What the Pho?

Lucky me. This is what I had in front of me at

about 1:15 today. A bowlful of soul. A Vietnamese

dish called "pho", pronounced "fuh".

A rich, light-colored beef broth flavored with

charred onions and ginger, star anise,

cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, cloves,

and cardamon. In the kitchen,

they place a heap of cooked, warm

rice noodles in the bowl with

thinly sliced raw beef, beef navel which is

fatty meat from the brisket,

and shreds of cooked beef tripe. Wait,

it gets better! They then ladle piping hot broth

over the contents of the bowl to cook

the raw beef and warm everything else.

That is served with a dish on the side

piled with bean sprouts, a bunch of fresh thai basil,

jalapeno slices,scallions, and a lime wedge.

The idea is to add the sprouts, scallions,

hand-tear the basil leaves (all of them), squeeze the lime,

and throw the jalapeno slices in for good measure.

However, the actual heat of the dish

comes from the array of chile sauces on the table.

After a couple of spoons of the chile of your choice

you're ready to stir together and dig in.

Chopsticks do the trick for me, preventing me from

eating too fast. A spoon is also on the table, but if broth

is required, just lift up the bowl and slurp. My mouth

is watering again! This meal sticks with me for hours;

beside a small amount of fat from the

navel, it's quite a lean dish, but it satisfies

like no other bowl of noodles.

My back patio today at around 3:00. Okay,

the thermometer is in the direct sunlight,

but you get the picture. It was gorgeous

today and looks to be for the next several days.

We will ski in Vermont this weekend for the

last time this winter. Sunscreen will be mandatory.

There's that bottom paint smell again...you smell it?