> I hate that outside the probably 5 biggest US cities it's all so boring. Maybe I'm getting old and have rose-colored glasses but I feel like this wasn't the case 20 years ago.
What makes you think this is the case? Just last week I had tasty Vietnamese food on the lakeshore of a tiny rural Vermont town: https://www.yelp.com/biz/pho-farm-morgan
It was both delicious and unexpected, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't there 20 years ago. I think there's still lots of good food to be found outside those cities than you might think.
Since I brought it up, I guess I might as well ask: is pineapple common in Vietnamese noodle dishes? I had their "House Vermicelli" with grilled pork, and was pleasantly surprised by the pineapple. Is it a regional thing, or a substitute for something they didn't have available? I don't think I've had it this way before.
I hate that outside the probably 5 biggest US cities it's all so boring. Maybe I'm getting old and have rose-colored glasses but I feel like this wasn't the case 20 years ago.