Pho'

Pho' (pronounced like fur, without the r curl) to the Vietnamese is what hamburger is to Americans. It's their national food.

It's beef noodle soup and it's sold just about everywhere. Vietnamese eat it at anytime of the day - breakfast, lunch and dinner. The beef can be rare, medium rare or well-cooked. You can also have chicken instead of beef.

Some people like to squeeze some lime into the soup to give a little tangy taste. I noticed that in south Vietnam, they give you bean sprouts to put in the soup but not in the north. You can get Pho' at almost any Vietnamese restaurant in the US.

Above is a picture of 2 bowls of Pho'. Also, you see President Clinton eating at the Pho 2000 restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Another picture is that of Pho 10, which is around the corner from Camellia Hotel where I stayed in Hanoi. Notice all the motorcycles in front of the restaurant.

Anthony Bourdain raved about Pho' in Hanoi in his new book. The difference is in the broth. They put different parts of the cow and cook the broth for a long time. That's what makes the broth so tasty.

On the street, it costs 20,000 VND (Vietnamese dongs), about US$1. In a restaurant, it probably costs double that.