Veggies in China
When it comes to food how much can one be suspicious ? Short answer
is there is no limit. There was this colleague of mine who came to
help me with the work for a short duration. Being an authentic veggie
- I advised him to carry the ready-to-eat packs that need to be
microwaved for half minute before eating. Always a prudent choice.
On day one, I took him to the restaurant and offered a veg noodle -
which is fresh rice noodles in a clear soup with leafy vegetables and
peanuts - it's served hot and has a bit of salt for taste - but it's
the 'flavor' that makes it really delicious. I personally enjoy it a
lot. Out of courtesy he accepted it but refused to touch it - he was
not sure if clear soup was pure veg. A very correct question - but I
had no answer. Now, food is one thing I don't force anyone about;
because apart from causing severe mental anguish; the consequences are
usually smelly and difficult to clean up!! So I left it at that.
The fool that I am, I was still hell bent on saving his R-2-E packs
when there is really no option - and so on day two I took him to
Indian food section where there was one veg set lunch - rice, eggplant
curry, veg salad and a soft drink like coke, pepsi etc. That day,
there was an addition of chutney - an attempt by a chinese cook
looking into recipe book but gone wrong along the way. After we
started eating, I realised that this friend of mine is eating rice
with this chutney-equivalent; a red chilly paste really. The curry was
indeed good with all the usual masaalaas. The problem this time was
the eggplant. Now, chinese egg plant is long thin and deep purple. On
cooking it becomes blackish. So the pieces resemble mashroom and that
was the end of it.
Two days - 30 Rmb gone waste _ i learnt a lesson. I used to eat my
lunch and then enjoyed the authentic MTR R-2-E packs for many days
after that. Probably explains the other mystery in my life these days
- trousers that seem to be shrinking at waist line :-)
(C) Abhijit Tongaonkar - 2006