Updated 11-26-11. I know there are folks out there who are looking for help with pronunciation of Vietnamese words and phrases, and are looking for accurate and easy to understand guidance and reference on how to properly pronounce certain words in Vietnamese. This post, which is Part 2 of this series, aims to help you with exactly what a word or phrase should sound like, in both Northern and Southern Vietnamese accents when appropriate.

Have a Vietnamese word or phrase you’d like to hear? Here’s what you do: Leave a comment to this post with the word(s) you would like to hear pronounced, and I’ll post a response with audio files demonstrating exactly how they should sound. Please include as much information about the words as you can, with maybe the context you found them in, their meanings (if you know), or where you encountered them. This is because with proper accent marks the same looking words may have different pronunciation and meanings altogether. This will help me say them correctly for you. This site is about pho first and foremost, but I’ll post answers to whatever inquiry received.

If you’re looking for more specific pronunciation, check out these posts:

• For the definitive guide to pronounce “pho” in complete conversational sentences with both English and Vietnamese audio: How to Pronounce Pho: You Can Say It, Pronounce Pho, Say: Phở…
• How to Order Pho in Vietnamese

Go to this link to find Part 1 of Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases. A single sound can sometime confuse you even more than no sound at all. Therefore, I’m also providing full sentences to demonstrate how the words/phrases should really sound in everyday conversation. You should be able to recognize these sounds in both English and Vietnamese conversational sentences. I’ll start with something requested by Louie from the last comment from Part 1.

1. Pronounce: “Người Rừng” which literally means “jungle people.”
   • Southern accent (twice, slower then faster) then Northern (twice.)
2. Pronounce the lady’s name: “Nguyệt.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
3. Pronounce: “Tôi nấu ăn cho gia đình tôi” which means “I cook for my family.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
4. Pronounce: “Bún chả giò chay” which means “Vermicelli noodles with Vegetarian Spring rolls.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
5. Pronounce: “Heo xào xả ớt” which means “Pork sautéed in Hot and Spicy Lemongrass.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
6. Pronounce: “Bò xào xả ớt” which means “Beef sautéed in Hot and Spicy Lemongrass.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.
7. Pronounce: “nước mắm” which means “fish sauce.”
   • Southern similar to Northern, slow then faster.
8. Pronounce: “con chó, con mèo, con khỉ” which means “the dog, the cat, the monkey.”
   • Southern accent then Northern.

Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases, Part 2 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Vietnamese Pho is reaching a critical mass in North America and elsewhere around the world.

Pho has become one of the comfort foods of choice outside of Viet communities in many major cities and the surrounding areas. Today there is sufficient awareness of pho, and more generally Vietnamese foods, by the average consumers that the momentum of pho popularity is fueling a pho “industry” that is becoming self-sustaining, with its own ability to fuel further growth and expansion.

There are still many excellent ways to bring a good bowl of Vietnamese pho to diners in North America. You may want to explore ways to add pho to your existing restaurant menu, or to create a completely new pho experience that is trendy and hip. But if you are not quite sure how or where to get started, then let LovingPho.com be the starting point to get your pho service going. For assistance and guidance on how to add pho to your own restaurant operation, please fill out the short form below and I will respond within 24 hours.

Red asterisks (*) mean required fields.

Pho Restaurant Consultation is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

We call it monosodium glutamate or just sodium glutamate. The Japanese invented (found it in nature actually) and call it umami, for “good flavor” or “good taste.”

Many people have problems with consuming monosodium glutamate, or MSG, in their foods. Chinese cuisine and many other restaurant foods are notorious for having lots of MSG in them. Restaurant pho is no different. In fact MSG use in many pho restaurants is so prominent and unmistakable that you can literally taste it instead of the flavorful pho broth that it should be. While MSG exists naturally around us and its use is considered “safe” by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA,) the benefits or ill effects that it brings to human diners (and pho zealots!) remain quite controversial. We each have our own judgement, tolerance, and reaction to MSG but to get a broader understanding of its impact on our culinary experience, I’ve asked a few culinary industry masters to share their views on MSG and how they feel it should be used in our daily lives.

Here are some views on monosodium glutamate from 7 food industry experts. Five of them have extensive culinary experience in Asian foods, the other 2  brings to the “table” (no pun intended) a clear Western viewpoints of MSG use. At least one is a food scientist, and many are respected authors, educators and publishers in their own right. I point this out because, in my opinion, the discussion on MSG cannot omit the differentiation between western and eastern cooking philosophies. In fact, such differences may just explain why MSG receives such notoriety sometimes.

In alphabetical order, they are:

• Donna Bauck, Associate Director of Retail for the University of Montana, Missoula
• Chef & culinary adventurer Robert Danhi, ChefDanhi.com.
• Author & Teacher Andrea Nguyen, VietWorldKitchen.com.
• Pho & coffee master Brian Nguyen, Quoc Viet Foods.
• Sinful recipes with Florentina, Peace, Love & Food! ciaoflorentina.com.
• Sushi, restaurant & marketing consultant Jay Terauchi of TheLASushiGuys.com.
• Author & Asian cuisine expert Corrine Trang, CorinneTrang.com.

