The bread may harken back to 19th Century French occupation, but the fillings are 100% Vietnam. Simply put, the banh mi is a baguette slathered with mayo, filled with a substantial amount of spongy soy meat (a grayish turkey), then finished off with a solid dose of fragrant Southeast Asian accents like cilantro, hot chili peppers (jalapeño in the sandwich’s SoCal incarnation), and a shredded radish and carrot mixture dressed almost imperceptibly in rice vinegar. Common street fare in Vietnam, you’ll find six to eight-dollar versions in the hipster Eastside neighborhoods of Los Angeles, though I’ve heard chatter that one can find more OG versions for half the price in the neighboring San Gabriel Valley.

I’ve also heard there’s a donut shop in Humboldt county that makes a superb version. If anyone has any local banh mi recommendations, send them my way.

In the meantime: Angelenos can check out KP’s deli in Silverlake (pictured above, courtesy of our friends at Los Anjealous whose top ten LA vegan summary is a must read for anyone hungry in LA) and Lemongrass in Eagle Rock. For a delightful Mc-version of the veggie banh-mi, check out Lee’s Sandwiches, a family-run mini-franchise scattered across California and the Southwest.

Not today, but sometime soon, I’ll be talking about a Vietnamese crepe called a ban xeo. Now that’s serious hand food.