Da Bes' Dere Is: Pho Edition

We have family sayings that fit situations like shorthand. When we exclaim, “Mais. How it know?”, which is the punchline for a joke about a t’ermos bottle, we know exactly what that means. A while back Harris had a guy in his technical class and during a break the discussion turned to favorite boiled crawfish restaurants. He was from Ville Platte and declared his hometown fave, “Bruh. It’s da bes’ dere is!” We tried it and it was good, no doubt. But for us, Hawks, is, was and will always be, “Dah Bes’ Dere Is!” And boiled crawfish is a serious thing, so we know that everybody has their favorite and so be it! We applaud all.

And so the phrase has become our blue ribbon nod to all things great. Not just good, but dang! Da Bes’ Dere Is. And for us the Vietnamese dish, pho, fits that hurrah for many reasons:

Pho

We’re both just getting over the flu. So are too many in Louisiana—as of this writing we’ve been hit worse than just about any other state. Pho is what chicken soup could only dream of being. (And yes, that’s just our opinion; we love chicken soup, too.) The clear, deeply nourishing bone broth is just the thing to fight the flu or a cold or whatever ails you. The aroma of the sweet and savory spices lift the most lagging of appetites. The fresh herbs bring spring and summer to the party. So good. So very, very good.

You can feel good about a restaurant outing featuring pho. For less than $10 you have a satisfying meal that’s fun and you don’t get down about what you’ve had. When you just can’t contemplate cooking one night, a quick trip to a local pho restaurant is dining out’s best all around bargain. You can go low carb, too, just ask for “light on the noodles.”

Louisiana has a melange of cultures that bring us the legendary dishes of our state, and Vietnamese Americans have become a treasured part of our diversity. The Gulf and our ingredients and weather are so similar to that of coastal Vietnam that it’s no wonder that people of Vietnamese heritage feel right at home here.

Harris and I have both made pho at home. It’s not difficult, but it does take hours. At least a football game’s time. And really. For the modest price, it’s totally worth going out for.

Where’s your favorite pho found? We love Saigon Noodles in Lafayette. What are some of your family sayings and what do they mean? Let us know in the comments below. Be well. Take care of yourselves. Hope the flu doesn’t get you down, but if you should get in its way, have a bowl of pho!