The Soul (Heart & Gut) is in The Food
Had the munchies around midnight last night while cruising the local side of the night bazaar so I stopped at a noodle stand that I stalked the night before. Had no idea what I got myself into - just pointed at some glass noodles and various herbs, spices and condiments. The cook mixed them all together, poured the concoction into a bowl - and I had the tastiest, and certainly most memorable bowl of soup I've had the pleasure of indulging in at the venerable midnight hour. At the cost of 15 baht (45 cents), it sent my palate into a blissfull state of sastisfaction.
(I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I regurgitated the noodles and its accoutrements the following day in the afternoon hour. While visiting a temple, I made an unintended donation to Lord Buddha. To my credit, I did it with finesse and grace...I found myself a spot along the mountain side, perched myself behind a bush and shared my noodles from the night before with the "Other World").
In my humble experience, the most authentic, soulful and tastiest foods of any given cultural enclave and community come from the streets - figuratively and literally. So in my quest for gastronomical adventure, I haven't stayed away from the "different,", the "unusual," the "interesting," and the "unfamiliar." I've always felt that when you open yourself up to food in that way, you open yourself up to the people and their culture - as so much of the soul, heart and gut of a community are reflected in their culinary art - the preperation, the presentation and the humble giving of one's self.
(So your tummy might reject a meal or two - that just goes to show how sanitized our tummies are...a direct consequence of our obsession with our sanitized approach to food - the result being often times accepting soul-less meals at worst, and nourishing ourselves behind the veneer of the "safety of the bland" at best).
(I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I regurgitated the noodles and its accoutrements the following day in the afternoon hour. While visiting a temple, I made an unintended donation to Lord Buddha. To my credit, I did it with finesse and grace...I found myself a spot along the mountain side, perched myself behind a bush and shared my noodles from the night before with the "Other World").
In my humble experience, the most authentic, soulful and tastiest foods of any given cultural enclave and community come from the streets - figuratively and literally. So in my quest for gastronomical adventure, I haven't stayed away from the "different,", the "unusual," the "interesting," and the "unfamiliar." I've always felt that when you open yourself up to food in that way, you open yourself up to the people and their culture - as so much of the soul, heart and gut of a community are reflected in their culinary art - the preperation, the presentation and the humble giving of one's self.
(So your tummy might reject a meal or two - that just goes to show how sanitized our tummies are...a direct consequence of our obsession with our sanitized approach to food - the result being often times accepting soul-less meals at worst, and nourishing ourselves behind the veneer of the "safety of the bland" at best).
posted by Islandmele at 10:46 AM
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