Vietnamese food is fasting becoming an integral part of American cuisine. Now it may become part of American fast food thanks to the creativity of Vietnamese American entrepreneurs. Will it replace burger and fries? Possibly.
Regular contributor, chef and cookbook author Priya Krishna wrote about this phenomena in today's New York Times Food section. It's starting in Texas where there is has always been a huge Vietnamese population.Paul Pham is leading the way with this, starting a chain called Hughie's.It's much more than a McDonald's or Burger King with offerings of wine to accompany the food. One of his in an old Dairy Queen and he does make that chain's famed chicken tenders., complete with their buttermilk brine and thick crust. The menu features such Vietnamese classics as pho soup along with shaken beef - a quick savory and sweet wok fried meat dish and banh mi - the famed sandwich using baguettes, meat and pickled veggies. In recent years several Vietnamese eateries have opened with that same intent - take out. They all have drive throughs which helped a lot during the pandemic. They hope to expand beyond their community and reach other Americans who love the cuisine.
Fast food and the drive through is a great way to introduce a particular cuisine to Americans. The drive through emerged in the mid Twentieth Century and flourished in the Seventies. It started with burgers and fries thanks to Mc Donald's and Burger King. Mexican fast food chains like Taco Bell and Taco Cabana have also widely accepted it. The pandemic only emphasized the need for it, with no contact for food pick up. Vietnamese dishes such as banh mi and spring rolls are portable and easy to package. However for Kenny To, co owner with Hien Nguyen , owners of To me Vietnamese Sub, the food is much more labor intensive than just the average taco or burger. He bakes the subs himself and creates the marinades for the meat. These can be limited too. A condiment like Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce can be hard to find in non Asian American communities. At least one Vietnamese fast food has already figured out how to deal with a national audience. One of the oldest,Lee's Sandwiches started in 1983 by Ban Le and Hanh Nguyen expanded into Vietnamese neighborhoods across California and eight more states.
Vietnamese fast food will be as ubiquitou as other fast food cuisines. The food is tasty and filling, a level above the usual drive through fare. It will be a refreshing change from the usual.
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