Vietnamese pho is an easy dish to choose from and enjoy. For the casual eater, consuming pho just requires your ability to place your order and hold your chopsticks and spoon in your hands. For those who are ready for something more, the photo tag is your next goal. There are specific customs to follow, while other protocols are left to individual interpretation and choice. Here is a collection of pho etiquette to help you get closer to pho and Vietnamese culture. When in doubt, remember one thing: showing respect for elders goes a long way.
I’m assuming you’ve mastered a couple of chopsticks by now, so here we go.
“sit” etiquette
Before everyone sits down, look at your table and chair layout. Decide where the head of the table is (or the most important seating position) and give way to the oldest or most respected person in the group. But it gets more complicated. If there is a highly respected man (regardless of age) then he may be the one to get “the meat”. If he’s not sure, just do the safe thing: relax and let things fall into place. Someone will ask you to sit somewhere, and that’s what you want. Easy.
Label “Ordering Pho”
The etiquette for ordering pho is pretty straightforward. For first-time pho diners who find themselves alone at a pho restaurant, a little help from the order taker is obviously required. Needless to say, if you’re in a group, help from an experienced friend is a no-brainer. For seasoned pho eaters, you probably already know what he’s doing. In either case, though, it’s appropriate to let the oldest member of the group order first. This is consistent with the “respect for elders” consideration discussed above. Everyone else can take turns selecting their orders, and one of the adults can order the teens’ food.
Label “Cleaning chopsticks and spoon”
It is a habit for most Viet pho diners to clean their chopsticks and spoon before eating their pho in restaurants. Some will start doing this as soon as they sit down at the table, even before ordering. This is an old habit of pho being a street food for the working class in Vietnam, and old habits are hard to die. But don’t worry, your typical neighborhood restaurants are used to Vietnamese clientele doing this. They don’t care as it doesn’t necessarily reflect on the sanitary condition of the restaurant. In fact, it can be a sign that the customer “feels at home” and is good for the restaurant, especially if they are a repeat customer.
Progressive restaurants are well aware of the image that cleaning chopsticks gives to their stores. They prefer not to have to clean as they are trying to attract more non-Vietnamese customers. Some restaurants have begun inserting pairs of chopsticks into paper sleeves, an admirable attempt to show concern for the well-being of customers. Never mind, people still clean themselves, although they know those plastic chopsticks have gone through the commercial washing machine just like any other grade A establishment. Alternatively, some restaurants also offer individually wrapped disposable wooden chopsticks, which they seem to successfully avoid. Cleaning.
Now, if you’re in a high-class five-star restaurant, then cleaning your chopsticks can reflect badly on you. Be aware of your surroundings, surroundings and other diners. If the restaurant expects you to be a snob, then be a snob and don’t make it look like you don’t belong.
To clean or not to clean? Now you know where and when.
Label “Customize your Pho”
Once your pho is on the table, everything you do from here on out is your business. Typically, there are 2 things you might want to do before you eat: add the garnishes (sprouts, cilantro, basil, lime, and sliced bell peppers) and add the sauces (hoisin sauce for pho and hot sauce, mainly the Sriracha brand in the US). USA) that are already on the table. Whatever your preferences, don’t let anyone tell you “you must have this or you must add that”. These are completely optional for your own taste. Pho doesn’t require you to add anything, but adding a few of these can improve your pho.
“Slurping Your Pho” Label
You have done everything correctly up to this point. His original intention of simply grabbing a quick bowl of pho seems like a long time ago. But finally, this is the time! Chopsticks in one hand (left or right), spoon in the other, you do it with pleasure. Of course, it’s not really “anything goes,” because civility still counts in any culture. In Asia, eating noodles requires slurping, and pho is no exception. So go ahead. Sip. Just don’t overdo it.
Label “Finishing your Pho”
The correct way to end a meal in Vietnam is to put the chopsticks on the plate, as if you were making a bridge. This may conflict with the Japanese convention of never joining chopsticks over a bowl, but Vietnamese traditions follow many Chinese traditions, and this is one of them. While second generation Vietnamese and later outside of Vietnam are beginning to lose this tradition, it is still the accepted way to end a meal.
Oh, one more thing. While it’s fine to order pho to go or take out, you can’t take leftovers. You only get one chance to get a bowl of pho. It’s more disgusting, whichever way you look at it.
Label “Tip”
Except for more expensive restaurants where service charges or tips may be added or expected, servers at most “typical” pho shops in Vietnam do not expect tips as part of their service. Tipping the common Vietnamese (the working class) is not what a Westerner may think. Tips are typically considered “spare change” or gifts that a worker would prefer not to accept. Except for beggars, workers, including those providing a service, do not want to be seen as accepting handouts. Tourism in Vietnam will change this over time, but for many places that are not greatly affected by foreign visitors, tipping will likely remain non-existent and not expected.
The first Vietnamese refugees brought this exact mentality to the Western world. The same attitude can still be seen among many Vietnamese even today, despite living in the US for over 30 years. As Vietnamese food becomes more widespread in the US, tipping is becoming more common and acceptable to Vietnamese service providers.
Then what do you do? For US restaurants, definitely tip. But if you are in Vietnam, leave tips if you are in a big city. If you are in a place on the outskirts, then tipping is not expected. But if you still must, give it to the server directly and separately, honestly and kindly. Or if the owner and server are the same (or family members), just add more to your payment and ask them not to return the change. Not “keep the change”, but “there is no need to give the change back”.
“Paying” label
Americans and other non-Vietnamese diners may have noticed that most Vietnamese restaurants do not present checks at their tables. This is not a bad service. It’s just because restaurateurs don’t want it to look like they’re trying to push you out the door by asking you to rush to pay. This is the common form of Vietnamese restaurant and it exists here in the US as well.
So what are you doing knowing all this? Just do what the “regulars” do. At some point, knowledgeable servers will recognize a non-Vietnamese customer and present a check after their meal (although they won’t necessarily do the same for Vietnamese customers). But if this is not the case, then you (and everyone else) just go to the register. and pay there. No more confusion.
Summary: Pho Label
There you go. Fo label. I know, a lot of us just want one bowl of pho, but I think knowing these, and maybe practicing at least a few of them, will get you a lot closer to your pho than you otherwise would have. Pho tag gives you pho nirvana, so to speak. Enjoy.