Okay, not really tit. It’s probably spelled thit, but either way it’s the tit that puts the pork in the Vietnamese po-boy. After trying one made by the church ladies at the Tet Festival at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in the East last weekend (it’s bad, but I guess you could say I had a tete-a-tete with a tit at Tet) and another one today at Pho Tau Bay, I have to say it—Dong Phuong rules the Vietnamese sandwich business in New Orleans. What sets theirs off is their slightly funk-yummy mayonnaise. Do they put MSG in it? Maybe. I don’t have a problem with that. It’s divine.
People should eat more mayonnaise. Did you ever try a dollop of homemade garlic mayonnaise in a bowl of shrimp Creole? You should. As for the German/Cajun/Wild Things out there who put a spoonful of yellow potato salad in their gumbo—put some mayo in there too. They’ll get along. I promise.
People think homemade mayonnaise is difficult. It’s not. Anyone who can hold an electric beater (hand mixer) can make their own mayonnaise. Beat one egg yolk, add oil (about 1/2 cup) in a thin stream while beating continuously, and when it looks right: add salt and (optional) mashed/minced garlic. If it curdles, DO NOT throw the mayo away. Just start over with a new egg yolk, adding a little bit of the curdled mess at a time, and watch it come together.
By the way, last night my husband dreamt that he was butchering a whole cow and when he cut a huge chunk out of it, through the hide, there was ground meat inside. If anyone has a clue as to what this means, please write.
