Random post about nothing
If there was a sports lovers guide to banh mi, it would probably say that the Paris Sandwich banh mi is the New Jersey Nets of banh mi sandwiches (circa 2009). This year the Nets have won just one game, but they try really hard! Basically boiling it down to the idea that they try to be good, but only come up a winner once out of twenty tries. If this was the NFL, we'd call them the 49ers of banh mi because again, a team that tries really hard, yet only succeeds a fraction of the time. Of course because this is sports, I'm only talking about the 2009 version of these teams.
Something like Banh Mi Saigon would be like your Los Angeles Lakers or Indianapolis Colts. They're consistent time after time, and they're always really good. Now of course, the Colts usually suck it up in the playoffs against the Patriots, but that's neither here nor there. Maybe this year it'll be different for Peyton...
Speaking of sports, I think there's very interesting things that happen in sports that help fans realize how good teams and organizations are. We rarely see this played out in the same way in the food world. For example, in the NFL, all thirty teams are only allowed to spend as much as the other team. There's a salary cap. To put it simply, if everyone has the same budget, who can do it the best? This is a very interesting idea to me because restaurants operate on their own budget and it's up to them to figure out how to make it profitable. As it relates to home cooks though, I think the most interesting question is not what can I cook? Or what do I want to cook at home that would give me pleasure? It's, if you give Thomas Keller the exact same budget I use, what the fuck would Thomas make? This is an interesting idea to me because whenever the topic of obesity and poverty come up, we always seem to talk about fast food and junk food. It feels like sometimes people make the habitual choice because they're used to it. But what if they can learn how to do it differently? If these chefs all love donating their time to some charity function that feed the hungry, maybe instead of donating all their time to that, they could use a fraction of that time teaching cooking in lower income neighborhoods.
And one last random note of the day... did anyone see 60 minutes last night? It's ok if you didn't because they put the whole thing online anyway. There was this bit on the Harlem Children's Zone. It's fourteen minutes long so it might be too long to keep your attention. If you're thirsting for a story that'll give you some hope to start off the week, it's totally worth it. Here it is: 60 Minutes.
Paris Sandwich
113 Mott St.
New York, NY 10013
212-226-7221
@Karen,
Num pang is pretty good. I've been there a couple of times and every time it's been good. They had this pork belly special this past summer and that was just bangin'
Danny
December 20, 2009 9:33 pm
You should check this place out some time: http://www.numpangnyc.com/menu.html
I'm so curious what you'd think. The bread and the filling of the coconut shrimp sandwich were both a delightful surprise.
Karen
December 20, 2009 8:05 am
Wow Danny, I can't believe you hated on Paris like that just now. I feel really sad that you had the exact opposite experience I did at Paris v. Saigon. Having been to both so many times now, Paris's bread is consistently the best, and the insides... well, I like them better. Owellz that's why blogs rock, everyone's entitled to their own opinions :)
Yvo
December 7, 2009 7:20 pm
@Yvo,
The one thing I liked about Paris was the bread. They had good bread. I didn't think the innards were all that awesome... Saigon to me is way more porky. You're right though, to each his/her own! :)
Danny
December 7, 2009 10:15 pm