Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Pho Bo

I like ethnic food, I really do. So when Edwin said he wanted to take me to out for Vietnamese, my mouth started watering.

It wasn't until I opened the menu in the Green Papaya that I realized I've never been to a Vietnamese restaurant. When the Ngyugens, a family of boat people moved to my home town in the 70's, I ate with them a couple of times, but I never asked what I was eating. (Besides, I probably stuck mostly to the rice.)

Bun Dac Biet, Mi Dac Biet To Lon, Com Bi Suon Cha... it was all Greek to me. I ordered some kind of rolls and the house soup. That's safe, right?

The waiter was kind enough to explain to me that the house soup was actually tripe soup. Plan B-- bring me some soup without the tripe.

Edwin ordered G12 from the menu. Again, the waiter clarified. "I feel I must explain that the meat in G12 is pork-- how do you say it?-- pork skin."

We ended up with an excellent dinner, but left on our own, we would have both been gagging. Sometimes it's just best to get recommendations. Sometimes it's best to look at a map, or read the instructions, or listen to advice.

Isn't it cool to serve a God who offers us endless varieties, but who doesn't force us to do anything beyond our ability to bear?

Pork skin kabobs-- yum.

1 comment:

Papa John said...

Mmmmm. Tasty. The Bun Thit Cha Gio is good: A sortof Spring Roll with Pork and Lemongrass. Your Momma likes the Banh Xeo (I think) which is a plate sized yellow crepe with shrimp and sprouts, and mung beans. The yellow is tumeric. For lunch I usually settle for the pork skewers in a salad bowl of sprouts, mint, cilantro, cucumber, carrot shavings, diakon, anad noodles. Ok, who's hungry?