I have a real soft spot in my cold, cold heart for Vietnamese cuisine. I attribute this mostly to the wonderful Vietnamese restaurants and grocery stores along Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis where I lived during my years at college. In Minneapolis, Vietnamese means one thing: Mock Duck (and/or Tofu) in almost every kind of dish imaginable. Most other places I've been, it means a drastically-reduced offering that is so boring that it verges on The Default Chinese Veg Stir-Fry.

In Chicago, the Land Where Nobody Ever Heard of Mock Duck, my choices have basically been simple stir-fry dishes with tofu, and tofu spring rolls (so-so) in a couple of places. Soon, after trying the last of the 15 or so Vietnamese restaurants in my neighborhood, I will decide which one I like best, bring them a can of Mock Duck, and ask them to prepare it for me in a creative way. Wait and see...