I hope you will find their comments and viewpoints interesting and educational as I did. We are all humans and have our own biases and personal preferences, but insights from professionals in their own fields like these on a semi-controversial subject like MSG is a worthwhile read and definitely a learning experience. You will find both extreme and more moderate points of view on this thing we call MSG or umami. My own notes or clarification, if any, are added in brackets [...] to the end of the experts’ individual statements.

1. What are your views on MSG and its use in food preparation in general? Was its creation a blessing or curse to the culinary world?

Donna Bauck. Both a blessing AND a curse. As we all know many people are sensitive to it. In the “corporate” food world it is often banned. Corporations spend a great deal of time and money finding other ways to boost flavor, and I know some products are no longer used because they contain it. On the other hand, we all want to honor traditions AND cultures. In the case of  “America” we have often taken too many liberties in Americanizing foods. In the food industry, many of us realize we have lost the heart, soul, and flavor of many cultures’ foods by doing this. What is the answer? I don’t think anyone has come up with a good one. [I think Ms. Bauck's latter point is that, in americanizing ethnic foods, we make changes to them (including taking out MSG) to the detrimental effect of the foods' authenticity and taste, which I totally agree with.]

Robert Danhi. Chef Danhi wrote passionately and extensively about the subject of MSG in his book Southeast Asian Flavors. With his permission, I’m quoting relevant paragraphs here.

… For years I’ve had an internal battle over whether to use monosodium glutamate (MSG) in my cooking. The struggle began more than a decade ago when I really began to understand Southeast Asian food. I avoided using it, since as a classically trained Western chef, I was taught it was cheating and unnecessary to achieve really good food (actually true). But the challenge is that the food I’ve loved so much when I’ve traveled tasted so different from what I would make in my kitchen stateside. I realized there was no question that the prevalent use of MSG in restaurants and by street vendors of Southeast Asia was a significant factor affecting the flavor. I have ventured into hundreds of kitchens in Southeast Asia over the past twenty years. Most use MSG in one form or another. I have decided to address what most cookbook authors avoid—the topic of monosodium glutamate…

… I do not recommend nor disapprove of its use. The reality is that a majority of the kitchens in Southeast Asia use it. In the U.S.A. “No MSG added” is a common restaurant claim. But while the cooks may not have added MSG in its pure form, they probably still use sauces that have it added at the factory. Many cooks exclaim they do not use MSG, but frankly many do not even realize that they do…

… I believe much of the modern-day use of MSG in the foods around Southeast Asia is a cost-cutting measure… … That stated, MSG is a relative newcomer to Asian cookery, having been in use for just over one hundred years. Although I was not around two hundred years ago, I’m sure there were amazing, vibrant, flavorful foods long before MSG’s invention…

Andrea Nguyen. MSG is not a terrible thing but it’s [oftentimes] [overused] to make blah, poorly made food tasty. Umami is important in lots of Asian cooking but there are natural ways to achieve it. MSG is a chemical product. Who wants to add extra chemicals to their food? It’s not natural.

Brian Nguyen. MSG is a flavor enhancer. Until today, FDA and most, if not all, health officials from other countries have not banned of using MSG in foods. The chemical components of MSG are Sodium and Glutamic Acid. Glutamic Acid is an Amino Acid. Our body requires Amino Acid. However, our body can produce it, luckily. Without it, our foods would be very bland.

Florentina. MSG is simply not good for you. It might have been a blessing for the culinary world, but definitely a curse for me and you, the consumer.

Jay Terauchi. I don’t use MSG in my cooking, unless it’s an Asian packaged or canned product. I understand having to use it in processed foods, but I won’t use it as a flavor enhancer.

Corinne Trang. In my Asian side of the family, we used it all the time. Some still do, but I don’t. It is unnecessary. Salt can open up your taste buds. Spices and herbs can enhance any foods, curing, heat cooking, etc… can do the same. There [are] so many ways to create beautiful flavors with fresh ingredients, why would anyone want to use MSG? It’s definitely a curse, and quite frankly it should be taken off the market.

2. How much, if any, do you use or recommend the use of MSG in any recipe?

Donna Bauck. I stay away from it as much as possible. There is no way of knowing if my customer base has sensitivity. Though I attempt to label any foods that I am aware of (just as you would for nuts,) I believe there is a growing population that does know if they are sensitive, [therefore] may steer away from foods labeled as such.

Robert Danhi. Don’t use in recipes.

Andrea Nguyen. I don’t suggest using MSG in any of my recipes. I’m more intrigued by what natural glutamates do in food, how they make food taste good.

Brian Nguyen. Most food products contain naturally occured Glutamic Acid. However, during the cooking process, most of Glutamic Acid is destroyed by heat from over cooking. The amount of putting the MSG back into food varies. However, it should be much less than 1% in finished products.

Florentina. I do not use MSG in my cooking and I would never recommend it in a recipe.

