Famous Pho!

I can’t talk about Vietnam without mentioning the Pho.  I had heard about this soup dish from Jane who had been talking it up since the day I met her.  Although we had it several times over the course of the week, nothing compared to this place we went to that was recommended by Jane’s cousin who had done Semester at Sea and loved Vietnam so much he decided to move there for 3 years afterwards.  I will never forget walking into this loud, messy, 3 story restaurant with cafeteria style seating and no English speaking waiters.  Jane picked up the menu, pointed to 4 dishes of Pho (1 without meat for me) and 4 iced coffees, another specialty in Vietnam.  Within 2 minutes, we had huge bowls sitting in front of us.  On the table were mint leaves, basil leaves, hot sauce, chili peppers, vinegar, salt, pepper, and this fried dough meant for dipping.  You take all the ingredients, throw them in the bowl, and mix it around a few times.  It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever had in my entire life.  I don’t think we even talked during our whole meal, except to comment on our delicious it was.  And the best part was when our bill came and our meals were less than $2 each!   (Did I mention I love Vietnam?)