On Friday November 20th Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that most non-essential businesses, including gyms, personal care services, and sit-down service in places such as bars, clubs and restaurants in two regions will be put on lockdown. This news comes shortly after lab confirmed details of COVID infections surpassing 100,000. Officials have said that regions will remain in their zone for a minimum of 28 days. This means that Toronto and Peel will be under lockdown until at least Dec. 21. The Covid-19 game of yoyo continues for all of us in the restaurant industry and you as the foodie.

Read more: Are restaurants open in Toronto? New Covid-19 Lockdown restrictions. Here’s what you need to know.

In the last few weeks Vietnam has been struggling to manage the damages caused by recent storms that have left more than 250,000 households in six provinces "inundated," since mid-October, and many areas  in 2 or 3 meters of water, according to the Vietnamese National Army. These floods and landslides have left more than 100 people dead and 20 missing as the numbers continue to rise. Tropical Storm Saudel is scheduled to hit the central Vietnam on Saturday and will cause damages that will affect the country’s agriculture, irrigation and transport. The floods have caused immense damage to agriculture of the country with More than 7,200 hectares of food crops flooded and damaged, and more than 691,000 cattle and poultry have been killed or swept away in flood water. "These devastating floods are some of the worst we have seen in decades," Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu, the president of Vietnam's Red Cross Society, said in a statement Tuesday.

Read more: What is happening in Vietnam?

We’ll be the first to admit that when you think of Vietnamese cuisine the culinary winner here will always be PHO. And let’s face it folks, even Campbells has a PHO broth on the market right now. Everyone wants PHO, everyone loves PHO, everyone is PHO-crazy… and yes we are PHO-real. Like the great Anthony Bourdain said “"For me, a good bowl of pho will always make me happy". So we totally get it. PHO makes us happy too. We are at the end of the day Toronto PHO. But what about the other dishes that rarely get to share the spotlight with this super popular Vietnamese noodle dish? What about Bun bo Hue? Goi cuon (Pork and/or shrimp rolls) or Cá Kho Tộ (marinated basa fish)? We can name so many but let’s focus on one of our own personal favorites Bánh Xèo.

Read more: Bánh Xèo is sizzling its way into your next take out order!

Just when we think we are officially out of the woods we somehow find ourselves back here again. The COVID-19 saga continues here at TORONTO PHO. Yesterday the province of Ontario announced that they are imposing new restrictions and guidelines to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Read more: Why Ordering Direct Helps Restaurants During Covid-19 lockdowns.

A world-record holder, Vietnamese cuisine has now earned five new records! As fans of Vietnamese eating continues to rise, homegrown traditionalists can be proud of this new recognition. The uniqueness of Vietnamese eating distinguishes it from its neighbouring counterparts in Asia. Though elements of Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, and even French cuisine exist in Vietnamese, this type of cooking and the ingredients they use are entirely Vietnam-specific. Without further ado, let’s take a deep-dive into the world records Vietnamese cuisine was awarded by the World Records Union earlier this year.

Read more: Did You Know Vietnamese Cuisine Recently Earned 5 New World Records – It’s True!

Vietnamese cuisine is distinct. It amalgamates various Asian cuisines. It features farm-fresh ingredients from the baskets of Vietnamese farmers. It also holds some little-known influence from French cuisine. Connections Between French Cuisine and Vietnamese Cuisine From 1887 until 1954, Vietnam was under French rule. A colony of France, the land recognized today as Vietnam was once the home of many French soldiers. Here, they lived and shared language, culture, and more. In total, France had rule over Vietnam for nearly 70 years. Two whole generations of people had come and gone by the time the French withdrew. By the end of their colonial rule in Vietnam, a lot of French influence had already taken root in Vietnamese culture, art, religion, and architecture. One area where there was an undeniable mark on Vietnam was in the food. Despite their independence declaration in 1954, there was forever a mark on Vietnamese cuisine from decades of French-style living.

Read more: You Wouldn’t Have Vietnamese Cuisine As We Know It Without A French Influence