Sunday, June 05, 2005

Banh mi on my mind...

I get to go home tomorrow!!!! I can't wait to get back to eating healthful, real food rather than this lame-o pseudo-cafeteria processed food, overladen with cheap oils and tasteless, over-greased vegetables!

The last two days were SO much better than the first day and a half. I met some very cool people and found out about some cutting edge technology that I would absolutely love to incorporate into my work. That's always exciting. So, I guess I still have some scientific fire left in me after all!

But I am SOOOOOO ready to go home. What I would give for one of these right now!!
huong lan2

These banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches from my favorite shop in the South Bay, Huong Lan. I've told you about banh mi before, so I won't go into the details here except to say that I really, really love the fresh, crusty bread and the wonderful crunch and flavors of the pickled vegetables. I usually get the fried fishcake sandwich from Huong Lan, which has a contrasting softness to the crunch of the bread and the vegetables. Very simple - and it is this simplicity that I (and my stomach) appreciate so much.

huong lan1
On my flight back to CA tomorrow, I'll write about my lovely Saturday evening escape with my sister and her husband in NYC. Just to give you a sneak preview, I had two desserts from two different eateries! And I have a box of yummy macaroons to bring back with me to CA for tea time with Anne and the Papa!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of the huge advantages the Banh Mi has over mainstream sandwich shops is their price. The Banh Mi behemoth of the Bay Area is Lee's Sandwich because of their stores, since they've franchised out; thus, their prices are a bit higher. I asked the Huong Lan guy whether they're still keeping it in the family and he said that's the only way to keep their prices down - theirs go for $1.75 to $2.00 per sandwich.

I'll get the tea ready 'n waitin' for the Baby's treats. I'll have first dib, Anne. :)

Uchipu said...

$1.75 Canadian beats it all!

I can't wait to go to Co-Yen!

Anonymous said...

The best shops are often the mom-n-pop ones. Co Yen sounds like one; the owner's name is probably "Yen" (Yến - pronounced something like "eee en" but very quickly and with rising tone).

You're right! Can't beat $1.75 Canadian. :) I'm very much looking forward to the "showdown'.