Jay Terauchi. None.

Corinne Trang. Zero.

3. Are there certain dishes that you feel will always need at least some MSG?

Donna Bauck. I do not believe I am in the position to answer this. I do not use it, though I am sure I have eaten it. I have never studied the effects of a recipe with or without MSG.

Robert Danhi. [No.]

Andrea Nguyen. Nope. Some Viet people say that pho is not pho without MSG but that’s just because there is rampant use of it in pho. They are used to the ‘sweet’ flavor that MSG lends. Using yellow rock sugar makes that happen in pho broth.

Brian Nguyen. As I mentioned above, MSG is a flavor enhancer not a flavor. Most cooked dishes require MSG since it has been destroy[ed] by heat.

Florentina. Absolutely not. With all the spices we have available to us today, there is no need for MSG at all.

Jay Terauchi. I don’t feel that but understand that most Asian dishes use it and that’s what people know it to taste like that.

Corinne Trang. No.

4. With respect to pho, is MSG (at any quantity) an important ingredient? What about any other broths/soup dishes?

Donna Bauck. Same answer as above. Additionally, though I have eaten pho, I could not answer from a cultural, or personal experience as to its importance.

Robert Danhi. Use lots of meat, enough fish sauce and long simmering to harness umami and no MSG is needed. [If you] can’t afford the meat and time, add some MSG and broth will taste better.

Andrea Nguyen. See response to #3 above.

Brian Nguyen. The most important ingredient in Pho or any dishes is not MSG. MSG is not a primary ingredient. It is a secondary ingredient. It is there to enhance not to act as a flavor.

Florentina. I don’t believe so. More people should try using sea salt and lots of aromatics to enhance the flavor of their meals.

Jay Terauchi. I think to give it the authentic flavor YES, otherwise I think it would lack the familiar flavor that people know.

Corinne Trang. MSG is not necessary in any food, including pho or other broths or soup dishes. Again my family has used [it] for sure, but I don’t see a good enough reason to add it to any of my meals.

5. The bottom line: would you enjoy a bowl of pho (homemade or restaurant) knowing that MSG was used?

Donna Bauck. Since I have eaten pho, in traditional settings I believe I can safely assume I have eaten it with MSG. Though, again, I believe the public needs additional education on MSG. It is one of those products that we hear (as example) may cause headaches if you are sensitive to it. No one I know wants to “risk” a headache… so though they may have eaten MSG prior, they may not know they have. Theoretically, I believe some people would shy away from a food product with this ingredient because of this.

Robert Danhi. Yes, I do here in USA and in Vietnam where most cooks use it… Sad, but they [can't] afford the pure meat/bone broth.

Andrea Nguyen. When I have pho in a restaurant, most likely there’s MSG in the broth. That’s fine and expected. What’s not fine is when there’s a ton of MSG in the broth. That’s just bad cooking.

Brian Nguyen. Whether homemade or restaurant made, MSG should be used sparingly.

Florentina. Yes I would, occasionally, but if I were given the choice between a bowl of pho made with MSG and one made without the use of MSG I would pick the latter.

Jay Terauchi. I understand that it’s traditional and enjoy the flavor from the stock of bones, etc.  If the broth only had flavor from seasonings such as MSG, then No. It’s a big selling point to Americans if you don’t use MSG.

Corinne Trang. I would. I did when I was in Vietnam. I have when enjoying pho in a NY City’s Chinatown, because when in the company of friends, you talk about other things besides MSG! At home when I make pho, or any Asian soups, I never use it.

My take on MSG.

So there you have it. Certainly learned a lot myself. My own personal view on MSG is more moderate than many people’s, and certainly more moderate than some of our culinary masters here. I myself do not get adverse effects after consuming moderate amounts of MSG, except for the normal thirstiness which comes with any sodium consumption anyway. I do agree that many food vendors overuse MSG and my level of enjoyment would drop like a brick; I don’t like salt water and it’s just a waste of my money actually. In any case I think the MSG controversy will continue on. What’s the bottom line? I think it is this:

• MSG is not banned simply because it is not necessarily bad for many of us, but we do have our own choice of what we consider a quality and healthy diet. Education and understanding are key.

I want to send many warm thanks to Donna Bauck, Robert Danhi, Andrea Nguyen, Brian Nguyen, Florentina, Jay Terauchi and Corrine Trang for participating in this roundtable discussion on MSG. You gave us valuable insights into this tough culinary subject.

Now let’s go eat some pho.

Oh and please take the MSG survey below.

Vietnamese Pho With No Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)? Sure You Want It That Way? is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 11-08-10. The first thing I do when served with a bowl of Vietnamese pho is to enjoy its fragrance steaming up out of the hot broth. The second thing I do is to take a sip of that broth to taste its goodness in its most unspoiled state. There are pho broths out there good enough for me not to have to enhance them with any sauces. Regardless of how good the broth is, though, I must have my squeeze of lime in my pho. To me the fresh tangy lemony flavor is an absolute must-have flavor in a bowl of pho bo, no exception. But this is where I have a problem with how lime and pho come together.

