Aug 2, 2008 New London, Ontario: As I sit by myself in Ben Thanh Viet Thai Restaurant, I’m contemplating the idea of something very important: authenticity. It was this very word that drew me here in the first place. The sign outside reads ‘Authentic Thai And Vietnamese Cuisine.’
I had my doubts. It is in a typical shopping center, next to a sports bar, a couple shops and right across the parking lot from a giant McDonald’s, near the KMart and BestBuy. Earlier, my hopes for enjoying a good meal we’re dimmed when someone on our crew, returning from a nearby chain restaurant, described his meal as ‘utterly horrific.’ I hoped to have better luck than this poor guy.
As I dive into the spring rolls, I realize the restaurant’s promise of authenticity is authentic indeed. I’m happy. Then, as the spicy noodle seafood soup arrives, I’m completely rejuvenated.
If at least one meal during a day is a pleasurable, spice filled experience like this, then I’m inspired. By the size of the crowd in here, it is clear that there are many others who get it as well. It is still early, not even six o’clock, and the place is packed. One gets the sense that people everywhere, even in the trenches of the suburbs, will appreciate what is real if it is only presented to them.
Imagine this: restaurants like Ben Thanh Viet Thai Restaurant spring up like a jar of red hot pepper, sprinkling their spice of ethnicity, flavor and culture upon the white bread suburbs of America. A utopian vision? Sure. But a nice thought. Authenticity is something we could all use more of.