Wednesday, August 10, 2022

A FEW RAMBLES ABOUT THIS AND THAT, WITH OUR FAVORITE BAHN MI PLACE FOR LUNCH

This is just an around-and-about type of post, a bit of this and that.  I twisted my knee a few weeks back, going down these steps at Mason Neck Park, told at the time by my dear other half that he didn't think it was a good idea, and was I sure I could go down those steps at which I replied, "Of course I can!" 
Well, I'm listening to my dear other half next time.  That's another reason, on top of the heat and humidity and the thunderstorms, I haven't been on any walks.  My knee has been pitching a fit off and on and in the meantime, I am being driven around in the car for any outings. 

We usually go out for lunch at least one day a week, nothing fancy.  One day Gregg said he would like a Bahn Mi. Quite a jaunt even in the car but very much worth the trip.  We go to a Vietnamese Sandwich Shop called BÁNH MÌ D.C. SANDWICH.  (Sorry for the bold capitals but I wanted to leave those neat little accents to show you, and I couldn't get the font to change in my usual manner, so I did a cut and paste.  No one accuses me of not being detailed, it's in my genes.)  

This is somewhere we have visited many times since we have lived here (since 1990), and I have mentioned it before.  There are no tables inside where you sit to eat, and so we usually have a car picnic in the parking lot. It's a treat and is very popular and well-known with the locals, and not so locals.  I take my own water and Gregg buys a can of coke.  We always take our trash home.  

I remember a question from Ann from Ann's Snap Edit Scrap, which I wanted to answer today.  Ann asked me the last time I posted about it, what was it like.  I took a photo of our sandwich for a show-and-tell. Nothing fancy but oh so good.  

We always order a Meatball Bahn Mi.  Ours is made from a pork mixture, and it is not like the Italian meatballs many of us have made or seen in recipe books.  It is a different texture and taste. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Asian food.  It has delicately pickled and grated carrots and daikon radish, cilantro with the stalks left on them, a sliver of cucumber and a few slices of sliced hot chili peppers if you can stand the heat (you can always ask for them to be left off). And all this is placed in a lovely fresh French baguette.

 If you look at their link it will give you several choices on their menu, and they don't just sell sandwiches.  We have also bought a bag of French baguettes to take home with us on occasion, and a few other items like spring rolls.  

The following photos are ones I took coming and going.

A fire hydrant taken at a stop light...
and an old school used to be here, traveled by many, many times since we moved here.  It was mostly demolished but I am glad to say the central part of the building was kept.
There will be shops I'm sure, and new apartments or condominiums.  Posters were attached to the chain-link fencing advertising things in the area.
Always attracted to pretty clouds for photo ops.
We keep saying that we are going to pop in here for a sandwich followed by a scoop of ice cream for dessert, but we are always heading somewhere else and only pass by.  One of these days!
And then a bit of a surprise.  This building used to be a drug store (called a chemist over the pond).  We can take it literally now, it really is a drug store.  It is the first one I have seen in our county.
There is much building going on.  If it's not road construction...
 it's new homes.
And of course, a quick stop at the drive-thru.  A vanilla no-foam latte, hot please.
We don't usually buy anything on their menu but have done in the past when road tripping in other areas.

That's about it for our runaround today. Thanks for stopping by, and may your day be a great one.




40 comments:

  1. I recognize the old Fairfax High School.

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  2. I hope your poor knee gets better quickly and am glad that you are going on outings despite it.
    I laughed at the drug store (pharmacies are chemists in Australia too).

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    1. Thank you Sue, always takes a while but I'm getting there. I was wondering if the name chemists was used in Australia :)

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  3. Sorry to hear about the knee problem but glad you're still managing to get around and share interesting blog posts. Any sort of salad is welcome in hot weather and your sandwich looks tasty. Hope you've recovered from your fall now. Take care and all the best.

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    1. Hello Linda, if I can hobble, I will hobble, lol! On the mend thanks :) A sandwich is always very nice on a hot day. Not much fussing either.

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  4. Mend quickly!! For those of us who enjoys day tripping & walking ...this is not a happy time when you are kept from doing what you like. Wonderful photos.

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    1. Thank you Anni :) I miss my walks most definitely.

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  5. Gosh your knee, not good so hope it soon all new again, well as good as possible. Nice captures and interesting to see. Take care Denise.

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    1. Thank you Margaret, happy you enjoyed, and thank you for your good wishes about my knee ;)

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  6. Ouch on the knee. If that had been me, Wade would have taken every opportunity to tell me he told me so...lol
    Thanks for taking a picture of that sandwich. It looks and sound delicious.

