Asian food should be MORE expensive
Summary
A Vietnamese-American straphanger makes a bold argument: Southeast Asian food should cost way more than it does. While Japanese and Korean restaurants have figured out premium pricing, pho and other Southeast Asian dishes remain criminally undervalued. She breaks down the economics with Kareem, comparing a $9 bowl of pho (made with bones, three types of meat, fresh herbs, and hours of labor) to a $30 cacio e pepe that takes five minutes to make. The culprit? Italian branding dominance. Europeans have convinced the world they're the ultimate foodies, but the real value lies elsewhere. Her verdict: you'll eat better in Cambodia than Paris.
Full Transcript
So what's your take? I think that Asian food should be more expensive. 100% agree. Make it more expensive. It's too cheap and it needs more respect. When I say Asian food, let me be more specific. I really think that like Japanese food and Korean, they take care of themselves well. Those are expensive. Those are expensive. But I'm thinking like Southeast Asian. I'm Vietnamese from my parents. Southeast Asian food should get more respect or at least should be treated equally as other any cuisines. Or people just need to to realize that cheap food doesn't make it bad.
No for sure. Like it needs to be respected. Need to be respect because the price tag gives the illusion that it's better, but it's not true. Let's be specific. I love Italian food. I love a good Cacio e Pepe. So it's the most common dish that can be like done in five minutes, you know? The the Vietnamese soup Pho. I love Pho. You have a broth that was made the day before with bones with a lot of love with the spices and everything. You have meat in three different forms mixed like the meatballs. You have the the rare meat. You have the cooked meat. You have fresh herbs. We have lemon. You have everything. It's nourishing. It's good for the soul. And the Cacio e Pepe, $30? Maybe 30, 30. And the Pho is what, nine?
It's 12 to 15. Cacio e Pepe shouldn't cost $30. Should cost $30? No. But people are willing to pay that. Cacio e Pepe $30 because the branding. Yes. You know why? The Italians have branded themselves as the foodies of the world. I would say every every food that has a European stage or is westernized in people's mind, it's it should be like more expensive. And I disagree with that. People should go to Cambodia. They're going to eat a lot better than they eat in Paris.
Oh great. Of course. Yes. Let's go. Let's go.