Banh Mi....

it started in 1857. the french came and colonized Vietnam. my birthplace. there will be many more blogs to come regarding this dynamic relationship, so hold on till then.

this blog is just about banh mi. its the Vietnamese word for bread. but I'm not talking about just a regular piece of bread. I'm referring to this term as a sandwich. one of my favorite ways of eating bread, meat and spread. with the french influence this sandwich starts on a fresh roll baguette. cut and toasted, spread of pate on one side and freshly made butter (egg and oil) on the other. and that's pretty much all the french gets credit for. next comes the meats, made from pork a form a meatloaf or cold cuts what ever way you say it. its our Bologna or salami. its placed on top of the pate spread. then cilantro, slices of fresh chili to give it heat. pickled white radish &carrots to give it a tang and bite and if you're lucky some places put paper thin slices of onions that have also been soaked in vinegar. then a dash of nice soy sauce. and there you have a banh mi bale (bale being Paris since there is the whole pate and bread credits) but that is what you can order, its known now as the dac biet which is the special that has all the goods as described on it. its simply good.

i grew up on these sandwiches, i remember going to chinese school every weekend and my father would stop off to pick me up something to eat before my 4 hours of schooling in a language *Mandarin that would never stick to my tongue. nonetheless i loved getting these sandwiches for 4 years i knew what i was getting for lunch and i had no problem with it. although each weekend i tried new sandwich fixings. there was tit nuoung *grilled pork or garoti *rotisserie chicken all with the same preparation of pickled goods and the soft toasted baguette.

this blog was inspired because i was brought some "fast food" Vietnamese banh mi from Texas today. on a flight direct from Dallas to Pittsburgh in a box was a few Lee's Sandwiches.. this is the Vietnamese version of subway with great coffee instead of soda *pop. the fixings on the side of course to keep the meat dry and for better preservation of the bread. and after i toasted up the bread and meat adding the cold pickled carrots, onions, white radishes it was just yummy all around. reminded me of Los Angeles and the ease of driving up to a Lee's and getting one of these sandwiches for 3.50 and be filled for a few hours. I've tried many sandwiches of different sorts from various cultures and i must say for certain that this type is my favorite.. i think the runner up is still funny as it has a french background as well.. Le croque madam. i may be a little leaning towards the french Asian culinary side in this blog but I'm pretty sure there will be more about the love affair i have with Italian food and the best friend of Mexican food...

eat extraordinary everyday.