My mom was very sportive, she used to play ping-pong, to swim... So luckily she is still heathy now in her 80s! When I was kid, she always took me and my older brother to the swimming pool.
I can't remember which pool was our first swimming class: either a pool called Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm near to the Zoo or the club Phú Lâm which is located by coincidence near to my first house!
Ah, I remember!
That would be my very first pool! A pool called Catina on Đồng Khởi street (Catina was also the former name of this street in the early years of 20th century!) It seems the pool is no longer there, when these days every centimeter on this street costs a fortune!
Ok! Which pool is not important!
But I'm sure only at Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm place, what I always got from my mom after swimming hours was a deep fried slice of bread with a big prawn. A little bit of chili sauce and dark soy sauce on it!
Imagine after an hour or more, my brother and I, we played, we swam, we shouted and ran all over around the pool, I and my brother were exhausted and very hungry. These slices of bread with prawn was like a big award for us for being gentle, not disturbing my mom! This was the best snack that I had ever tried!
Today, my swimming pool is in the hotel, on Hùng Vương street, my choice is different, I prefer more quiet, more private...but whatever I do, wherever I swim - the feelings of joy when I got that snack from my mom will stay with me for the rest of my life!
I just saw a street vendor selling this snack yesterday! The vision, the smell brought back childhood memories, I wonder how can I get a ticket back to the past, to taste that heavenly slice of bread after swimming hours and most important to get it again from my mom's hand!
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