General rules of the counter
- Arrive at the pot's hour. The broth is best early in its day. That is dawn for pho, lunch for borscht, evening for caldo verde and late night for Fukuoka ramen.
- Taste before you add. Condiments are offered, not required. Try the broth plain first; the cook built it to stand alone.
- Order the house thing. In a room that serves one soup, the one soup is the menu.
- Eat promptly. Noodles soften and broth cools. Conversation can wait outside, especially if people are queuing.
- Ask about the base. If you avoid meat, fish or pork, ask what the stock is made from. Garnishes rarely tell you.
Pho in Hanoi
Pho is breakfast in Hanoi, and many of the best shops are winding down by late morning. Learn three words: tái (rare beef sliced thin and cooked by the broth), chín (well-done brisket) and nạm (flank). Tái chín gets you both. On the table you will find lime, sliced chilli, chilli vinegar and sometimes pickled garlic. Northern shops serve fewer herbs than southern ones, and squeezing hoisin into the broth is a southern and overseas habit. Some regulars order a quẩy, a fried dough stick, to dip.
Ramen in Fukuoka and beyond
Many ramen shops in Japan use a ticket machine at the door: pay, take the ticket, hand it over. In Hakata tonkotsu shops you may be asked how firm you want the noodles. Barikata is very firm, katamen firm, futsū regular. Because the noodles are thin, portions are small, and the local custom is kaedama: when you finish the noodles, keep your broth and order a second serving of noodles into it. Slurping is normal, even polite; it cools the noodles and carries the aroma.
Bouillabaisse in Marseille
Real bouillabaisse is not cheap and not quick. Many houses ask you to order a day ahead and often for two people or more, because the fish is bought for you. It comes in two acts: first the saffron broth, with toasted croutons rubbed with garlic and a dish of rouille, a garlic and chilli mayonnaise thickened with bread or potato; then the fish, presented whole and carved at the table. Spread rouille on a crouton, float it on the broth, and do not rush.
Borscht in Ukraine
Borscht arrives as the first course at lunch. Stir in the smetana yourself, or leave it as a cool island and take a little with each spoonful. Pampushky, soft garlic-brushed buns, are torn and eaten alongside. Some households serve a few slices of salo, cured pork fat, with black bread. Asking where a cook's borscht recipe comes from is the most natural conversation opener there is.
Caldo verde in the Minho
Order caldo verde as the starter in any traditional tasca in the north of Portugal, or at night during a festival such as São João in Porto, when it is sold from stalls in the street. Break broa, the dense cornbread, into the bowl or eat it on the side. The soup should be green-flecked, not dark green; the kale is cut so finely that it barely cooks.
Paying, tipping and leaving
Customs vary. In Japan tipping is not expected and may confuse staff. In Vietnam small shops price in round numbers and you pay at the counter. In France service is included in the bill by law, and leaving a little extra for good service is a choice, not a duty. In Portugal and Ukraine rounding up is common. When in doubt, watch what the regulars do.
