D ecem ber 10. 2003 www.portlandobserver.com Comm itted to Cultural D iversity B (The •jJnrtlanii (Dbseruer C o nt in u n i t y ¿ l i e n d ¿i r What was making Pho Thanh Thao such a welcoming place fo r a diverse clientele in a neighborhood that has suffered economically until only recently? Party for Human Rights Celebrate the Universal Declara tion of Human Rights with inter national refreshm ents, music, dancing and speeches from stu dents of model United Nations programs and community activ ists at St. Andrews Community Center, at Northeast Eight Av enue and Alberta Street, from 5:30to9p.m „ Thursday, Dec. 10. Shopping Opportunity The Hail Mary Gallery, 1609 NE. Alberta St., is holding a Holiday Bazaar from noon to 6 p.m. Tues- days through S aturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 24 with an artist’s reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6. For more information, call 503-281 -6096. Home Improvement The Community Energy Project holds free workshops on water conservation and w eatheriza tion. For more information, call 503-2844962. Radical-Curious? Radical Women holds its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10 be ginning with a hearty meal for a $6 donation. The meeting is at the Bread and Roses Center, 8 19 N. Killingsworth. Formore infor mation, call 503-240-4462. Chimps Gone Wild Jane Goodall brings enthusiasts closerto nature with “Wild Chim panzees,” through May at the Omnimax Theater, 1945 S.E. Wa ter Ave. Tickets are $8.50. For m ore in fo rm a tio n , v isit www.wildchimpanzees.org. Get in Shape Providence Health Systems of fers Westside fitness classes at 4015 SW Mercantile Drive, Lake Oswego. Classes include step, ball and bar, cardio mix, cardio step, gentle-paced fitness, group strength training and Tai chi, to name a few. For a full schedule, ca ll 5 0 3 -5 7 4 -6 5 9 5 or v isit w w w.providence.org/classes. No Excuses Pacific Northwest Regional Blood Services asks Oregonians to run out o f excuses when it comes to donating blood. The agency is holding its annual MLK Day Blood and Marrow drive on Sat- urday.Jan. I7 from 7:30a.m .to2 p.m. at the American Red Cross, 3131 N. Vancouver A ve. Formore information, call 503-528-5476. Wild Oats Wellness W ild Oats W ellness Center pre sents free w orkshops at 3535 N.E. 15th Ave. (at Frem ont) in upstairs studio A. A lecture on H ealing D epression and A nxi ety is from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 10 and a class on the ben efits o f cloth diapering is from 3 t o 5 p.m. Dec. 13. Pre-register at 503-281-3262. A Healing Song Sankofaa Health Institute offers a free diabetes support group from 6 to 7:30 p.m. every third Thursday at Alberta Simmons Plaza, 611 N.E. MLK Blvd. For more information, call 503-285- 2484. NAACP Meetings T he Portland Branch o f the NAACP will hold two monthly executive committee meetings, one on the second Thursday of the month and the Thursday before the fourth Saturday of the month. General membership meet ings are held on the fourth Satur day o f each month. For more in formation, call 503-284-7722. More Than Just Noodles Vietnamese restaurant brightens Killingsworth- PCC Corridor by S ean P. N elson T he P ortland O bserver The Vietnamese-American diet is rich with fresh vegetables. Asian Americans in general are healthier and thinner because meat is used as a garnish in their dishes along with interesting vegetables, herbs and spices. This was evident by a sampling of a traditional Vietnamese dish called Bo La Lot served by Luat Nguyen, owner of Pho Thanh Thao, a new restaurant at 902 N. Killingsworth St. Bo La Lot is a dinner item consisting of charbroiled ground beef wrapped with a La Lot leaf. The mint flavored leaf comes on a plate along with pickled carrots, bamboo shoots, shredded cucumbers, nix,dies, rice papers and peanut dipping sauce. The idea is to roll all the ingredients in rice paper and dip it into the peanut sauce. It’s a hearty meal for only $8.95. But the real reason The Portland Observer dined here was to see what was making Pho Thanh Thao such a welcoming place for a diverse clientele in a neighbor