Tuesday, May 17, 2005

What I crave right now

I've had a very, very, very busy day so far. This hasn't exactly been my best week so far! I'm longing for a bit of comfort right about now, but unfortunately, living in the epicurean desert that is the Tri-Valley area, I don't have a whole lot of options... I'm taking a quick breather between writing and reading, but as soon as I finish fantasizing about what I wish I were eating, I've got to get back to work...

My fantasy right now? One of these:
phoY-2

Not just any bowl, but one with chewy noodles like this:
phoY-1

And the meats... don't forget the meats...
phoY-3

I've always had a weakness for soupy noodles, ever since I was a little girl. I loved udon, soba, ramen, and all sorts of noodles in soup. One of the best treats on a weekend morning was - as scary as this sounds - Cup-a-noodles. Japanese Cup-a-noodles are nothing like the "just add water" variety in US grocery stores - they have multiple packets of soups, powder, and freeze-dried vegetables, and they come in bowls big enough to be called "Bowl-a-noodles" And the noodles! The noodles are SOOOO good, you wouldn't believe that it came from a plastic bowl if I were to take it out and replate it in a real bowl. Almost every weekend from 2nd grade to 6th grade or so, I would look SO forward to getting up and making myself a bowl of instant noodles while I watched the cartoons. There was one I particularly liked with a buddhist myth-theme (as wacky as that sounds), where they would chant mantras to attack evil. I don't remember much about it besides that I found the combination of that Buddhist Cartoon and my bowl of noodles was the definition of a weekend for me.

I'm surprised all the MSG didn't kill me, but I will say this - my sister never ate much of the instant stuff and has practically no allergies. I, on the other hand, have a respiratory system that seem to be allergic to everything under the sun. As they say, kids raised on pre-packages/instant foods - their immune systems are just not the same...

But knowing what I know now, would I still eat my Bowl-a-noodles with my Buddhist cartoon? Yeh, probably! Do I eat the stuff now? Yup, occasionally! I've learned moderation is the key to enjoying all sorts of goodness (and badness) in life...


Pho Y
1660 E. Capitol Expwy.
San Jose, CA 95121
408-274-1769

(although I really prefer one from Pho Ao Sen...)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

omg..I too LOVE soupy noodles. it is perhaps, my favorite kind of dish! pho is definetly up there, but i think that bun bo hue is something i can eat more often than pho.

i used to eat cup-o-noodles every morning when i spent the night with my cousins at my grandma's house. we'd always put ketchup or buffalo wings hot sauce in the nooodles...DAMN that is delicious!!

Uchipu said...

David has taken over that Bubi. He eats "Yakisoba Bago-n", any instant Bowl-a-Noodles that is Hakata Style.

He prefers Ika Yakisoba over UFO Yakisoba.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you about Phở Ao Sen. Phở Ý is a bit too "aggressive" with the flavors, but it's good, nevertheless.

We should go across the street from Phở Ý next time to check out Phở Number 1. I heard that it's also very good.

anne said...

Mmm...pho! I usually go to Oakland for mine, mainly because I think I am a tad too lazy to find a place in SF, although I'm sure there are lots. It's hard to choose the different meats - my favorites are beef balls and tendon.
Speaking of soupy noodles - I've become a huge fan of hot soba after my trip to Japan. I tried to make it once though and my soup tasted funny. I bought one of those dashi packet things but I might have prepared it wrong because I don't read Japanese...:(

Alice said...

Christine,

I'm still looking for the number one Bun Bo Hue recommendation from the Papa, but I'll definitely blog about it when I find it! Stay tuned!

Uchi pu,

My favorite is Ippei-chan Yakisoba. It's got a "Yonaki" theme to the top, and it always reminds me of Ucha. Natsukashiiiiiiii ne!

Papa,

Beef Noodle #1 - it's the next entry!

Starchmouse,

Hot soba! Yum!! That must've been in Eastern Japan! My understanding of the soba soup is in the mirin... A mixture of mirin and sake, along side soy sauce and dashi - does that sound familiar?