A Le Anh For Every Palate

Many years ago, probably in the 1980s, There was Le Anh Chinese Food, a food truck on Spruce Street at the University of Pennsylvania. It thrived and had a loyal following. The person who owned it was named Le Anh. Then at some point (still long ago) Le Anh decided to get out of the business, and sold the stand to someone else. The name came with the deal.

A few years later Le Anh decided to get back into the business. Naturally the old location was desireable, because that's where the customer base was waiting. But one has to register with the state, and no two firms in the same business can have the same name. The person who had bought the first stand was not about to sell Le Anh the name back, even though it really was Le Anh's name in the usual sense.

That's why you see two Le Anhs before you. In the foreground is The Real Le Anh, who was the earliest of the two, or if you're talking about the person. In the background is Le Anh Chinese Food, as long as you mean the food truck.

There are other versions of the story, including one with the two being siblings, but one thing is agreed by all: when you want Chinese for lunch or supper, you want to go to The Real Le Anh. And the name having "The Real" is not competitive in the minds of either food vendor, as it would be if they were native English speakers.

If I'd wandered by at a time when I was ready to buy a bowl of pho soup, I'd have asked to blip the actual Le Anh. But this is my best shot. Le Anh's white shirt is visible through the window of the cart. She's a nice lady.