Becca wrote on Tue, 25 Sep 2007 13:16:51 -0500:
??>>> No need to feel lost, pho is easy, it is just a bowl of
??>>> soup. Like George mentioned, the sauces are on the table
??>>> and they bring you a platter of vegetables. You can add
??>>> as many vegetables as you like to your bowl of soup. You
??>>> get to play with your food, so you should love it. LOL
??>>>
??>>> Becca
??>>
??>> Ok, so is pho an appetizer/side dish? Should I be ordering
??>> a side of cow as a main dish or something to go with it?
??>>
??>> Andy
B> Some restaurants call themselves Noodle Shops, all they sell
B> is Pho. It is a main dish, and it comes to you in a large
B> bowl. I have never seen anyone, at my table, eat the entire
B> bowl. You get a little meat and a lot of noodles. You add
B> the rest of the vegetables at your table.
B> Eating the noodles with chopsticks is part of the fun. Wear
B> a shirt with a lot of pattern.
The Pho restaurant I go to has two sizes, regular and large. The
regular size is about right for lunch but the large is just
that! I've seen people share a large order. I usually put *all*
of the bean sprouts, basil, lime and chilies into the soup and
stir it up with a tablespoon of hoisin sauce (provided). A 1:1
mixture of siracha chilli sauce with hoisin is good for dipping
the meats. There probably will be nuoc mam (sp?) fish sauce on
the table but I'd stay away from that :-) Not all Pho places
have it but there is a chicken soup variety with white or dark
chicken that I like.
They usually have Vietnamese coffee which you might like, fresh
lemonade and spring rolls that you might order (or share) if you
are feeling hungry.
James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland
E-mail, with obvious alterations:
not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not