That’s Lucas Whitehead, my cousin and Chicago host extraordinaire who I’m extremely grateful for. That night he took me to eat amazing Vietnamese soup and later to watch The Improvised Shakespeare Company, both of which I sit in praise of!

It was this bowl of beef testicle dumpling soup with bits of other random meat pieces that started my vietnamese soup kick. I’ve been searching for pho, or some sort of vietnamese soup that could rival this, here in Santa Cruz, but have so far come up short every time. I still get cravings for the MSG/Sriracha/Hoisin Sauce laden broth and soft delicious dumplings every few weeks, but it remains an itch I cannot scratch. So, I look forward to visiting Chicago, taking the train to track down this lesser known joint, making my way down the small dark street, below the station platform, and futily trying to relive the experience one more time.