D ecem ber 10. 2003
www.portlandobserver.com
Comm itted to Cultural D iversity
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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