road to phở

i have kindasorta set my sights on making phở bò... i used to consider it something that would never be within my reach. at some point, i don't know when, it became something i thought i would maybe make at some point in the distant future. but now i'm finally starting to feel... i could do that. i might be able to achieve it. i have a good recipe by Minh-Tâm Trân, i have a lot of the basic skills...

so i guess i have challenged myself to making it some time soon. it would be great to get to use some spices that i bought a while ago but haven't had much occasion to use.

main problems:

• it takes like 6 hours to make the broth, so probably best to do that the day before. requires planning.
• i would need a whole lot of expensive beef if i'm going to follow the recipe (and i'm starting to learn that it's a good idea to follow the recipe properly on the first try).
• even once the broth is made, the plating is kind of elaborate. combine that with the expense, and it seems like a shame to do all that for just myself. so ideally i'd like to have some other people eating.