I went and got pho for the first time in a long time the other day. But when I got my dish...

I went and got pho for the first time in a long time the other day. But when I got my dish, next to my bowl of pho was a small salad consisting of probably 70% cilantro and the rest bean sprouts and jalapenos.

I was really unsure what to do since the cilantro was incredibly fragrant, and I usually saw bean sprouts in ramen that I'd had before at other places. So I ate the cilantro stems and bean sprouts raw and whole before putting the last bit in my pho broth (and eating them whole once they got a little flavoring).

Is what I did correct? Is it normal to receive a shit ton of cilantro with vietnamese dishes and eat it like a lettuce salad?

they do that here too so yeah it's normal. I just munch on the bean sprouts separately and omit the cilantro. I do put the jalapenos in though

>Is what I did correct?

Did you enjoy it? If yes, then it was correct.

You are paying them for food. They give you food. You eat the food however the fuck you like.

Cilantro?

Pretty sure that's mint and Vietnamese basil.

Thats not cilantro. Thats thai basil.

Well, at first it was strange.. didn't know how to feel and didn't really like it, but I got used to it after a while. Probably won't eat as much as I did again though because of how strong and fragrant it was.

This is probably correct, although I asked the waitress what it was and she said "cilnatro and Vietnamese basil"

Also OP pic is not exactly what I ate

pic related is what was the majority on my salad plate

>jalapenos
They're called angry onions, dumbass.

It's a traditional way to clean your fingers after picking out the food. natural oils in the cilantro and the bean sprouts deodorize and scrub clean your fingers so they are not greasy and smell like soup after you're done eating.

Here's the traditional method of eating pho(sounds like fih when you say it) that not many people know about outside of Vietcong:

accept the soup and say thank you several times very loudly and bow without standing up

pull the meat and assorted vegetables one at a time out of the broth, using the cilantro as you go to stay neat

using two fingers on each hand, scoop the noodles up and into your mouth over the bowl, get the whole bunch right around the middle.

suck all the noodles up in one go and consume over the bowl.

rink the soup, clean your hands with the cilantro and place into the empty to be discarded.

That's odd. Was the waitress Vietnamese?

Anyway, the plate of veggies and herbs is a garnish plate for your soup, not a dish in it's own right.

I add mint, basil, and bean sprouts to my soup. Also that really yummy brown/purple sauce, whatever it's called.