Here is an excerpt from the blog "My Daughter's Kitchen."
From the time my children were in grade school, their favorite takeout dinner, hands down, was the vermicelli noodles and chicken topped with spring rolls from Vietnam Restaurant in Chinatown.
I don't mean to suggest that they were super adventurous eaters, because they weren't. But my husband used to bring home this dinner for the two of us, and soon enough the kids wanted to taste what their parents were eating. Shortly thereafter, they wanted Styrofoam containers of their own.
It was just familiar enough, with noodles, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, and peanuts, but a little bit exotic and grown-up with mint and spicy chili peppers. The nuoc cham sauce was served on the side, and could be skipped, until their palates were ready for the salty, fishy, fermented taste.