Take a look of the following pho photos gathered from around the Internet. You will find similar photos in many cookbooks and printed publications as well. What is common among these photos? Can you see a common no-no in all of them?

• Pho photo #1
• Pho photo #2
• Pho photo #3
• Pho photo #4
• Pho photo #5
• Pho photo #6
• Pho photo #7
• Pho photo #8
• Pho photo #9
• Pho photo #10
• Pho photo #11
• Pho photo #12
• Pho photo #13
• Pho photo #14
• Pho photo #15

Yes, it’s the piece of lime in the bowl, peel, sometime seeds and all!

OK it’s very simple:

1. You don’t want to cook the lime peel and seeds in the hot broth. Yuck!
2. Do I use my fingers to snatch out the piece of lime and squeeze it to get the lime juice? Double yuck!

This post is not about judging the validity of recipes, ideas, ingredients or viewpoints of pho writers and bloggers on the sites above. And I’m not poking fun at photographers taking liberty and creative license with their culinary works. I respect all of that. But this is all about accuracy of the presentation, and conveying the subject matter in the proper manner. If we want to share, educate and inform one another about Vietnamese Pho, then let’s do it right. Providing good, accurate presentation of what pho is, is a very big part of this sharing, educating and informing. Pho veterans will like it, and pho newbies will appreciate it. We as publishers have at least some responsibilities here, right?

The bottom line: creative photography or not, let’s serve the lime where it belongs: right on the side of the pho bowl.

Oh one more thing. Some of these photos show way too little amount of pho broth in the bowl. To properly serve a bowl of pho, you need to use plenty of broth to cook all ingredients within the bowl, and that means most everything must be submerged except for the garnishing for the finishing touch.

By the way, many pho zealots agree with me when it comes to the taste of lime in pho. Check this out, as of this writing, this LovingPho.com running poll indicates that lime is the top item to enhance your pho experience. If you haven’t done so, take the poll and share with us your preference.

Want the Lime Taste in Your Pho? Don’t Serve It Like This is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Bánh phở is the noodle used in the Vietnamese pho dish. Reader Eric left a request over at the other post “Pronunciation of Pho and Other Vietnamese Words and Phrases” inquiring about what to say when you want to order extra Bánh Phở noodles, or a side order of pho noodles. Eric says:

hi there- i’m wondering how to pronounce the following question about ordering extra rice noodles:
có thể tôi xin có bún thêm cho một đồng đô la phụ? Tôi rất đói.
the direct translation (from google translate) is:
can i please have extra rice noodles for an extra dollar? i’m very hungry.
thanks!

Hmm Google translation helps sometimes, but not in this case.

But first let’s get something straight. In my opinion, the best thing to do is to have bánh phở added to your bowl in the kitchen before they pour in the hot pho broth. Some may prefer a side bowl of just bánh phở at your table, but if you think about it, you’ll want everything in the bowl before the broth is poured in. This is because bánh phở needs to cook with the rest of the other pho ingredients in the bowl. Even if the pho noodles are blanched and then served in a separate side bowl at your table, you’ll have to immediately put it in your bowl. Otherwise if you leave it in the side bowl while enjoying the main portion first, the side noodles will continue to cook on the inside and get all lumped up and mushed together, and will become cold and dry on the outside, all while your broth is cooling in your bowl as well. Anyway if you must then you must, but I recommend extra bánh phở inside the bowl, not outside.

Note that Eric’s message implies that he wants certain quantity (a dollar’s worth) of pho noodles. As far as I know, most pho restaurants either charge one price for sides or none at all. So specifying a dollar amount’s worth of banh pho may not work well in most situations. Also there is absolutely nothing wrong with the “very hungry” part, but I’ll leave that part out of the audio files as well. If someone really must have the “I’m very hungry” then please leave a request in the comment, I’ll do it then.

As requested by Eric, below are 3 variations of ordering extra pho noodles when you’re in a restaurant. The variation between each phrase is very minimal, but the impact can be major. They range from more formal to casual ordering tones.

Pronounce: Ordering extra bánh phở noodles with your phở.

• More formal. Xin cho thêm bánh phở (Please add/give more banh pho noodles.) Southern accent once, then Northern accent twice.
• Neutral. Cho tôi thêm bánh phở (Add/give me more banh pho noodles.) Southern then Northern accent.
• Casual. Cho thêm bánh phở (Add/give more banh pho noodles.) Southern then Northern accent. 

Thanks for the question Eric!

So have you ordered anything extra with your pho? Take the poll below.

How to Order Extra Bánh Phở Noodles With Your Pho is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 10-27-10. Rant alert! Here’s the latest offender: Rachael Ray and the Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork and its pho recipe.

One of my reasons for creating this Vietnamese pho blog LovingPho.com is to help tell the real and authentic story of Vietnamese Pho to the blogosphere. I saw so much inaccurate renditions of pho online that I felt the need to present the noodle dish in a more correct fashion. I try to stay true to what pho is, and where I falter, I depend on the wiser others to help point me back to the facts. Pho itself is good enough to stand on its own so there’s no need to further embellish it.

