Food Photo Friday - Thanh Nhi

In general, I'm not a sandwich lover. I mean, they're fine, but given the choice, I'd rather have an entrée that didn't involve such a high proportion of bread. I make an exception for banh mi, though, and the ones at Thanh Nhi are my favorites in town. For just $3.50, you get this huge, fresh thing of beauty stuffed with Vietnamese lunch meat, spread with paté and a thin layer of mayo, drizzled with just a smidgen of what I think is balsamic vinegar, and garnished with fresh cucumber and jalapeno, cilantro, and pickled carrots and daikon. So. Good.

Despite the size of these babies, I usually have to start out with an order of grilled pork paste spring rolls ($3). I'm honestly entirely unclear what exactly "grilled pork paste" is. There's a slab of pork substance inside these that, texture-wise, lands somewhere between sausage and spam (but it is much, much tastier and less salty than the latter). And then there are some strange little crunchy things inside that are clearly grain-based and deep-fried, but beyond that, I can't really tell you much. Does anyone know? I've been operating on blind faith and the acquired conviction that these are wonderful enough to eat in ignorance.



What's your favorite sandwich?

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