Falling in Love at Mắm

“Nathaniel, you’ve got to try this Vietnamese spot on the Lower East Side in Chinatown.” He goes on to explain that this place serves up street food he last had in Hanoi, more vibrant than the typically available Vietnamese fare of phở, bún bò huế, and bánh mì.

Wanting to avoid eye contact with the pair of strangers carrying a heavy machined part onto the escalator, I turned my attention to the elevator wall. The library elevator paneling seemed more interesting than confronting the awkwardness of