The dish/program name itself, Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork, is enough to send chills up my spine. What’s really annoying to me is the casualness that these inaccuracies are presented by Rachael Ray and her program. Andrea Nguyen herself was distrurbed enough to write a commentary about it. You can follow the link to read her “How funky is Rachael Ray’s Phunky Pho?” Here are a few of her key points which I totally agree with:

• Pho is not Thai. It’s Vietnamese. Maybe they were thinking about Pad Thai? But that’s stir-fry. Anyway I don’t get it.
• Pork. Enough said for me. Pork really has no place in pho. It’s great in hủ tiếu though.
• Lack of fish sauce. It’s one of the key ingredients, can’t do without it.
• Angel hair pasta. Ugh, this is ugly! It should be bánh phở rice noodles. Maybe Ms. Ray tried to reach the widest audience possible, where there is no banh pho available?

The whole program leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Beside Andrea’s points above, here my other peeves:

• The show, and Rachael Ray herself, not showed total disrespect to Vietnamese (and Thai) foods, but also to their own audience’s intelligence, though I could be wrong here since there are 578 Facebook Likes for the recipe as of the date of this post. Amazing!
• In this 21st century global economy and awareness, there is still lack of knowledge and education in mass media production. What did it take to produce a Rachael Ray episode, how many people were involved in such production? I don’t care if the program was entertainment or educational, and we aren’t really talking about perfection here. However, a little accuracy on the basics would be nice.
• Makes me wonder how much other craps are out there… I know, I know. Dumb question.

According to Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, synonyms for funky include: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky (also kookie), offbeat, off-kilter, off-the-wall, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum [chiefly British], screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky (also whacky), way-out, weird, weirdo, wild. True.

So what do you think about this episode? Do you agree or not agree with points discussed above? Please take the poll or leave a comment.

An Injustice to Pho: Rachael Ray’s “Phunky BBQ Pho with Pork” Recipe is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 10-15-10. We all have our own reasons why we like Vietnamese pho, and we have our own reasons to keep coming back to our favorite pho restaurant(s.) The reasons we like our pho restaurants can be as varied as pho recipes themselves, but when one boils it all down (no pun intended) to the pho essentials, there are really a finite number of reasons why a pho restaurant deserve your business and my business. Here’s my take on what makes a great pho restaurant. You are welcome and definitely encouraged to add your own take in the comments section.

Please be aware that, though I’d like to think of myself as a fair person, I realize that each of us do have our own certain personal preferences and biases. Our preferences may be directly or indirectly influenced by other factors such as where we live, where we come from, what we believe in, and sometime our own economic situation of course. Who says pho is not a religion? Maybe not yet, but the critical mass is already swelling. We can all feel it.

So with the prelude out of the way, let’s look at a couple of recent polls running on LovingPho.com. You are welcome to take them if you haven’t done so. Click “Vote” under the results to take a poll and add your voice among other pho zealots (thanks Andrea Nguyen for the term) and tell us what a great pho restaurant means to you. Why these two questions? Well the first poll, “How important is authentic/good pho to you?,” is repeated here just to set the stage for the fact that, despite my own expectation (and maybe yours too,) there are almost 1/4 of the people who took the poll (20% + 4% saying good pho is subjective or not important) feel that it’s ok to have less than authentic/good pho.

The second poll, “Your perfect pho restaurant?,” is really where the meat is (again no pun intended.) Here it is.

Go ahead, take the polls if you haven’t done so.

OK so let’s pick them apart. The results discussed below are based on poll results as of September 28, 2010. It is expected that the general trend of the results will continue. I’ll continue to track and make updates as needed.

More than 50% say great quality and fresh garnish are the most important pho restaurant attributes.

• Great Pho Quality. Eighty eight percent (88%) say great quality is important. While it is obvious that quality is of course important, it is not 100%! This attribute is a tough one to judge for many non-Viet, but actually it’s pretty easy. Quality is like beauty, it’s in the eye, or the mouth in this case, of the beholder. Alright I’ll just rephrase it; Pho quality is in the mouth of the slurper. We all have our own measuring stick when it comes to pho quality, but even for non-Viet diners it’s pretty safe to say that as a group we all know what pho quality means. It’s what makes us keep coming back for more.
• Fresh Pho Garnish. Sixty two percent (62%) say fresh garnish is important. Well of course! It’s what pho is all about. But the flip side again is interesting too. Thirty eight percent (38%) say they don’t care much about fresh garnish. Wow this really opens my eyes. My theory? Well assuming if one likes to have the garnish, then it has to be fresh; who wants stale garnish right? So one plausible explanation is, pho is so good in itself, many non-Viet diners don’t need/don’t want/can’t stand the garnish or care about the freshness of it. I would expect a very small number of Viet diners do not like fresh garnish so these folks do not contribute to the results.

