“Hey, are we having dinner together at 7:00 pm, right?" I asked my friend.
“Yeah, but which restaurant?” My friend asking with excited face
"Let’s go Vietnamese restaurant" I answered.
"I don't know how you can eat Pho so many times, have you ever got tired of Pho?". My friend asked me.
Long pause.
" Um..........no, I will probably never get tired on Pho" I answered.
"Omg... please, you’re joking right?"
"I don't know yet. Man, I’m sorry! Do you ever got tired from playing game? It’s addicted food” I laughed.
"You are crazy”
Am I crazy? Pho is not drug but why I love it so much? How can I eat Pho so many times and never get tired of that? When I’m going to reach the point that I can get it anymore? It may sound insane to you but if I could have a perfect day of eating, this would be: “Start with Pho for breakfast, then have Pho for lunch, and end it with Pho”. I can eat Pho every time and every day. Not only it delicious, but it also gives me comfort feeling. It is one of my favorite food, my country's culture, and something that I call “Childhood”.
With me and every Vietnamese, Pho is one of our unique and represent our Vietnamese culture. Gordon Ramsay used to say in Master Chef Season 4, episode 21 that “This is one of most complicated dishes in the world and why Pho is one of his favorite dishes” It just like a bow contain firework in July, 4. In other worlds, Pho is a beautiful blend between soup and rice noodle. People can enjoy Pho with anything from all kind of meats to seafood like shrimp. Not only popular in my country but Pho is popular throughout the world now. The word "pho" was added to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in 2007 and listed at number 28 on "World's 50 most delicious foods" compiled by CNN Go in 2011. Here are some reasons why if you never have Pho, you never been to heaven.
Pho is really easy to eat even for American and who never had Asian food before. However, it not easy to eat like to cook. Like I mention before Pho actually has a very complex palette, but here are the primary components: Broth - this is arguably the most important part. Traditional pho broth is made from roasted beef bones and infused with spices that usually include cinnamon, star anise, coriander, and cardamom. Some recipes add other spices, as most Vietnamese families have their own preferences and versions. The spices, when married with the umami of the caramelized beef stock, creates a very aromatic and complex taste profile. Kind of like chai tea spices but made savory. However, have you ever wondered that you ever have pho in the right way? The real fun is getting Pho mixing in the variety of options that come with it on the side. Just remember this, Mung bean sprouts for an earthy flavor, cilantro (which is related to dandelion greens) for a grassy, sharp herbal flavor, jalapenos for a spicy snap, Thai basil to add that great… basil-y flavor, and of course lime to add a hint of citrus acidity that sets it all off. It’s also perfectly acceptable to add sriracha sauce for added heat and/or hoisin for a more mellow, sweet and savory addition. Therefore, try the broth first and then add other stuff incrementally until you find the blend you like. Pho is all about individual taste, so experiment and find your own. Here is how I create my “Addition Pho”. Let’s start with the sauce, I usually use hoisin sauce, child sauce, fish sauce, oil chili, and some lime. I put all that to a small bowl and stir well. After that I will put a little to my Pho, which will make the broth taste better. Then I add all bean sprout, cilantro, white onion, and cinnamon basil to my bowl. A little sweet from the broth, a little salty of fish sauce, a little sour of lime, along with all that is the unique fragrance of Pho, cinnamon basil, and cilantro. I know from here you probably confuse or even worry to have your Pho, but everyone is all confuse for the first time, even me –Vietnamese guy.
Well I addicted to Pho not only the flavor but because the feeling. It reminds me who I am, why I’m here and what is my purpose in this life. A sense of home in a strange country and a warm comfort that “Everything will be just fine”. Sometimes I see myself as a bow of Pho. A Normal looking bow but contain a strong will. Once you get to know me, you will love me. Everything needs time to be great. Same as Pho, some people like it when they just try it for the first time, but some people have to try it more than twice to like it. And that is how people judge me as well. Although I look like I am an unsociable or arrogant person, but I want the best for the person I love and do whatever it takes to make them happy. No matter how country's culture might change, people in my country still love Pho and have special love for this beautiful dish.
Pho originated in the early 20th century in northern Vietnam and was popularized throughout the world by refugees after the Vietnam War. Since its creation, pho has always reflected the cultural, political, and socioeconomic changes in Vietnam. Andrea Nguyen - the author of the indispensable Into the Vietnamese Kitchen and an upcoming pho-specific cookbook — says that Vietnam has two distinctive pho cultures that were shaped by the country's turbulent history. However, one day when I were working at my Vietnamese restaurant, I heard a little boy ask his Mom: “Mom, we love to eat Pho but why don't we make it at home?". That sound like a normal question, but when I went home, I sat down and asked myself: “If in the future Pho will be forgotten by my country, the United States, or any country, and I don't know how to make it, so how might my next generation know this food? How could I narrate to my kids when I can even remember my own country food? yes, if I don't know how to make it, those things will happen. I will lose my childhood; culture and the next generation of my family won't know about what Pho is. Due to that, I always want to learn to cook and it as much as I can. Because I’m proud to be a Vietnamese and my country food. Because it is not just food, it is also a culture and how people in my country are. They are sweet like a broth of Pho and nicely like the look of Pho. Eating pho bring me the best memories I have back in the days and is the other way the love of me for my country.
One person used to tell me this: "Food does not just have nutrients or energy, food has a soul". I realized that not just because Pho is delicious, so I eat it, but I feel happiness, joyful when I eat it. Pho is all my memories, my childhood, and my country's culture. Especially, Pho makes me feel better when I'm going down. I found that Pho has a soul and I will keep that soul for the rest of my life. If you still want to ask me why I eat Pho all the time? It's a tradition from home.
