7 Days 7 Meals Day 1 – Vietnamese Pho
7 Days 7 Meals Day 1 Vietnamese Pho
Life Really is about making a difference. We may not know it when we are young. There seems like we have infinite time and we are invincible. As we get older we realize that time slows for no-one and invincible is a dream of youth.
You did not know him and he was a celebrity! Veterans die everyday and you are not upset about that but you are devastated by a celebrity chefs death.
First I am incredibly sad by the amount of Veterans who also are taking their own lives. You do not have to feel one and not the other they are not mutually exclusive. If you knew why I loved that celebrity chef so much you would know it was because in many episodes/writings and interviews he pointed out the absurdity of war and what it does to those that fight it. How a conflict of hate is so much more damaging than a world at peace.
Second I am devastated because in addition to him being an inspiration for what I do . He was one of the few honest voices in a sea of minutia telling the world that we don’t have to kill each other over anything that there is a way to find common ground and it starts with our food.
My way of honoring both Anthony Bourdain and Veterans of present and past is to eat 7 meals in 7 days at establishments that are here because of those Veterans who gave everything to make us a beacon of light for the world.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door! – Emma Lazarus in 1883: On the Statue of Liberty
I have said repeatedly this is not a review site so these are not reviews they are just stories of a meal. I may tell you to visit, I may tell you the story of the owners or I may just tell you how it applies to Anthony Bourdain or the greater world at large.
Day 1 Meal 1- Huong Vietnamese Restaurant.
“In my way of thinking, in the hierarchy of delicious, slurpy stuff in a bowl, bun bo hue is at the very top.”- Anthony Bourdain on eating Vietnamese Noodles
The continuing adventure of exploring the food of Vietnam is real. I have now eaten Pho twice in my life and have loved every bite.
I did not think I would like the food of Vietnam, it stems from ignorance and honestly years of growing up thinking the Vietnamese were the enemy. You see I am old enough to remember the fall of Saigon in 1975. I did not understand it at the time and it would not be till years later after much reading on the subject that I see it for what it really was and that was a profound waste of human life. Human Beings on both sides of the conflict suffered greatly and the toll for all was immense.
Pho is the Campbells Beef and Noodle soup of Vietnamese food. It has wonderful rich broth, lovely noodles and nice pieces of beef(That’s a bad analogy as soup from a can has none of that). Lets go with it is the beginners bike of noodles in a bowl. The training wheels are still on. The great thing as a beginner to Vietnamese noodle bowls is you control the things that go in to add spice and flavor.
When you get your bowl of Pho you also get a plate with veggies. That plate will include some if not all of these ingredients Green Onion, White Onions, Thai Basil(it’s not like the Italian stuff we all know and love) Thai Chilies red and/or Green(they are spicy!) Lemon and or lime wedges, Bean Sprouts and Cilantro.
I like to break off the Basil and tear it to get the pungent oder and flavors going. I drop everything else in the bowl and let the broth soften. One or two chili peppers is usually enough for me but you can light it up how you want.
For me bells and whistles come to the Pho experience when you add the Hoisin Sauce and Red Hot Sauce(Sriracha) You have control of the salty, sweet and the tart and spicy.
The above quote by Bourdain reference the top of the Vietnamese Noodle chain. Bun bo hue is a spicy soup of noodles beef and pork but it includes pork hock and congealed blood. If you watch his show you will know he loved the stuff. I Have food goals and one day I will work my way to Bun bo hue but until then I will be loving Pho.
Flavors of Vietnam in your Kitchen…You can try making it at home see the cookbook in the links, I will stick to going out for Pho. But If nothing else you should know everyone should have a bottle of Sriracha Sauce on hand. You can get it by clicking the link to Amazon. There are 1001 ways to use Sriracha here is one Sriracha Shrimp Cocktail
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