hood that has suffered economically until only re cently? The answer is a combination of a family with a lot of restaurant experience and the expansion of nearby Portland Community College. Like many Asian-American success stories, Nguyen’s roots in business began through the hard work of his family, in this case his mother, Mary Hang, 62, who once ran a mom and pop market in Vietnam. She got the family into local business after coming to Portland in 1982, first establishing a Dza Thao and later Thanh Thao in the Hawthorne neighborhood. “My mother is the person who leads us,” Nguyen said. photo by The family credits its business success to a belief in themselves and locating in neighborhoods that are undergoing a renaissance. “We didn't know PCC would expand," Nguyen said. "We bought the building and decided to do it. The PCC expansion helps business a lot.” Pho (pronounced Fuh) is the Vietnamese word for noodle soup. A staple of the Vietnamese diet, it is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. The Vietnamese translation of the name Pho Thanh Thao means, bright, Bridge Builders Gala Coming generous or kind. The menu at the Pho Thanh Thao restaurant features a wide variety of pho and many other Vietnamese and Thai dishes at reasonable prices. "W e also have good chicken noodle soup, stir fry food and pad Thai noodles," Nguyen said. Lunch spe cials are served from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays. Business hours are 11 a.in. to 9 pm. The restaurant is closed Tuesdays. For more information, call 503-289- 3326. Dylan Jones, a high school junior, mentors Gunner Culver and Marcus Bush at Martin Luther King School in Vancouver. The kids are participating in the national “I Have a Dream Foundation," helping low income students reach their potential Event honors youth accom plishm ents A local organization supporting African-American youth is host ing a holiday gala later this month to honor young people while cel ebrating Kwanzaa. Bridge Builders' seventh an nual K w anzaa Gala and Initiates Ball will begin by the lighting ceremonial Kinara, a Kwanzaa tra dition. An ancestral call honor ing fallen heroes and p erfo r m ances by the Prospective G ents Club, the Imminent L adiesof V ir tue and o th e rs w ill en tertain young men and women who re cently com pleted rites o f passage, recent college graduates and their loved ones. The galaisat7:30p.m . Saturday, Dec. 27 at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts' Newmark The atre. Tickets for the K w anzaa gala are $30, and can be purchased at the Portland C enter for Perform ing Arts box office, at 1111 S W B roadw ay and v ario u s b u s i nesses in northeast Portland. For more inform ation, call 503-306- 2960, extension 3. M ark W ashinuton /T he P ortland O bserver Luat Nguyen is the owner of Pho Thanh Thou, a new restaurant on North Killingsworth Street. Located across from the old Renaissance Market and the future home of an expanded Portland Community College campus, the eatery is experiencing an explosion in popularity from both local residents and newcomers. PHOTOS COI RTESYOE P ai l S chroeder Vancouver Kids are DREAMERS Students get a boost to reach potentials A dd a group o f kids from to 91 fifth grade students at M ar low-income areas of Vancouver tin Luther King Elementary School to a national group o f students w ho are getting a boost in their e d u c a tio n an d c a re e r g o als thanks to the "I Have A Dream Foundation. The latest dream ers in Clark County arc thanking Coldw ell Bankers Barbara Sue Seal Prop erties for a $ 10.(MX) donation to the I Have a Dream Foundation o f southw est W ashington. T he donation will be targeted in V an eo u v er w h o had been adopted into the project tw o years ago. The I Have a D ream Founda tion helps children reach their highest potential by providing long-term mentoring, tutoring and enrichment activities. The donation from Coldwell Bankers cam e from a silent auc- tion to bid on item s donated by em ployees. Fifth-graders Jewli Chay (left) and Alla Kisilitsa are dreamers ’ from Martin Luther King Elementary School in Vancouver. i