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1845 Redefining Americawas thrilled to see that her sister bore utterly no resemblance to the throngs of local people waiting outside to greet the arrivals, hundreds of ordinary folk wearing drab clothes and fanning themselves under the sun.Even after a week in Saigon, Vivien would appear no more of a native than on the day she arrived, at least in outdoor settings. On the streets, at outdoor caf%u00e9s, or hopping into a Mai Linh taxi, she was easily mistaken for a Korean businessman%u2019s frazzled wife or a weary Japanese tourist, her frosting of makeup melting under the tropical glare. In certain indoor settings, however, she was clearly the mistress of her domain. This was the case at the restaurant Nam Kha, on the street Dong Khoi, where Phuong had worked as a hostess for the two years since her graduation from college. It was Vivien%u2019s idea to treat the family to dinner at Nam Kha, a way to celebrate the halfway point in her vacation and an option Phuong would never have suggested, the restaurant%u2019s offerings being far more than Phuong or her family could ever afford.%u201cBut it%u2019s a crime, don%u2019t you think?%u201d Vivien said, glancing over the entr%u00e9es. Their table was by the reflecting pool, across from which two young women sat on a cushioned dais, wearing silken, ephemeral ao dai1 and plucking gently at the sixteen strings of the zithers braced on their laps. %u201cYou should be able to eat where you work at least once in your lifetime.%u201d%u201cThe real crime is five dollars for morning glory fried in garlic,%u201d Mrs. Ly said. She sold silk at Cho Ben Thanh and possessed the eyes of an experienced negotiator, smooth and unreadable as the beads of an abacus. %u201cI can buy this for a dollar at the market.%u201d%u201cLook around,%u201d Mr. Ly said, his tone impatient. All the other guests were white, with the exception of an Indian couple in the corner, the man in a linen suit and the woman in a salwar kameez. %u201cThese are tourist prices.%u201d%u201cThese are foolish prices.%u201d%u201cI like it here,%u201d Vivien declared. Her voice was authoritative, the way she must sound in her examination room in Chicago. Not for the first time, Phuong imagined herself in her sister%u2019s place, wearing a white coat in a white room, looking out a wall of windows at a haze of white snow. %u201cWhat do you think?%u201d Vivien nudged her knee. %u201cToo outrageous for you?%u201d%u201cNot at all!%u201d Phuong hoped that she projected an air of confidence and ease, unlike her brothers. Hanh and Phuc were speechless, their silk-bound menus considerably more handsome than any textbook they owned. %u201cI can get used to this.%u201d%u201cThat%u2019s the spirit.%u201dThe guests at the neighboring table rose, and on the way out two of them paused beside Phuong, the brunette taking a photograph of the musicians strumming their zithers. %u201cThey%u2019re just like butterflies,%u201d she said in an Australian accent, squinting at the image on her camera. Eavesdropping on them, Phuong was relieved not to be the object of their fascination. %u201cSo delicate and tiny.%u201d%u201cI%u2019ll bet they never worry about what they eat.%u201d Her friend flipped open her compact to inspect her lipstick. %u201cThose dresses look stitched onto them.%u201dNight after night, Phuong had observed the customs of tourists like these, her degree in biology no more than a memory as she opened the doors of Nam Kha with a small bow. Having come to dine on elegantly presented peasant 101A traditional Vietnamese long dress that has two slits on the left and right sides extending from the wearer%u2019s waist to the ground. Traditionally this garment has been worn by both men and women, though it is now commonly worn only by women.%u2014Eds.15How does paragraph 16 help to explain why Phuong reacts strongly to her sister%u2019s comments in the restaurant?22Copyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.