Pho the Love of God

Pho, the delicious Vietnamese soup, is always on the menu at the WLBOTT Test Kitchen and Cafetorium: The Ladle & Lube.

Pho-rcaster: Fortunes and Pho

In our tireless search to increase shareholder value, we will be opening a pho restaurant that includes certified, twine-based fortune telling. We are calling it Pho-rcaster.

For a small fee, you can have a WLBOTT-certified fortune teller convey your twine-based destiny, while enjoying a steamy bowl of Phở sốt vang or Phở chiên trứng.

Over-Consumption

Our pho will be so delicious that we must ask our customers to show restraint:

“No’ Mo’ Pho”

Due to the expected popularity of Pho-rcaster, we must consider that we will occasionally run out. And if you run out, its “no’ mo’ pho”.

No’ Mo’ Pho sounds like the saddest sign to ever grace a restaurant door.

Maybe we add a sign underneath:
“We’ll be back tomorrow. Pho now, please don’t cry.”

The Pho Challenge

We invite all Elders and/or non-Elders to participate on our pho challenge.

Our Ladle & Lube purchasing department has ordered the following foundational ingredients:

We’re planning on using this recipe by Lauren Allen on Tastes Better From Scratch.

Elder G’s Naming Suggestions

The ever witty Elder G proposed these names for our pho restaurant:

Pho Real – Because authenticity matters.
What the Pho?! – A classic for those who like a little shock value.
Pho-King Delicious – Say it out loud… carefully.
Pho-nomenal – When the soup is just too good.
Pho You – A little sassy, but still friendly.
Pho the Love of God – A desperate plea for good soup.
Pho-Sure – No second-guessing here.
Pho-La-La – A holiday-themed pho joint?
Pho the Win – The undefeated champion of soups.
Pho-get Me Not – A sentimental, unforgettable bowl.
Pho-ever Young – Served with a side of nostalgia.
Pho-nky Town – A disco-themed noodle bar?
Pho-bidden Love – A tragic yet tasty affair.
Pho-lks Wagon – A mobile pho truck with vintage vibes.
Pho-Geddaboutit – New York-style pho attitude.
Pho-Cus Group – For serious noodle discussions.

Pho – The Nuts and Bolts

Phở or pho is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles (bánh phở), herbs, and meat – usually beef (phở bò), and sometimes chicken (phở gà). Phở is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street-stalls, and restaurants country-wide. Residents of the city of Nam Định were the first to create Vietnamese traditional phở. It is considered Vietnam’s national dish.

Phở is a relatively recent addition to the country’s cuisine, first appearing in written records in the early 20th century in Northern Vietnam, and after the Vietnam War, refugees popularized it throughout the world. Due to limited historical documentation, the origins of phở remain debated. Influences from both French and Chinese culinary traditions are believed to have contributed to its development in Vietnam, as well as to the etymology of its name. The Hanoi (northern) and Saigon (southern) styles of pho differ by noodle width, sweetness of broth, and choice of herbs and sauce.
[…]
In 2017, Vietnam made December 12th the “Day of Pho”.
[…]
Cultural historian and researcher Trịnh Quang Dũng believes that the popularization and origins of modern pho stemmed from the intersection of several historical and cultural factors in the early 20th century. These include improved availability of beef due to French demand, which in turn produced beef bones that were purchased by Chinese workers to make into a beef noodle similar to phở called ngưu nhục phấn (牛肉粉 or 牛腩粉) or ngau juk fun.
[…]
Pho eateries were privatized as part of Đổi Mới. Many street vendors must still maintain a light footprint to evade police enforcing the street tidiness rules that replaced the ban on private ownership.
Wikipedia