Pho, the internationally-known flagship Vietnamese dish.
It's iconic,
easy to eat,
and a great any time of the day meal.
Outside of Vietnam, most Vietnamese restaurants are pho restaurants.
But does that mean Vietnam has gone from being known for the war to
being known for its pho?
When a rich multi-faceted cuisine is reduced to one dish,
the depth and character of Vietnamese culture to outsiders, is one
dimensional, too.
No doubt Anthony Bourdain knew Pho was old hat.
The expert in the culinary arts and a lover of Vietnamese food. Took
President Obama to eat bun cha and not pho.
Ask your Vietnamese friends, what's their favorite food?
And you're bound to find a long list of dishes you've never heard
of.
So is the ubiquity of pho, down to the fact that Vietnamese overseas
restaurants
don't dare stray too far from Vietnam's most recognizable dishes.
Vietnamese cuisine needs to break from the status quo.
Vietnam is a dynamic place with cuisine from three major regions,
each with its own distinct personality, character and pizzazz.
A Northern cuisine known for its salty, savory flavors with fish,
tofu, wrapped meats, sticky rice and buns.
A Southern cuisine with an assortment of soups, noodles and rice
dishes,
all with a sweet touch to them. And a central area with its spicy
nature,
dipped with an imperial array of rolls, folded rice, pastries, tangy
shrimp flavors and rice noodles.
The truth is, we're already seeing this, and not just thanks to
Anthony Bourdain.
Banh Mi is one new culinary frontier.
But then, so is Bo Kho, maybe even bun mam.
So will Vietnamese cuisine ever reach the culinary acclaim and
mobility of Mexican or Japanese food?
Tacos, nachos, and burritos are commonplace.
Sushi, sashimi, and sake are in the English dictionary.
At Vietcetera, we believe we're on the cusp of a Vietnamese food
explosion.
It's a light, healthy cuisine sprinkled deliberately with life
affirming greens.
As Vietnamese food brands rise in popularity, sophistication and
branding it will become increasingly exportable.
Going beyond pho isn't impossible. It's inevitable.
