Talk:Bánh mì

Add more Banh Mi variant descriptions, pictures?

There are only pictures of the classic sandwhich, i'm trying to find more dishes that fall within the "Banh mi" format. Search: "How many types of Banh mi are there in Danang? (P.1)" for some examples. Maybe we could add a list of major Banh mi varieties with pictures? if anyone can find pictures that is. This article is like a noodle soup article that only lists pho, you know? Banh mi is a blanket term for sandwich. varieties so far: banh mi thit cha, classic thit nguoi, really famous banh mi thit nuong, and banh mi que. Thanks guys. If any of you other foodies find any info, post to this thread. Also, maybe someone can do the same for the goi cuon, salad roll section, because theres a lot of famous variants of that dish too. Eomhrf (talk) 04:05, 24 August 2012 (UTC)

Random comments

Just a quick note to talk about the correctness of Bánh mì trứng as being the sandwich w/ scrambled egg, the version I had repeatedly in Vietnam in October of 2009 was called Bánh mì Op la. They also do a very light scramble compared to the common American version in which the yolk and white are mixed completely before cooking. Here the yellow and white are still separate colors for the most part, just conjoined in one delicious mass. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.25.11.254 (talk) 20:10, 3 November 2009 (UTC)

Getitright 11:20, 26 April 2009 (UTC)

Maybe a native speaker should edit this. I'm a native speaker living in Australia and I call it bánh mì thịt. I just came back from Vietnam and the signs on the shops say bánh mì thịt. Bánh mì just means bread. If you don't believe me search 'bread' then navigate to the Vietnamese translation wiki (Tiếng Việt). Xíu mại also isn't crushed pork meatballs, and what the heck is the eggs done sunny side up for breakfast comment doing in this article? For one, Vietnamese people call the eggs a 'western breakfast', so it's not even Vietnamese cuisine. For two, it's not even a sandwich.

There are some differences in pre-war and post war Vietnamese, yes, but saying "To some overseas Vietnamese, bánh mì can also mean bread" clearly shows a lack of understanding of the language. If you understood anything about the Vietnamese culture, you'd realise our language is implicit and that we never say anything explicitly in conversation, which is why you can ask someone in Vietnamese "Ăn ổ bánh mì không?", literally "Eat loaf bread no?", and they would understand that you are asking "Would you like to eat a bánh mì thịt sandwich?" and not to consume an entire loaf of bread with no contents. However, when one teaches vocabulary or in this case a wikipedia entry, explicitness is required for clarity. This is why a lot of the previous commenters noted they have never heard it referred to as anything else in conversation (unless of course it was referred to as such by other naive English speakers). And as the previous person pointed out, just like in English, we also call it by brand name. Like asking for a Kleenex.

Please fix this or at least ađd a note to say it's inaccurate. I'm sick of non-Vietnamese speakers telling me I'm wrong because wiki says differently.

Oh and another thing, don't call it a bánh mì sandwich either. The average Vietnamese person uses this term to describe the well known sandwich in the western world - that is two slices of bread with filling inside. We just use the words bánh mì to describe any dish that has bread in it. Like bread an' butter puđding.

Perhaps in some places the signs say bánh mì thịt, but for example in Toronto, they just say "bánh mì".

It's my understanding that "bánh mì" means bread or bun, as well as sandwich, in the same way that "baguette" in French, "broodje" in Dutch, or "brotchen" in German does. You know by the context, which one is meant. So no, no-one is going to be adding a note to say it's inaccurate, no matter how sick you are of being told you're wrong. That would be because, you're wrong.

by the way using an insulting tone and complaining that people know nothing of vietnamese culture, and then saying "please fix this" is not going to get you very far.

Also, "banh mi sandwich" is a perfectly ok term for an english speaking audience, meaning "a type of sandwich, known in the vietnamese language as bánh mì". Please also see the reference I added to the "Banh Mi Sandwich" recipe, which includes some detailed history, written by Vietnamese food expert and journalist Andrea Nguyen.

