I have a nice front porch, with a commanding view of majestic East Johnson Street. It would be an appropriate setting for a peace summit between Presidents Bush and Hussein of the United States of America and Iraq, respectively.
How would I be able to pull it off? All I would really have to do is offer George and Saddam some really good food and I'm sure they wouldn't turn me down.
Well, OK, maybe they both have really busy schedules and perhaps they don't know me well enough to be cool with hanging at my place.
Still, in a perfect world, the three of us would sit down on my shoddy lawn furniture, enjoy each other's company and have a nice meal at my apartment. Who knows what would happen next? Maybe Saddam wouldn't mind those pesky U. N. inspectors after all, and George might just call off a few air strikes.
I happen to know just the place to cater such an event. It's called Viet Foods To Go, and the food is terrific.
Even if you have no opinion on the impending doom in the Middle East, you could probably benefit from some good food, just like our pals Saddam and Dubya. I'm guessing that many of you enjoy the convenience of calling up one of the pizza places that was thoughtful enough to give you a kitchen magnet, but sausage and onions just isn't turning your crank anymore.
Vietnamese probably isn't your first choice for an alternative to 'za, but it should be. While Vietnam's chaotic political history has left the country searching for a democratic identity, the Vietnamese are proud of their rich culinary history.
Borrowing from both traditional southeast Asia as well as modern Europe (Spain and France both had colonial interests here until the mid-'50s), the Vietnamese feel they have the best of both worlds.
I happen to agree. It is not the Americanized, chop suey-and-fortune cookie boredom that most Chinese restaurants offer; nor is it the schizophrenic, bowel-churning spiciness of Thai food. Rather, Vietnamese food is very simple, utilizing a few spices and allowing the flavors and textures of various dishes to stand out on their own.
The traditional Vietnamese favorite, Pho (pronounced fuh), as presented by Viet Foods to Go, highlights this less-is-more philosophy. Centered around a simple, chicken-based broth seasoned with green onions, parsley and lemon, the noodle soup is outstanding.
The broth, with lightly cooked chicken and a couple of crunchy pork wontons, comes separate from the noodles, which are a happy medium between moist pasta and dry rice. This lets you decide whether you want the soup to be more noodle-y or broth-y. I added a lot of broth, and the sweet fragrance of the base complemented the noodles well.
Equally worthwhile are the Viet egg rolls, which feature ground pork and cabbage, seasoned with onions, and wrapped in Menlo paper. The special wrapping makes the difference, as it doesn't get too crispy and doesn't dry out the stuffing while frying.
Vegetarians needn't fret, as Viet Foods offers several meatless and seafood items. I particularly enjoyed the Lemon Grass Tofu, which sticks to the same simple style of the other items. The tofu was cooked flawlessly (delicate in texture yet still hearty), and the sweet sauce didn't overwhelm the veggies, which were: onions, carrots, green onions, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.
If I did have an East Johnson Peace Summit, I might not offer George and Saddam the Governor Beef. While the sauce was terrific (an earthy aroma followed by a sweet aftertaste and highlighted with peanuts and red chili powder), the beef was low-grade and gristly.
I would not hesitate to highlight George and Saddam's meal with Viet Food's amazing desert, Orange Cake. Coconut milk paste and sweet fried dough combine in simple, delicious harmony.
I'm sure words would fail the mighty men after such a great meal. That's cool though, 'cause I wouldn't mind if we just sat back on the porch and watched cars go by.
If only politics were as simple and good as Vietnamese cooking.
