The
Lunch Lady of Saigon is a staple of the blogosphere and has been featured on
many shows and blogs including Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations who commented, “how do you become a
regular at a soup stall half way round the world?” There is so much hype about this woman and her fantastic
broths and impeccable ingredients that I thought that I also needed go and seek
her out. It really is only a stall
with some plastic chairs. She
serves her food under a large tree on a quiet backstreet near the Saigon Zoo.
I tried to find her place a couple of weeks ago but did not have any luck. This time I had a local show me where she was because it is not an easy place to find. We got there around 11:45 and sat down in cramped little plastic chairs. I swear I have broken at least three of these flimsy things since I’ve been here.
I tried to find her place a couple of weeks ago but did not have any luck. This time I had a local show me where she was because it is not an easy place to find. We got there around 11:45 and sat down in cramped little plastic chairs. I swear I have broken at least three of these flimsy things since I’ve been here.
What
sets the Lunch Lady apart is that she changes her foods daily. She does not repeat herself day in and
day out. She is a repository of
excellent recipes, prepared with no measuring cups or notes does make her
something special. She is
certainly popular in the neighborhood and with foreigners alike. While I was enjoying my soup of tender
beef and shrimp and some fish balls more foreigners arrived and sat down. I am always surprised by how few
Americans who travel to Vietnam.
On my travels in the city and out, I have only encountered a handful of
them, this just tells me we need to travel more. I was impressed by the Lunch Lady but not overwhelmed. She is a true master but I feel like
her soup is just as good as other people’s soups that I have tasted. Maybe it is her aura or mojo that has
attracted all of these glowing reviews.
She is so talented but to be honest Saigon is so chock full of excellent
food and masterful chefs that singeling out just one person seems like a
disservice to the rest of the cities vast culinary wonderland.
checkout these two links
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