IamNotU (talk) 01:42, 8 April 2010 (UTC)

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Great sandwiches, here in Seattle you can get them some places for $1.50. Much healthier option than a hamburger

As far as I know, my family calls it Bánh mì Ba Le (with a dot underneath the e). Bánh mì is just the vietnamese word for "Bread".

Ba Le is one of the companies that make Bánh mì, but you can use either one.

All I'm saying is that the word Bánh mì can be used to mean other kinds of sandwiches than the one mentioned here.

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I can vouch for that. The person above me is right Starfox Pilot 18:36, 2 August 2006 (UTC)

I've never heard anybody call it anyting other Banh Mi, unless they were talking about a specific type of banh mi. And I've never heard banh mi used to refer to any other type of sandwich. Also, no mention of Bo (the butter / mayo-esque spread) in this article? Serpentes 08:42, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

I'll revouch for the OP. I once ordered (something like) "chicken bánh mì" at a Vietnamese restaurant in Brooklyn and was surprised to get a curry and a hunk of bread. Bánh mì definitely does not exclusively refer to a particular kind of sandwich. Clconway 20:21, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

Per the previous user comments, perhaps a disambiguation and/or change of title to "Bahn Mi sandwich" is in order? The situation with Banh Mi appears similar to the situation with cous-cous - in that the term may be used to simply refer to the plain, staple ingredient (cous-cous / bread) or any number of often elaborate dishes which include the same as an ingredient. In any event, good article on a fantastic sandwich! Drlegendre (talk) 14:29, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Pronunciation

Could someone give the real Vietnamese pronunciation in IPA please? Bun me, while a good pun/mnemonic, is not very informative. —Keenan Pepper 02:33, 4 July 2006 (UTC)

Good sandwich.

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I've heard that these sandwiches are very unique because of the French colonial experience in Vietnam. That is, they are essentially a fusion dish that points to the contentious history in Vietnam over the years -- I think that's a very relevant thing. Perhaps that should be discussed. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.108.160.195 (talk) 06:20, 25 October 2010 (UTC)

Tofu hoagie

The article says that "In West Philadelphia, this is known as a Tofoagie." I live in West Philadelphia, and this is not true; it's called a "tofu hoagie". (Google will back me up.) I'm editing the article accordingly. Izzycat 21:40, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Availability

The following section strikes me as silly. The bottom line is: find a Vietnamese community anywhere in the world and you're likely to find a bánh mì shop. Clconway 20:18, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

The sandwich can be found in small bánh mì shops around the world: in Saigon and throughout Vietnam; in the 13th district of Paris; various Vietnamese communities in Australia including Cabramatta and Footscray; and in many Vietnamese American communities throughout the United States, where Vietnamese food is available in almost every major city. In Canada, Vietnamese sandwiches are available in major cities like Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and anywhere else featuring diverse cultures. Bánh mì are served (often to-go) everywhere from humble mom-and-pop joints to trendy urban bistros.

The following is the same deal as above. This is ridiculous: you can get these sandwiches all over the place. We don't list every chain that sells fried chicken... Clconway 21:28, 23 July 2007 (UTC)

Bánh mì is generally served in small shops and at some phở noodle eateries. Chains offering bánh mì in California include Ba-Le Sandwiches, and Saigon Sandwiches. Lee's Sandwiches operates restaurants in California, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas. Several modern chains offer traditional Vietnamese bánh mì and Western-style baguette sandwiches. Mr. Baguette, a popular bánh mì café located in the Los Angeles suburb of Rosemead, California, is planning to expand to other areas in California. BanhMiBistro is the latest chain of gourmet banh mi stores originated from Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam featuring daily fresh-baked bread in its stores. Bánh mì was featured in San Jose in the 2002 PBS documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like.

In Canada Nguyen Huong has four locations in Toronto serving banh mi.

