Five spots for banh mi

I'm all for DIY, but there are certain things you (or at least I) just can't get right at home. One of them is the banh mi sandwich, with its tricky mix of pickled veggies and Southeast Asian spices on a crusty-chewy French roll. It's a byproduct of long-gone French Indochina (now Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam).

"The banh mi sandwich is really the only good argument for colonialism," the writer Calvin Trillin once observed in The New Yorker.

Fortunately, you can find them right here in French Indo-Iowa (now Des Moines) all for a measly $3 or $4. So fill a bag and eat them outside; they're perfect for a picnic.

Bonus: The C Fresh Market, at 801 University Ave., is a lively, mostly Asian supermarket with a built-in deli like any old Price Chopper or Hy-Vee. So try the crispy or grilled BBQ pork banh mi and then stop by the frozen aisle for popsicles flavored with red beans, mangoes, lychees and more.

Gateway Market

2002 Woodland Ave., 515-243-1754

At $9.50, the vegan tofu banh mi is pricier than its meaty cousins elsewhere, but it's stuffed with barbecued tofu, vegannaise, sriracha, carrots, cucumbers and cilantro.

Pho 888

1521 Second Ave., 515-288-1595

This place in the heart of Second Avenue's "Little Asia" is always busy, so call ahead for take-out banh mi if you're in a hurry. Pro tip: Don't call an Illinois restaurant with the similar name, as I once did by accident a few months ago.

Pho All Seasons

1311 E. Euclid Ave, 515-330-1840

The sandwiches here are even better than the restaurant's name, which is saying something. They're piled with cold cuts or grilled meats, pork pate, pickled carrots and radishes, cucumbers and jalapenos. It's pho-star sandwich, pho sure.

Tacopocalypse

407 E. Fifth St., 515-556-0571

Try them with lemongrass pork, Korean chicken or bulgogi (marinated beef), tofu or even a fried egg. Your bored tastebuds will thank you.

Vietnam Cafe

Merle Hay Mall, 3800 Merle Hay Road, 515-252-8713

Need a quick pit stop? Sit for a bit at the food court and enjoy the barbecued pork banh mi — a fresher, healthier option than most of the other food-court fare.