Bánh mì & Phở

I fucking love phở. Since I was introduced to it a few years ago it has been one of my favorite meals, and the phở in the Tampa Bay area is among the best I have had. One of the Vietnamese meals I have really wanted to try has been bánh mì, but most of the restaurants I have frequented were just noodle places. Bánh mì is a very rare dish for East Asia because it is a sandwich in a land where bread could never get a foothold against rice, but then the French invaded and brought with them baguettes. So a bunch of Vietnamese flavors, meat most people would throw away, and a toasted baguette – I'm all over it. Also, I get to make Tom eat meat products he finds repulsive, so there is added pleasure to be found there.



At the Siagon Deli we had our choice of four bánh mì meats: meatball, shredded pork skin, grilled meat (I think beef), or head cheese and pâté. They are served on a toasted baguette with a little mayonnaise, diakons, carrots, jalapeños, and a bunch of cilantro. I went with the head cheese and pâté which was phenomenal. Spicy and sweet and crunchy with soft and savory meat... I want another right now. It makes me very sad I hadn't been eating them when I used to live in the area. I also couldn't resist getting a giant bowl of phở while I was there as well, despite how much I knew my stomach would hate me for stuffing it so.