Last night after frisbee, my guy friends and I went to a bia hoi for some food and drinks. At the table next to us was a group of six guys. Three of the guys had brought their little children with them. Sure, I respect father and son/daughter bonding but definitely not in this atmosphere. The kids were sitting at the table watching their dads pound beers and take shots of vodka. Call it a cultural difference but I was pretty appalled.
As I was watching the fathers and sons, I started to think about this blog and how I was gonna trounce some Vietnamese men for their behavior. Just then though, a couple walked into the bia hoi and met up with two other couples. The new couple brought with them an infant baby.
Here are the problems I have with this:
1. Bia hois are smokey and clearly not good for a young child's (or my) lungs.
2. Seeing your parents get wasted is just not good parenting (the woman didn't drink beer but her husband sure did).
3. Everyone arrives and departs the bia hoi on their motorbike. Drinking and driving is stupid to begin with; doing it with your children in tow is just mind boggling.
It's actions like this that lead to that ridiculous story this year of the Filipino infant who is addicted to cigarettes:
Now I'm sure this post will anger some readers who have accused me of being anti-Vietnam. However, there are stupid people everywhere in the world. In the USA, some fathers bring their children to professional sporting events and think it's a good idea to kick back and enjoy some beers/booze while the kid has a couple of cokes. I remember seeing this as a kid and feeling my father judging these other dads. Frankly, if I had a blog in America when I was younger I would have ripped those Americans too.
The point is, drink with your friends and not with your kids.
