The Banh Mi of My Dreams

But when it comes to banh mi, authentic does not always mean good. With so many ingredients in the classic banh mi thit nguoi, there are bound to be shortcuts and wide variations in the quality of the fillings. The worst contain processed, American-style ham loaf, head cheese (not really cheese at all, but a terrine of pig's head meat) that is full of cartilage, and gritty pate.

Great ones are made, not surprisingly, with care given to all the elements.

"It's all in the seasonings," says Ly Lai, 38, owner of the Song Que deli in the Eden Center. Lai's parents own the popular Huong Que (Four Sisters) restaurant nearby. At Song Que, not only the sandwiches but the tropical fruit smoothies are terrific. In the air is the unmistakable aroma -- some might say stench -- of ripe durian fruit.

"The bread must be very fresh. The pickled vegetables must not be too sour or too sweet, and they can't be sliced too thin or the bread gets soggy," Lai says. Her pate is perfect. "Some people make their p¿t¿ with too much pork fat, and these days people don't want to eat that."

I love Song Que's banh mi, but back at Nhu Lan, after three bites of the combination sandwich, I knew I had found my favorite, the one I'll come back for. And that's when I asked shop owner Lu to join me and talk about herself and her sandwich.

She bought the shop, which opened in 1987, 18 months ago.

"First, I changed the spices in most everything," says Lu, 58, who prefers not to let her competition know all the details. "More sugar in some things and less salt in others.

"It's better than the ones made by the previous owner," says Lu, who then admits that the previous owner was her sister, Thuy Lu.

A bigger surprise is to come. It turns out her home town is none other than Can Tho, the same little place on the Mekong where I tasted my first special combination banh mi thit nguoi. She visited last year and found large new homes, far better roads -- and consistently great sandwiches.

"I remember what they were like at home, and that's how I make them," Lu says. "I like the style and the smell of a Can Tho sandwich."

She's not the only one.