I'm Virtual-Doug. While most of you who read this are on the west coast, I am way down in deep south Texas - right on the Rio Grande. Not exactly pho country, eh?
But, I came by pho the way God intended - I first tried it in Viet Nam.
When the Vietnamese see a middle-aged graying tourist, they like to ask "Have you been here before?" Its their polite euphemism for asking if the tourist is a returning veteran. In my case, the answer is "Yes." What makes it a bit different is that my wife is also a vet. We were both returning.
But, I'm the pho lover. Way back during the war, I did not eat pho - I didn't know what pho was. I had little contact wtih the Vietnamese, except in violence, and had little or no idea of their culture, foods, or langauge. I corrected that in July 2002 when I returned.
Breakfast at the Rex Hotel in Saigon the first morning (yes - they still call it Saigon). There was a wonderful layout of goodies - including French baguettes, eggs the way you like them, dragon fruit, orange juice, coffee, tea - just like back home.
As I was killing off a cross-Pacific hunger, I noticed some folks coming up to a stand bearing large caldrons of broth. Most would half fill a bowl with a variety a veggies and the choice of noodles. The cook's helper would place in the choice of meat - then immerse the whole thing in boiling hot broth.
But, not that morning.
Nor the next morning.
But, a few days later, while in Da Nang, I had the same choices. When all else fails, act like you know what you're doing. Picking up a bowl, I pointed to the noodles I wanted, then put in some veggies (I had no idea what they were), then the cook put in some very thin slices of beef - then the hot broth.
Since then, I have returned to Viet Nam two more times, and have enjoyed pho in Saigon, Dalat, Nha Trang, Qhi Nhon, Hoi An, and other places. Some I've eaten in nice restaurants, and others I've enjoyed in little street-side cafes. All were good. All were different.
Hopefully, my wife and I shall be living in Viet Nam starting next spring. We'll be teaching English there - and I guarentee I'll be eating a lot more bowls of pho. I'll try to post a few comments about the various recipes I'll encounter - and some variations too, such as pho ga (chicken).
Back in south Texas, this is Mexican food country - but there is a Vietnamese restaurant. Just last night I went there. Guess what I ordered.
A bowl of pho.