American nicknames

Can someone explain why this article should include text on the localised American names for banh mi? That's not encyclopaedia material. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.130.202.205 (talk) 03:11, 22 May 2010 (UTC)

Question concerning 'See Also'

Having Lee's Sandwiches as a 'see also' link seemed categorically wrong to me, so I removed it. My change was undone with the comment: 'apparently you don't understand Wikipedia'. I went through the style guide and could only find http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Guide_to_layout that talked about 'things that were related', which is vague enough to include Lee's Sandwiches. But, why not include anything that mentions Banh mi like 'Little Saigon', 'Pâté', 'Breakfast', etc.? Why doesn't 'hamburger' have 'see also McDonald's'? There is a paragraph about McDonald's selling an iconic hamburger and there's a list of fast-food chains dependent on hamburgers, but something similar to this was already removed from the Banh Mi page (see section entitled Availability above this). I see that 'delicatessen' that has a 'list of famous delicatessens', but these are worldwide, and are considered famous. Lee's is considered famous and the only one worth mentioning? It may seem that I'm trying to start a fight, but I am honestly curious as to why Lee's Sandwiches is in See Also; I want Wikipedia to be awesome. Did I miss something exemplary in the style guide? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.81.170.196 (talk) 20:40, 25 January 2011 (UTC)

Regional Variations and Changes

I'm starting to notice that the style and recipe are changing, or there may be regional differences. Like at Mr. Baguette, I got a vegetarian one and it had the fake ham, American cheese, a pickle on the side, a hot yellow pepper on the side, and a mustard packet. Jalapeno and cilantro were at a condiment stand. It tasted fine, but the ingredients were unexpected. Also, in recipes online, everyone uses mayo. In the San Francisco shops, some used mayo and butter. I think Ba Le uses butter too. In the past, they seemed to be less full of fillings. Anyway, while there are variations in any kind of food, as this food becomes more widespread, and as the communities where they do business change, the food changes.

Yes, I know this is obvious, but I think it's important to track some changes. Right now, in the Los Angeles area, we're seeing the end of the combination Greek-Hamburger-Mexican-Pastrami-Teriyaki restaurant. It was a product of the LA eastside culture, and developed from the 1940s to the 1980s. Today, it's morphed into a Hamburger-Mexican restaurant, with fried chicken and Mexican charbroiled chicken, and the now ubiquitous breakfast burrito. The Hawaiian lunch plate is also big here, but with a shrinking islander population, it's morphing into something else that incorporates Chinese fast food, and is losing some signature dishes like musubi, lomi, and chili rice. This reflects changing populations and customers.

Likewise, you may be able to track changes to this dish as Vietnamese communities formed in specific cities like Houston, New Orleans, Westminister, Santa Ana, Rosemead, San Francisco, Oakland, Boston, etc. 99.93.192.139 (talk) 06:19, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

I think you are suggesting we conduct original research and include it in this article. While it could be an interesting project, it wouldn't belong on Wikipedia until it was published in a separate reliable source. Jojalozzo 15:10, 30 August 2011 (UTC)

Links to news articles

I removed the following links from the External links section. They are inappropriate for that section but could be used as sources for the article.

• The Banh Mi of My Dreams The Washington Post.
• Bánh Mì: The baguette-bound culinary bonanza Austin Chronicle.
• Banh mi? There is no sub Boston Globe.
• Building on Layers of Tradition The New York Times.

Jojalozzo 03:26, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

Change title and clean up definition?

I think this article is flawed; in English, banh mi is written without accents, and refers to a style of sandwich, not bread. I do understand that the English word banh mi comes from the Vietnamese bánh mì, which means bread, but that discussion seems more appropriate for a etymological dictionary than a wikipedia page. The first paragraph sentence "It is sometimes metonymous with ..." is silly, it's not a metonym, it's just a word that has a different meaning in English than Vietnamese.

So I think we should change this article to remove the accents, and remove the discussion of the bread meaning, and instead use the phrase as it is normally used in English, to mean a type of sandwich. It will be clearer, more correct, and remove the dictionary aspect of the entry.

Shall I proceed? If you disagree, tell me why please.

2620:0:1004:A:28FD:7415:C305:3E3 (talk) 16:42, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

Colonial history

This article mentions a couple of times the French influence in banh mi, but it might be productive to have a section on colonial influence on the sandwich and how its consumption is a post-colonial act?