Blog Post #18: Pho

Arriving home for the summer from college brings its own sort of joy- the joy that lets me read outside on a blanket, or go on walks at dusk, or inhale the scent of my mother’s cooking without stress or worries on my back. But this time, it also brought sadness, mostly sadness in no longer having a relationship to occupy my time. And as someone who’s always loved rainy days, I’m starting to find that the droplets falling from the sky sort of bring me down. It’s like the sky has been crying, and I’ve been crying right along with it. On top of that, my brain has been choosing all the happiest memories from my relationship and running them like a slideshow through the front of my mind. But today, in the midst of the heartbreak and precipitation, I found myself wanting to make pho. I used to eat it all the time with my ex, and just because he’s gone from my life doesn’t mean pho has to be gone as well. For such a light and refreshing-tasting dish, pho actually involves a lot of steps. For one, I learned how to char an onion and ginger today. For another, I learned that toasting the pho spices in a dry skillet before adding them to the broth brings out a better flavor. As for simmering time, different recipes gave me different times, anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. I simmered my broth for 6. Definitely a test of my patience. At the end of the whole process, I was left with a steaming bowl of my own homemade pho- complete with thinly sliced beef, cilantro, scallions, thinly sliced onions, and lime to top my pho noodles. And I couldn’t forget the hoisin and sriracha. The result? I should’ve added a bit more salt, but other than that, I was proud to have crafted a food that I hold so dear to my heart. Who knows- maybe by the time classes start up again in the fall, I’ll have created my ideal pho recipe. My pho gave me the sense that I’m gonna be okay. Laura and her attempts at crafting the perfect bowl of pho will carry on- we’re gonna get through this together, the scent of lime on my fingers and all.