text: PhonnIts pronounced feudoes that help anybodynnOkaysounds like fun only without the n and Thuenh sounds like tang minus the gnnIf you run Pho Thuenh through a translator it translates as either Cheese Bar or The Streetsor as they say in Ho Chi Minh City nee SaigonCheese BarnnI could not say what a cheese bar has to do with this delightful little placeI did not see any cheese on the menu nor is there anything cheesy about the placejust straight ahead well made tasty and although Dr Andrew Weill shudders when he hears me say ithealthy Vietnamese foodnnAnd while I am on the subject of Dr Weillsince when did a sweaty pound recluse with the remains of the entire turkey dinner with all the trimmins that he evidently had for breakfast floating around in his beard become the healthy living guru for a generationnnIm puzzlednot that I do not want his lifestyleI donnStill it is a mysterynnTheres no mystery at Pho Thuenhjust unpronounceable menu selections and great PhonnIve learned over the years to make my selections either by pointing at the menu and smiling or by saying things like I will have a number and number with a diet Coke pleasennBack when I was very young and still had my swagger on I would stroll into one of the great Vietnamese joints in Portland sit down and say Pho MennSo funnyAt least to mennThat phrase led to several misunderstandings incidents and police reports as well as a lengthy stint of child support payments for little Nguyen Dat S although he really looks nothing like mebut I do get a Christmas card from him and his family every yearnicennBut that is the dimly remembered pastnnYesterday I met a couple of my buddies in the Mekong Delta you know the West Side vortex of great Phothe triangle between Maxim Da Vang and Pho Thuenh and we had a great time at lunchnnMy buddies are both attorneys suckling at the supple twin teats of misery and money and the stories they tell at lunch would make most people writhe in despairbut not uswe are made of sterner stuffnnWe split an order of Goi Cuon and Cha Gio and dug into our respective bowls of Phodelicious delicious Pho no questionnnAll of the standard high quality Pho prep tools are there to perfect your soupsawtooth herb basil bean sprouts and enough hot chili in several different forms to because you severe pain the next morningit let us you know you are aliveimportant at my agennThis particular Mekong Delta does not require a Ghe Nang or a Swift Boat to navigate just hop on the light rail or risk your life in Camelback traffic and drop on bynnJust do not say Pho Me