truly appreciated Oreos until I got to Hanoi. At home, they were sometimes present in the cabinet, sometimes absent. But all I wanted was an afternoon snack: fruit, cookies, or ice cream could satisfy my ravenous hunger. Oreos were just another cookie.

Then one day, as I am strolling the aisles of Big C (the super grocery store—similar to Target) passing by noodles, badminton rackets, and whitening soap, the package jumps out at me—a familiar face in a crowd of strangers. Oreos in the middle of Hanoi? Indeed, there sits the box of Oreos, dragging on my heartstrings. An instant of doubt, but the temptation is too strong. I quickly pull them off the shelf and triumphantly make my way to the cash register.

Thus began my addiction. I now find myself craving Oreos at every turn: “You have Oreos???” and my heart skips a beat. I savor, gently twisting the two halves of chocolate to reveal the soft, creamy white inside which I slowly lick free from its dark chocolate encapsulation. Then I pop a cookie outside into my mouth and crunch down, chewing thoroughly before swallowing the chocolate goodness. And I repeat.

The delectable cream and chocolate combination takes me home for just a moment, to my kitchen in DC. And right then, I am perfectly filled with bliss, my mind inundated with black and white cookies.

They are not ‘just fat bombs’. They are Oreos.

Moon cakes on the other hand, now those are fat bombs…