Saved by the neighbors again. The neighbor series: Part 2

Ah, apartment living.  One is never fully alone- all those shared walls, floors and ceilings. Neighbors can make or break the deal.  This is an homage to the people who live upstairs.

It's Friday.  Of all the barbarously dull and ergonomically devastating work weeks, this one stands on a hilltop.  My mind is a marshmallow, my spirit a smoking hull.  I need something to transport me from this woeful state.

Luckily, the neighbors have fired up the boat engines, and we are bound for......VIETNAM!  

These chewy rib ends alone would have inspired gaiety in a roomful of DMV employees.  Suffused with five spice, shao xing wine, garlic and sugar, these tidbits left the fingers greasy and me feeling halfway human.

Next came these lovely grilled chicken skewers, fragrant with lemongrass, turmeric and garlic.

What's not to love about a meat salad?  This one's stunning:  beef marinated in tamarind, the season's first carrots, thin sliced cukes, mint, cilantro, basil, ground peanuts in a sweet dressing.

We took a short break from the proteins with a dab of bitter mustard greens.

For dessert, there were fried tofu slabs encrusted in lemongrass over aromatic Carolina Gold rice.

The kindest souls are the ones that feed you, for food is love in physical form.  Have you fed your neighbors lately?