20 Trends Sweeping The Globe
A culinary fusion from the days of French Indochina, the banh mi sandwich is rapidly invading the U.S. It's made on a small French loaf, or pain de mie, and is stuffed with delicious Vietnamese ingredients like cilantro, daikon radishes, onions, peppers, chilies and ground pork. Today this stellar street food is spreading out of immigrant communities and into the North American mainstream. San Jose, Calif.-based Lee's Sandwiches is the first company to franchise the concept and already has more than 30 stores in California, Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma. If you're still waiting for a purveyor to open at your local mall, consider making one yourself. D.I.Y. difficulty rating? Easier than sushi but harder than a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
By Elisabeth Eaves