Cleanliness is an important pho restaurant attribute, but it’s not necessarily what it seems.

• Pho Restaurant Cleanliness. Forty seven percent (47%) say pho restaurant cleanliness is important. I’m sure this applies to any other restaurants as well, but again what’s happening with 53% who say it is not important? Is our expectation that low, or do we actually get used to a “typical” pho or Vietnamese restaurant look and feel? It is what it is? I do know one thing: if the quality is great, cleanliness will always be secondary. For those who never had pho at a street stall on the streets of Saigon or Hanoi, you are missing the total pho experience. And you know what? I totally appreciate people taking time out to participate in this poll, but I now have a lot more respect for the pho zealots who voted quality above cleanliness. Keep on slurping.

Large portions, good service, and low price: restaurant attributes that can be important, or not.

• Large Pho Portion and Low Pho Price. Thirty two percent (32%) and 36% say large portion and low (or affordable) price, respectively, are important. These two certainly go hand in hand because having one normally means having the other as well. What does this really mean? To me it means that, as Vietnamese food is already very affordable in the U.S., when you have the goodness of the all-in-one-meal Vietnamese pho, it is a great deal all around and very hard to beat.
• Good Service. Likewise, 32% say good service is important. This is a non-pho attribute so I think it’s the reason why only a third says it’s important in this context. Let’s face it, a typical pho restaurant is not necessarily a fancy date destination, so you don’t expect much in the service department. The other 68% just say: “Let me have number 2 please, and a glass of water. That’s all I want.” See this poll below about pairing beverages with pho.

Other Viet foods, Viet music and large Viet clientele are not key pho restaurant attributes.

• Other Viet Foods, Viet Music and Large Viet clientele. At the low end of the important attributes spectrum are variety of Viet dishes (12%,) Viet music (4%,) large Viet clientele (21%) all of which to me have to do with the environment or ambiance. This is a pho poll so of course we don’t care much for other Viet dishes. We just want our pho! On the other hand, for those who took this poll, my interpretation here is that Vietnamese pho is reaching a point where the customers, I surmise to say, are knowledgeable and understand the dish enough to care a lot more about the pho they eat and not much else. That’s the way it should be in my opinion. Out of my own curiosity I included these non-pho attributes in the poll, and you are essentially saying: “Just give me good pho any day!” I’m with you on that.

So how am I doing “profiling” a pho zealot? And how do you see yourself among the pho faithful? If you’re thinking about opening your own pho restaurant, I hope you take note. The LovingPho Restaurant will definitely have all the important attributes, but I assure you it will be clean too.

What Makes a Great Pho Restaurant? is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 05-18-11. OK let’s get back to the basics. Here’s a primer for those new to Vietnamese pho. For the pho connoisseurs, please share your views and experience, or check out other posts at the end of this article.

When it comes to pho, a Vietnamese would have the distinct advantage of knowing how to enjoy the noodle dish. Regardless of whether he or she grew up in the homeland or in an immigrant household overseas, he or she would have a mother or a grandmother who made this heart-filling noodle soup for breakfast each day, cooked using snippets of a recipe and with memories of how it is done in their own mother’s kitchen. Or at the very least, he or she would have a mother who would herd the family to a restaurant every so often whenever they feel the urge. Eating pho is natural to a Vietnamese.

A non-Vietnamese will not have the same experience. Aside from having to deal with the chopsticks, pho will always look and smell foreign to anyone who did not grow up eating it. When faced with a steaming bowl of this noodle, and especially if it is your first time to sample the national dish of Vietnam, you may have a challenge on your hand. Here are some tips.

Simple Process of Enjoying Pho

If you find yourself in a pho shop for the first time, it’s likely that a Vietnamese friend or a friend who knows this dish has invited you. But in the event that you are a real brave soul and decide to go try by yourself, figuring out how to eat pho can be a dilemma.

Thankfully, eating pho is not like eating Western food or even Japanese food. There is no unspoken etiquette that must be observed. This dish is meant to be enjoyed with some noise and a lot of slurping is just fine. So here’s the process in a nutshell.

The best way to attack a steaming bowl of pho is to have chopsticks in one hand and a soupspoon in the other. Take in a little broth with your spoon, slurp in some to get a taste of it. Follow it up with the rice noodles using your chopsticks. Then select pieces of ingredients from the bowl and enjoy them individually or together with the broth and noodle. Easy. But there’s more.

Taking in the Aroma

Of course, before you start eating pho, you cannot miss noticing the aroma created by the piping-hot broth. Most of the time, just taking in the rich aroma of beef stock simmered for a really long time with spices, roasted onion and roasted ginger thrown in is enough to whet the appetite. It also helps you appreciate this poetry in a bowl even more.

The fragrance of the broth is also a good indicator of its quality. Just one sniff will tell you if the spices are balanced in making the soup, if the broth is too salty, if there is monosodium glutamate sprinkled in it, or if the beef stock itself is poorly made. Remember that the soul of pho is in the broth. So enjoying the scent is definitely an important part of the dining ritual.

