pho

“no matter how hard your day, no matter how tough your choices, or how complex your ethical decisions, you always get to choose what you want for lunch.”
denny crane


the lady at the asian market in longmont pronounces it “phaaaaaaaar”. a vietnamese street dish, pho is a beef soup stock that is spiced with ginger, garlic or anise. rice noodles are cooked in the hot broth. i order pho tai, beef broth with rare, thinly sliced steak. the beef also cooks in the hot broth. it comes with a large plate of leafy condiments that usually include dandelion leaves, limes, bean sprouts, jalepenos and basil. at pho duey where my friend karen and i go for lunch, they give you a handful of basil that would cost $3.95 at the grocery store. karen adds plum sauce and chili paste to hers. i like mine plain.

and then there’s café sua da. strong vietnamese coffee brewed at table, mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured into a tall glass with ice. it costs a dollar and a quarter (in vietnam, on the street, it costs 25 cents,) and is better than any four dollar coffee drink at starbucks. i believe café sua da has thirteen million calories.

and that's what i chose for lunch.