Basic HTML Version
SOCIETY AT LARGE
O
n an islet on Truc Back Lake
stands State Subsidy Res-
taurant No.37. The building
which houses it, with its tiled
roof and rough yellow walls, is hun-
dreds of years old. Hanoi-born restau-
rateur Nguyen Quang Minh has turned
the small establishment into a museum
of sorts.
A range of objects that were popu-
lar with every Vietnamese family during
the 1976-86 post-war period hang on
the wall, including a rusty bike, some
conical hats, some worn out rubber san-
dals and even some bricks with names
printed on them. These bricks were
used to mind a person’s spot in food
or fuel queue during this difficult time.
Samples of food coupons, money and
chipped metal bowls also decorate the
room, which was lit by a faint yellow
light with an enamel metal lampshade.
At the State Subsidy Restaurant
No.37, customers have to queue to or-
der food, such as a simple meal of
steamed rice and sweet potatoes. The
employees are in the uniform worn by
workers in state-owned shops of the
past. They note down customers’ orders
in pieces of paper like the food stamps
which were once used.
Nguyen Quang Minh, born 1962,
lived through the period and says that
the restaurant was opened three years
ago and quickly attracted many peo-
ple, including the young. “Many people
Nostalgic dining
Restaurants which hark back to the tough old days of the state subsidy period
are proving popular in the capital, with State Subsidy Restaurant No.37 leading
the charge. By
Nguyen Chung
timeout
8
LIVING