What to Do With the Garnishing

When you are served southern style Vietnamese pho, you will always be provided with a plate of garnishing. This plate would typically contain bean sprouts, culantro, Thai basil, sliced chili and lime wedges. Also you will have hoisin sauce and hot chili sauce available at the table.

Is there a specific order by which you should place these herbs in your bowl of pho? The answer to this is no. With the garnishing, you can think of it as finding the best combination that will fit your taste. Each individual garnish contributes its own distinct smell and taste to an already good bowl of pho. You do not want to dump all the garnishing into the bowl at the same time. Rather, just try a few at a time to get your preferred mix. More importantly, give the ingredients several chances (on different visits) and you’ll appreciate their roles in this noodle dish.

Here are a few tips on consuming the ingredients:

• Bean sprouts are put in raw for the crunchy factor. Add a little at a time to maintain the crunchiness as you eat, or add them all while the broth is hot to cook them. The downside here is it takes heat to cook your sprouts, and as a result your broth will cool before you finish your bowl of pho. This is why many people request blanched sprouts.
• Dipping the sliced chili in the hot broth releases the oil and makes the broth taste spicier. You can keep them in if you dare. Many do. But really, about half of the jalapenos are not all that hot. I prefer the smaller but hotter Thai peppers or similar varieties.
• Lime juice adds tartness to the broth, which is good if the broth tastes bland, too salty, or too sweet for you. The saltiness and tartness together provide a delicious combination that many people love – I’m one of them. I can do without the other things, but lime I must have.
• The herb leaves are stripped from the stems and can be shredded to bits by hand before they are placed in the bowl. For the best aroma and taste, don’t drop them all in at the same time in the beginning. I tear the leaves in smaller pieces, and add them as I go to maintain freshest and uncooked flavor. Even down to my last few chopstickfuls of noodle, I’m still dropping in some fresh bits of basil and culantro. The fragrance is incredible.

Eating pho is always an adventure, even for those who have had it all their lives. For first-time diners, the key is to relax and enjoy. You’ll find your own pho in no time.

How to Eat Pho and Finding Your Own Pho – A Primer For First-Time Diners is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 03-22-11. By now you probably know how passionate I am about my beloved Vietnamese phở. With everything that’s going on in the pho industry, if you can call it that, from pho franchises to “new” forms of pho (seafood, pork, etc. – I’m shuddering brrr…) to pho shops owned by non-Viet restaurateurs, I have a serious concern for where the authentic pho as we know it may be heading – at least the version I know I like. Who cares, you say? Well I know there are many who care, or should care.

Of course “authentic pho” itself is debatable, so let’s talk about influences.

Vietnamese Pho: Chinese and French Influences

Vietnam was under Chinese rule for about 1000 years, then another 100 years under the French after that, so one can make up his/her own mind about who gave what and how much influence to the Vietnamese. Pho is no exception.

If you haven’t done so, I invite you to read the following articles:

• The History and Evolution of Pho: A Hundred Years’ Journey
• Pho in the U.S.: Sweeping North America Since 1975

Those who know Vietnam know the fact that Viet culture definitely have Chinese and French influences. French was the second language in the country even past the Vietnam war in 1975, after the French were long gone and large number of Americans were there since the early 60s. After 1975 and throughout the subsequent communist Soviet Union influence on the country, Russian was becoming the predominant second language in many schools. However, French influence remained a part of Vietnamese life right through the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Many people fail to realize how strong the Viet-French tie has been and will ever will be. Even in the 10 or so years following 1975 when the Communist government in Vietnam closed up the country, it was the Europeans and specifically the French who came back to Vietnam first to open diplomatic relations. Despite historical genesis, the French love Viet people and vice versa. Not surprisingly, one of the leading culinary experts in Viet cuisine is a French named Didier Corlou! The Communist Vietnamese took credit for kicking out the French in 1954, but they won’t admit that in post-1975 Vietnam depended even more on the French and was glad they came back as they did. It actually opened up the country again to Western investments, trades, education, and other good things. It wasn’t until around 2005 when President Clinton normalized U.S.-Vietnamese relations that English was moved up as the language of choice for international and business communication. Yet that French influence (and Chinese, obviously) remains indisputable far into the future.

One thing for sure though, Viet people (especially the commoners) adopted foreign words and added our own accents to make it “look” and “sound” right for Viet conversational use. The “ph” in “phở” is pronounced exactly as an “f” in French, since there is no letter f in the modern Viet alphabet. And I want to stress that there is no “p” sound in “phở” either. Read more on the History of Pho.

Vietnamese Pho: American Influences

Here are a couple of things that happened after 1975 and is happening now. One, pho is now popular around the world due to the millions of Viet refugees who left the country since 1975. Without this key group of people I doubt if pho would have received much attention at all aside from a few tourists and foreigners adventurous enough to try out a bowl of pho when visiting Vietnam. Two, with such large Viet communities in the U.S. and more and more Americans searching out for pho everyday as the new comfort food, pho itself is being influenced by Americans, American taste, American way of life, and the American marketplace as we speak.

