Ode to Pho’

Photo by M.W. on Unsplash

“My Asian Comfort Food”: I love pho (fuh). The first time it took a hold of me was 5 years ago in a small Vietnamese hole in the wall called Noodle Star (they’ve since changed the name to Pho 64). I wondered what I should start with? Maybe something simple, something I could pronounce. With my southern accent I gave it a try, “Pho tai nam”? (noodles with fatty beef and sliced beef tenderloin)… I waited patiently until a big boil came out filled to the brim with vermicelli noodles and beef. The smell of anise and onion wafted across my nostrils, the warm steam soothing my lungs coming from the fatty broth. I looked around to see what others were doing. Okay, first add the sprouts, then the cilantro and basil, next the jalapenos, lastly the lime. Okay, now what else? Ah! Sauce, I needed sauce to dip with and I sprinkled a dash of pepper. (I’ve had a long love for Asian food, so I considered myself a pro at chopsticks, but I needed a spoil to use simultaneously. I tasted the broth and Wow! that salty, spicy, umami taste captured me. It enticed me until I finished the entire bowl with no room in my britches to spare. (All for only $9.33!) From them on I’d have pho at least once a month (the addiction was real). There’s something about Asian comfort food. It slows me down, it’s methodical, it’s a process. It’s soothing, I guess that’s why I love it so much. In this crazy world, we should all stop to eat pho’, whether beef, chicken, vegetarian or other indulge and enjoy!