We had a take-out lunch from Pho Nom Nom, a Vietnamese restaurant in Rockville, MD.
It was our first visit to the place. We got Pho with Chin (well-done brisket) and Nam (well-done flank) for me and Pho Ga (chicken) for J.
Those Pho were nice. With my little experiences on Pho, at least I could say it wasn't the best but I didn't find any problems. Just another Pho for me. And we also brought two kinds of Banh Mi, Vietnamese sandwiches. One was sweet roasted pork; the other was shredded pork and pork skin.
I really don't have experience on Banh Mi. I thought the bread was plain and dry but maybe that was traditional. Sweet roasted pork and shredded pork and pork skin didn't much differ from each other. Both were sweet pork. These Asian-flavored sandwiches were ok. A nice change from usual American sandwiches, I guess. After this meal, I learned a little bit about Banh Mi. According to wiki, Banh Mi is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread and these baguette type was introduced by the French during its colonial period. And those sandwiches, a combination of French bread and Vietnamese ingredients such as cilantro, pickled carrots, and fish sauce seasoning, were born from the colonial background. I didn't expect such a West-meets-East history behind the sandwiches. How interesting! I was glad we bought not only Pho but also Banh Mi that gave me a chance to educate myself. But it wasn't wise of me to eat both sandwiches and pho at once. I seriously suffered from the fullness all the rest of the day.
