My Favorite Foreign Taste

Pho is a noodle soup from Vietnam that happens to be my all time favorite thing to eat. There are two main types of Pho: either Beef known as pho bo or Chicken, the pho ga, personally I'm partial to the pho ga but both are similarly delicious. I usually starve myself for several hours if I know I will be eating pho that day so that I can thoroughly stuff myself, as a soup and asian cuisine lover, I have never found a more perfect match. So what exactly is so special about this soup? 

1. First off, as a college student I feel obliged to tell you its very CHEAP. Pho was first made as a street food and sold in boxes, it has since spread to renown vietnamese restaurants around the world but the idea of making in bulk has stuck so that you should be able to find a giant bowl of pho for under six dollars in your local city.
2. Garnishes. Pho is typically served with several garnishes that allow you to be the master of how your own bowl tastes so every customer gets to be a bit of a chef. As a foodie and a soup lover this is a huge plus for me because I never get can get bored of the always unique tastes of pho. The garnishes typically include Green onions, white onions, thai basil, chili peppers, lime, and bean sprouts. While for sauces it is usually accompanied by a spicy chili sauce usually Siracha and a sweet hoisin sauce. 
3. The Ingredients and preparation to Pho explain it's savory and hearty makeup. The broth usually takes the better part of a day to make; simmering in cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cardamon, clove, coriander and fennel seeds as well as other spices and the bones or intestines of the chicken or beef. The rice noodles are then added later. The recipe to Pho varies from restaurant to restaurant but they all share similar methods that developed in the city of Hanoi in the early twentieth century when vendors started making bulk soups to feed the streets.

So where can you find a taste of pho for yourself? If you live near a Chinatown or any Vietnamese restaurants it shouldn't take you long to locate a big bowl of deliciousness. If, like me, you live in burlington there are several decent options...

• Pho Hong. Located at 325 North Winooski Avenue is my personal favorite. A simple setup that has fast service and great pho. Highly recommended.
• The other pho place I've experienced near Burlington is called M-Saigon and is located on 370 Shelburne Road. M-Saigon goes for an more all encompassing cuisine with more Thai options as well as Vietnamese so that Pho is not there primary focus. Nonetheless it is still a great bowl but not nearly as authentic or complete of an experience as most Pho restaurants.