The comfort of Pho

[pegkerr]

I did not feel at all well tonight. Physically, of course, but more than than, mentally. I didn't want to cook, so I took the girls out for pho soup. We went to a restaurant minnehaha K introduced me to, and I watched them wtih covert amusement as they struggled to eat the rice noodles with chopsticks. They were cheerful at the treat, and I found myself soothed by their pleasure. "I like pho," I told them. "It's one of my favorite comfort foods. What are your favorite comfort foods?"

They considered the question seriously. "I like pho, too," Delia said. "And I like that Throat Coat Tea when I have a sore throat."

I smiled. "You know, you have minnehaha K and B to thank for both of those. B told me about Throat Coat, and K was the one to teach me about pho."

"And I like to chew on ice cubes when I have a stomach ache," Delia added.

"I used to chew on ice cubes, too, when I was your age," I told her solemnly. "Compulsively. I'll tell you what my mom told me. It's very bad for your teeth. But I understand the attraction."

The girls looked curiously at the little statute of Buddha with the cups of water and incense sticks near the front register. "What's that?" they asked me.

I explained.

"Oh," Delia said. "It's a God thing."

"Yes, it's a God thing."

We left the restaurant. It was still raining. I still felt dark inside, but a little warmer, too.

No doubt it was the pho.

Comments

[cheshyre]

Yeah, pho has become one of my comfort foods as well. Which is odd because the first time I ever had the dish was probably sometime within the last five years or so.

Maybe it's part of my Jewish heritage that associates soup and tea with comfort food. Maybe it's the particularly homey little hole-in-the-wall place we've found one town over where we're often the only Caucasians and the owners now recognize us by sight...

Damn. now I want Pho, and my husband has the car and we have plans all afternoon...