So how is pho being changed? Here are a few ways:

• The viral pho reason. As second, third and subsequent Vietnamese-American generations spread outside of the Vietnamese enclaves around North America, more and more Americans who consider themselves ”meat-and-potatoes” kind of diners will be exposed to pho and will add pho to their list of preferred Asian foods. Sodexo even listed pho as the number 3 food trend on U.S. college campuses for 2010. But guess what? Pho will need to change to the new palates, not the other way around, if the restaurants are to survive in areas outside of the Viet communities.
• The variety pho reason. Once Americans like something, they will demand choices, and there will be restaurateurs who will oblige. Already we’ve seen pho choices that a Vietnamese would not see or order in a more authentic Vietnamese restaurant. I’m talking about pho varieties with seafoods, pork, fish and other non-traditional ingredients. Again when the clientele demands, the restaurateurs will provide. On top of this, when the competition heats up, what does a creative chef or restaurateur do? Of course, he/she creates new variations  of pho to stay competitive.
• The healthy pho reason. Pho itself is probably already more healthy than the typical American foods. With millions of Americans actively searching for healthier diet choices, many already found what they need in Vietnamese foods. The trend will be even more creative and non-traditional pho to be offered by restaurateurs in the forms of vegetarian, tofu, and other non-red meat ingredients.
• The alternate ingredients reason. Let’s face it, when a Vietnamese restaurant owner ventures outside of the Viet community, fresh ingredients will become harder to acquire locally. The net result will be more expensive pho, or pho without the right ingredients. While this maybe a small issue for some, it can and will contribute to the creation of pho fusion, as the local new clientele may not be able to tell the difference.
• The parallel tracks reason. Since 1975, there are multiple versions of pho that continue to develop around the world. It’s hard enough to track the changing pho in Vietnam. It used to be Pho Bac for the north Vietnam region, and the more elaborate pho version for the south. Now with franchises like Pho 24 and Pho Hoa popping up around world, you’d have pho for the mass. It’s not easy to put your finger on it, and it’ll be interesting to see how all this will transpire.

So there you have it. Pho is changing. Regardless of if you’re for or against it, or maybe don’t even care, you can’t stop it. The only thing you and I can do is to help control it through our own pocketbooks. I know we have urges to try something new all the time, but I also know I need to give my continued business to good authentic pho restaurants who go out of their ways to do it right. It doesn’t have to be prepared in traditional way necessarily, but it has to taste the way it should be. There are real and important reasons to patronize good pho restaurants, because if they go away, you’ll never know what you’ll get in their places.

Please take this poll on the subject.

Pho Is Changing – Chinese, French and Now American Influences is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

I don’t write much pho reviews these days, but I can’t help but write this one on Phở Lú. It’s a funny name, but the pho is near heaven. We all have our own ways of describing our best pho experiences, and here is my own example of great and authentic pho.

Many well known pho chef and Viet culinary experts have said, I agree with them: It’s all in the pho broth.

So it happened at Pho Lu. A whiff of the bowl placed in front of me almost knocked me off my chair. It wasn’t bad, no, it was strangely yet familiarly great! I instantly knew that I was going to enjoy this. In fact I sat and stared at it for 5-10 seconds (I don’t remember.) So what’s the big deal? People eat great pho everyday. Well you can read many online reviews of pho at Pho Lu, but for me, the fragrance that entered my nostrils instantly brought back life I had in Saigon. No not recently, not even at Pho Hoa Pasteur that I raved much about recently. No it was my childhood. Pho as I remember it in Saigon before 1975!

My intuition told me I needed to pick up the spoon and try the broth immediately. All I can say is: it is what pho broth should be. So then on this rare occasion, I finished this huge bowl of pho without adding the hoisin sauce for pho and the red hot sauce. No I didn’t forget. I just didn’t need them. I normally only do this for authentic Pho Bac, the northern kind.

Here’s what I had and my ratings:

November 9, 2009
Pho tai, chin, sach (beef: rare, well-done brisket, tripe,) large size, and cà-phê sữa đá (iced coffee with condensed milk.)

Pho noodle: (5/5)
Soup stock: (5/5)
Meats: (5/5)
Garnishes*: (5/5) freshness
Garnishes: (5/5) extra points for fresh ngo gai
Price: (-1) for small extra charge for rare beef on the side
Extra points: (5/5) for clean dining area, very comfortable ambience, authentically friendly service
Total points: 29/35
* No points for expected garnishes of sprouts, Thai basil, lime and chiles.
For further explanation of my rating system, see the post “The Importance of Garnishes for Pho.”

Phở Lú
10141 Westminster Ave, Ste 5
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 539-7979

Phở Lú as seen from Westminster Ave. – just across from Pho Vie II!

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The coffee was great by the way. And as long as we’re talking great pho and great pho restaurant, why not take this poll and tell us your opinions if you haven’t already done so. Thanks!

What Is Great and Authentic Pho? Here’s One Example is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles