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Bé Mặn means salty baby in Vietnamese. It’s a seafood restaurant in Đà Nẵng. The restaurant is a large warehouse-like space covered with a corrugated metal roof. It’s front is completely open, looking out over the sea and Sơn Trà peninsula. It’s different now, it has escalators. Things change, things get escalators. When you arrive at Bé Mặn you are introduced to a collection of green plastic tubs arranged on the floor. The tubs are filled with water, each containing different species of sea creature. Dragon fish, giant prehistoric mussels, jellyfish, hairy crabs. Salty babies.  You point at what you want and you discuss with the staff how you would like it prepared. You sit down at a metal table, wait, take a beer if you want.

Bé Mặn in Hell continues a series of performance pieces that began a decade ago, when I first stepped into Bé Mặn. Do Not Look Too Hard For Meaning Here & Flood Debris (with Pilgrimimih collective), On the Aire Mimih, Bé Mặn Mimih, 14 Stations and now Bé Mặn in Hell all centre around these ideas in bowls on the floor; washed, prepared and served to the customer.

DISCLAIMER

The information provided in this text about Bé Mặn is for artistic and illustrative purposes only. Bé Mặn is a concept that has been developed as part of a series of performance pieces by the artist, Erkembode, and its description as a seafood restaurant in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, is part of this artistic narrative. The details regarding the restaurant’s location, design, and seafood selection process are elements of a creative work and should not be interpreted as factual representations of an actual restaurant. The reference to various sea creatures does not necessarily reflect the availability of these species at any real dining establishment.

Furthermore, the text references other related performance pieces. These titles are part of the artist’s body of work and are mentioned to provide context to the ongoing theme of ideas in bowls on the floor; washed, prepared and served to the customer, which is central to these performances.

Please note that any interpretation of the content should be approached with an understanding of its artistic nature and not as a literal or accurate description of a physical location, business, or culinary practice in Vietnam or elsewhere.