Bahn Mi-Oh My

Here we are in Hoi An, a cute little beach town and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. Equally exciting, it's also home to Con's absolute favorite bahn mi sandwich in Vietnam! Intrigued to see how this favorite differs from the last bahn mi I had in Hue, Rachel and I ventured out into the hectic streets with hungry bellies. After passing shoe shop after shoe shop, and attempting to ignore the aggressive saleswomen, we finally landed upon Bahn Mi Phuong, a sidewalk stand selling cold drinks, meats, breads and, of course, the Vietnamese staple, bahn mi sandwiches. Chatting with a couple Americans and an Aussie, who had read about this stand on various food blogs and magazines, we excitedly awaited our turn. Ordering 2 sandwiches, we asked for everything on it, wondering what that actually meant. Minutes later, beautifully constructed bahn mis were handed to us overflowing with meats, eggs and vegetables. With huge grins on our faces and an inability to wait another minute to find a more sanitary eating spot, we immediately sat down at the dirty sidewalk table, pulling up two tiny red, plastic stools. As I examined my bahn mi, I noticed succulent pieces of chopped pork, what looked like minced pork with sautéed onions, mayonnaise (the lady behind the counter did have to clarify though), fresh garlic chunks, scrambled eggs, scallions, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and cilantro. Adding some spicy sauce from a generic bottle behind the counter, I eagerly went for my first bite. Between massive unladylike mouthfuls, Rachel and I grunted a few "oh my god"s and "mmm"s, making loud crunchy sounds when biting into the freshly baked baguette. The couple living in Indonesia watched as we quickly enjoyed the flavorsome masterpieces. This truly is street food at its finest.