I am rushing today since we’re off to lunch with our friend Connie, whose husband Jeff passed away at our holiday home in Marloth Park in 2022. We’re meeting her at noon at Maynard’s in Excelsior with some shopping and errands after lunch.
As for mine and Greg’s lunch, yesterday reminded us of all the fun times he and I had years ago, frequently having lunch together at a now-closed Vietnamese restaurant in uptown Minneapolis, Kinhdo. Many restaurants in the Minneapolis area closed when looting, fires, and vandalism occurred in 2020.
Whenever we went to Kinhdo, Greg and I ordered Pho, which is pronounced “foh” in the US but in Vietnam and Cambodia was referred to as follows:
“Pho,” which first appeared in print in English in 1935, was borrowed from a Vietnamese word which was spelled “phở.” English speakers replaced the vowel with “o” but preserved the pronunciation as “fuh,” rather than “foh.”
The uptown area is no longer considered safe, and COVID has also significantly caused the failure of many businesses in many areas of Minneapolis. Many areas are rundown and unsafe, and we avoid those areas at all costs.
As for yesterday, the Asia Mall is about one mile from our hotel. Greg picked me up, and we arrived in no time at all. I was pleasantly surprised by this attractive ethnic mall. Based on the fact that I often cook Asian dishes, as I did only a few days ago, I now know where to purchase the necessary ingredients rather than at a grocery store with limited options.
If you’ve never had Pho, you can experience this delicious soup in most Vietnamese restaurants worldwide, or if you prefer, you can make Pho at home. Here is a link to any easy-to-make Pho recipe. In our old lives, I used to make wonton soup, which I can’t eat now due to the flour used to make the wontons.
Typically, Pho is made with rice noodles but may be served with wide flour-based noodles, which they served at Kinhdo years ago. In Vietnam, rice noodles are used in most restaurants. While there, during our Mekong River cruise, I had Pho at least once a day and loved trying it at different restaurants. All were delicious, with a few variations here and there.
Greg and I decided to have lunch there again when we get together again during our remaining time in Eden Prairie. We leave in 53 days. The conversations with Greg and I are always thought-provoking and entertaining. We love being together. Most often, the kids are with us, but we were on our own this time, which was nice too.
It’s time to head out to meet Connie for lunch. It was great to take some photos to add to today’s post. We will make an effort to take more pictures in the future.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, July 3, 2014:
