Perching

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One of the things that struck me as a Westerner, is what people do when
they're hanging around. Where I come from, people stand around, or lean, or sit.
Sometimes they whistle to amuse themselves.

In Vietnam, they perch. I don't know if anyone there has a name for it, but
"perching" is as good a term as any. You kneel down so that your
bottom touches your heels, and to my eye, this looks kind of birdlike. People
must find this very comfortable and natural, since everyone seems to do it for
hours on end.

I've tried to do it, but I only get half of the way down, and there are some
terrible crunching noises. I thought that perhaps Asian people have a different
center of gravity, but my Russian teacher told me that people in the Caucasus
also perch. So perhaps if I start practising now, maybe I'll be able to do it by
the time I'm 75.

I had seen this behavior in China, but didn't consider it noteworthy until I
saw everyone doing it in Vietnam. I had a few hours to walk around during my
last day in Saigon, so I used my time – wisely, you'll agree – for a photo
essay on perching.

	Perching position In the park.
	Among friends Just in case you thought this was a solitary activity. The sign in back, by the way, says not to park your vehicles. But it doesn't say not to park.
	Inspecting groceries
	At the market
	Fixing a cyclo
	Hanging around
	Caught you!
	Breakfast on the street
	And, my favorite... The penguin position. Very comfortable.