I have a standing appointment with my barber every 2 weeks. And because my 2nd favorite Vietnamese place is on the way to his shop, that’s where I go for breakfast- usually egg or spring rolls and some kind of pho. One of the ingredients in some of their pho is tripe. I’ve never had tripe, AFAIK, but I’ve eaten all kinds of other dishes that include parts of digestive tracts, like sausages, gumbos with chitlins, and so forth.
So 2 weeks ago, as I was sitting in the chair getting shorn, I decided I’d get one of the pho with trip the next time. In the interim, I actually went to my FAVORITE Vietnamese joint and looked for tripe…and they had none.
Today, I followed through by ordering pho with flank steak and tripe.
I have to say that I don’t get the appeal. It wasn’t BAD, but unlike the flank steak, it didn’t really have a flavor strong enough to be detected as distinct from the broth and veggies. Its texture was like a slightly firmer noodle.
Considering it was originally a food ingredient mainly for the poor, I can understand why there would be recipes that included it. But there was no discount- my pho was just as expensive as a bowl with all pricier ingredients.
So, while I won’t avoid tripe in the future, I’m not seeking it out, either.