After Zen International Market suddenly closed last spring, I went through withdrawal. Their roasted pork báhn mi sandwiches, and the pork and leek dumplings made and cooked to order, have been missed.
Then I found St. Joseph Vietnamese Catholic Church, 4929 Sandy Porter Road, in southwest Charlotte. Like many area churches, Sunday services are followed with food. Some offer pot luck lunches; others have cafeteria styled meals; some host fundraisers with barbecue. St. Joseph is no different — only the menu is.
Among the food items available for donations are wonderfully flavorful foot-long combo báhn mi subs on French baguettes packed with cold cuts, pickled carrots and daikon, cilantro and slathered with mayo. In addition to sandwiches and desserts are boxed entrées of cold rice vermicelli with grilled beef or pork, cold vegetables and nuðc chám (dipping sauces). The kitchen makes large bowls of pho. Signage is in Vietnamese, but most dishes can be recognized by sight and the people manning the food counters are bilingual.
At one end of the fellowship hall is a mini farmers market. Vietnamese is the exclusive language in this area. Hard-to-find fresh Vietnamese herbs essential to this cuisine and folk remedies are here as well: bunches of fish mint (diep ca), rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), saw tooth, cilantro, spearmint, and holy basil. Also on these counters are bundles of lemon grass, bags of bean sprouts, and small white and green, round Thai eggplants.
The parishioners could not have been more welcoming, and the báhn mi is exceptional.
Looking for a food you can’t find? Or do you know of other food items unique to the Q.C.? Whether it’s regional foods or international, talk to me: tricia.childress@creativeloafing.com or 704-522-8334, extension 136.
This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2011.
