Lick Your Chopsticks

        One day we were on patrol in DaNang and it was time for our lunch break. The Quan Canh (Vietnamese MP) and Canh Sat (Vietnamese National Police), neither of whom I could understand, motioned they were hungry. Since they couldn’t understand a word I said either, I motioned I was hungry too.

        Pointing to a local building, the QC who was driving the jeep, stopped. They both got out and walked toward a restaurant. I got out of the jeep and followed them into the small eating area and sat down. A young girl came to the table, the three of them talked in Vietnamese then the girl went over to the cooking area. She returned and set down three small bowls of rice and one very small bowl of meat. The QC and CS each took a set of chopsticks out of a small can on the table. They helped themselves to a portion of the meat in the small bowl and ate the rice from their other bowls. Not wanting to try the food in this particular establishment, I asked the girl for a Coke. She knew immediately what I wanted and brought me a can of Coke, it was warm. I drank the Coke while my two partners ate their meals, all the while giving me a wondering glance, probably as to why I chose not to eat the food.

        Once they were finished eating, they each licked their chopsticks clean and placed them back into the can on the table. I realized that that I had made the right decision by only drinking a “canned” Coke!

        A scroungy looking dog laid beside the table the whole time were were in there. He got to eat the scraps that fell from the table to the floor. He was very skinny and I imagine the scraps were few and far between.

        Never again did I consider eating in a local restaurant. After that episode I only ate at the DaNang Hotel and Air Base messhalls when I was away from the 188th compound.

SP/4 Danny L. Welch, 188th MP Company, 504th MP Battalion, 16th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, October 1970 to August 1971.