Political Candidates Now Using Pho to Pander to Vietnamese Voters in Little Saigon

How long until Pho 79 becomes our Versailles?

It's the height of election season, and us Mexis have grown accustomed to politicians going to a popular local Mexican restaurant (King Taco in Los Angeles, Mi Tierra in San Antonio, Chipotle nationwide) and taking a picture with a sombrero and a taco in hand, all to show how down they are with the brown. It's an absolutely ridiculous spectacle, but one long ingrained in American politics.

And now, it's starting to happen to pho.

Today, the Orange County Register ran a piece on the two candidates running for the 72nd Assembly District race, Troy Edgar and Travis Allen. But the focus of the piece was on how both candidates are targeting the votes of Vietnamese, because the district covers almost all of Little Saigon and its subsequent electoral power.

Allen told the paper that he's in Little Saigon canvassing for votes "daily," and that "pho has become my new favorite food."

GROAN. What's next: Allen taking photos while slurping down the pho dac biet at Pho Thach Lich? The sad thing is that this is very likely--the race is so tight that both candidates will stop at nothing to gain an edge, so Allen's quote was very deliberate and will no doubt be used by his Vietnamese supporters as proof he's down with the Viet.

But the bigger question, Travis: if pho is your favorite food, what's your favorite spot?