Lobster, caviar, mussels, oysters, sushi, ribs, fondue, raclette… They all started as poor people’s dishes
And only became associated with luxury due to the insane costs of producing and shipping them at scale. Well, for the seafood anyways.
Don’t forget the scarcity through over extracting! Nothing says luxury like near extinction.
Foods that are for poor people in their country of origin suddenly spike in price when served in richer countries. Banh mi is like a dollar in Saigon but almost 9 in the US.
Though it was weird that bahn exists in the US when we have sub places in the US. Never ordered a bahn mi when pho is on the menu, but they look like small subs
Yeah it’s basically a sub with thai spices and sauces instead of mustard ketchup etc – there’s lots of places that are only bahn mi and nothing else, it’s getting quite popular.
I do like Vietnamese seasoning