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    1. You are very welcome Ann and thank you :) Ah well, I should know better by now :)))

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  7. I hope that your knees get better soon. It's not fun when one is not mobile enough. Love the blue sky with fluffy clouds.

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  8. Bardzo ciekawy post i fajne fotografie. Dużo zdrowia życzę.

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    1. Bardzo dziękuję i życzę również zdrowia :)

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  9. I hope the knee heals up quickly so you can keep on rambling.

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  10. i like this kind of outing...we too take them just to visit a restaurant we like. it's been too hot here to do much, even the pool is not very refreshing, although i am hoping for a swim today!! the sandwich looks and sounds really good, something i would like!!

    the clouds are gorgeous...i am a "look at the clouds" person!! i hope the knee starts to feel better. so as the temperatures cool down, you will be fully mobil!!

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    1. Hi Debbie and yes it's fun to visit different places. I hope you get your swim today :) That would probably be good for my knee.

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  11. So sorry about your knee. That is definitely not funny. Hope it heals soon. As for your sandwich, that looks so good, I am salivating. BTW, David is going to buy Italian Sausage today, if it's available, and then I plan to make your Pasta dish today or tomorrow. However, I plan to edit your recipe to accommodate my arthritis. I shall simplify it a lot. But, thanks for the inspiration. So far, I have tried my versions of your pork stir-fry dish and your Chicken with Cumin and Parsley dish. Both delicious!

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    1. Thank you Gigi, I need to think a bit more before I tackle downhill steps, any kind of steps really. I have had my issues with them in the past :) I will be very interested in your version of this pasta dish. I love to see new ways of fixing things. Also happy you enjoyed the other dishes. Thank you for letting me know.

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  12. Sorry to read about your little mishap with your knee. Hope it heals up nicely for you. That sandwich looks like something I would enjoy even with the heat. Glad you are still getting out and about. Take care!

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    1. Hi Ellen and thank you, slowly healing in the right direction :) You take care also :)

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  13. Sorry to hear you are having knee pain, I hope it heals quickly. The sandwich sounds yummy. Take care, enjoy your day!

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    1. Thank you Eileen, always slow to heal but it's getting there :) You take care and enjoy your day also :)

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  14. I love Bahn Mi sandwiches. I haven't had any since I retired which was two years ago. Covid really did a number on the restaurants nationwide.

    I hope your knee gets better. I baby my knees but every once in a while they get twinged and I don't heal like I used to be able.

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    1. Hi Yogi, they are wonderful aren't they? :) And I agree about these restaurants during Covid. Many in our area went out of business. Only yesterday we called one up and found they were no more. So sad to see the end of someone's dream. Keep babying those knees. I know all about that and downhill is the worst for me.

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  15. oh no on your knee, I hope you did not tear something, I have walked those type of steps and they are really hard to do. hope it heels soon. so many beautiful photos today. I enjoyed all of them. I like the paintings on the fence and have never seen a REAL drug store. LOL...

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    1. Thanks Sandra, always harder going down the steps than coming up. I have done this before many times over the years and it always takes a while for me to get back to normal, just getting a little longer than normal these days :) Yes, a REAL drug store, goodness, how times have changed :)

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  16. this is the first I have ever seen a Cannabis Drug Store in this country. Oh gosh, I sure hope your knee heals soon!!! Keep us posted on it.

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    1. First time for me in Virginia, though I expect there are more throughout the state. I once saw a similar place not too far from our hotel when we were traveling through Colorado. I looked it up, it has been legal there since 2012. Here in Virginia the law passed July 1st, 2022. You can read about it at this link.

      https://norml.org/blog/2022/07/01/virginia-changes-to-marijuana-laws-take-effect-july-1/

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  17. I have bad knees, so I hear you. I hope you take care!

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    1. Thank you for the commiserations Jenn. I hope you take care also :)

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  18. Sorry to read about your twisted knee, Denise. Hopefully it will heal quickly! I enjoyed seeing your outing photos. How fun that you and your husband have lunch out once a week. We try to do that as well, but it's been too hot for a car picnic lately. Have a restful afternoon---ice that knee, it really helps!

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    1. So kind, thank you Martha Ellen :) We kept our air-conditioning on for our car picnic. But we wouldn't be able to do that for long. Thanks for the tip about icing the knee. I will remember that.

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  19. Sorry about the knee. The Banh Mi sandwich looks good.

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    1. Hi Christine and thank you :) The Banh Mi is consistently delicious how they make it.

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