Sweltering in Arkansas

English Classes for Vietnamese, Fort Chaffee, 1975

Pho and Salad Roll, Pho 21

We are in the midst of a major heat wave here in middle America -- maybe other places as well. It is in the upper 90's and relentlessly sunny. As you all know, that is NOT our kind of weather. Today was a shorter driving day and we arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas a bit earlier then usual. Hot Springs was chosen for it's convenience on the map, and not much more. Before we got there we had the always important matter of lunch to deal with. We determined that Fort Smith was the halfway point and our research told us about something very unexpected --- a Vietnamese Pho place in a repurposed gas station, listed as P.H.O. on Google, but actually named Pho 21.  Fort Smith is just east of the Oklahoma border, and is also the former site of Fort Chaffee, one of the relocation centers where evacuees from S. Vietnam were held until they could find sponsors and be "integrated" into this country.  This process took much less time then anticipated by officials, due to the enlistment of some of the  educated bilingual refugees, many of whom were higher ups in their government and business. Most of the refugees moved on to other states, but a vestige of that immigration is evident in Fort Smith today.You can read more at: http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=5562.  What a wonderful ethnic twist to find in the middle of whitebread America. Excellent pho, salad roll, and grilled pork bánh mì sandwich. The best sandwich ever, in fact! Tonight's important factoid: "Bánh mì" was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on March 24, 2011.

Park Hotel Entrance

Running Ice Water. Nice Idea! Too bad it's disconnected!

   Upon our arrival in Hot Springs, neither of us felt like going for a two-hour hot soak in mineral water (ha ha. Maybe in the winter or spring.) We are staying in an old pile of a historical building -- The Park Hotel, built in 1930 -- right in town. It reminds me of my grandmother's apartment in the Bronx. But it does have A/C which she certainly didn't have. We are working up the energy to go out and explore in the town but it is hard to move off the bed and into the outer world. Later we will be going to a place called Stubby's for BBQ. Today we listened to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" as we drove along -- supposedly on some of Arkansas' most scenic roads, but I don't think they hold a candle (or even a match) to anything we have out West. Internet not working in the room so this will have to post tomorrow.

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Stubby's. We were the thinnest patrons, for sure.

Okay -- feeling much better. Internet working and Stubby's was terrific. Our first, but certainly not our last BBQ, of the trip. Lots and lots of very well done and lean ribs. I've learned to request the burnt ends, which is what I like, and they were very accommodating. The place had a good vibe to it, too. Racially integrated, which is maybe more the way the South is? At least some of the time. This town exudes a past era ----- the main street is lined with stately, huge bath houses that were once tres chic (in the 1930's) and are still well maintained despite usage having peaked in the 1950's. They stand opposite an unfortunate collection of totally cheesy, awful souvenir shops filled with icky tourist crap. Thank god for Stubby's or this stopover might have been a near-total loss.


- - Andrea