Writer's Block

Ah, Pho

I've been covering the night shift this week, and fighting off a head cold, so I really needed something more than the leftovers I'd stashed in the office fridge when dinnertime rolled around tonight. I headed up the hill to A Saigon Cafe for a hit of awesome beef noodle soup.

It came assembly required. Back at my desk, I unpacked the small Pho kit the crew at Saigon had prepared for me. There was a mini tub of heady, fragrant beef broth. A styrafoam box packed with thick-cut rice noodles, thin slices of raw beef, and slivers of onion. A zip baggie stuffed with sprigs of fresh thai basil, mung bean sprouts and a wedge of lime. A little packet of fish sauce and hot chili sauce.  Chopsticks. Napkin.

I set the sauces aside -- tasty, but the broth is so good, I can't justify covering it up with stronger flavors. I peeled off slices of beef one by one and lowered them into the steaming soup, watching them turn from pink to brown. I unstuck about half of the noodles and added them to the mix, letting them soften. A generous handful of bean sprouts for crunch, some torn-up basil leaves, a squeeze of lime.

On the other side of the desk, two editors stopped their conversation and looked up, sniffing the air. Chris came around the corner, following his nose. "Wow -- that smells really good," he said.

It sure did -- and it tasted even better.