Fresh Vietnamese Srping Rolls with peanut dipping sauce. It was in the late 1980’s. The idea of Vietnamese food was still pretty “exotic and strange.” One of the friends I used to work with took all of us to this place called An Hong and I was hooked! I’m so bummed that An Hong is gone. They replaced it with a coffee house. Which is odd, because Vietnamese food took off like wildfire in our town, but that one place, which was one of the first is no longer there.
Indian Food. Another friend introduced me to the Indian buffet in the mid 90’s. I thought I’d gone to culinary heaven. I had been afraid that it would be super hot-spicy. Turns out that it’s spicy, but not particularly in the hot way, more in flavorful way. Aloo-ghopi (potatoes and cauliflower) is my favorite curry. I had only recently become a vegetarian, so this was like a dream come true.
Mango chutney, which I first tasted in England in 1986 with a ploughman’s lunch
Kimchee. My friend took me to a Korean restaurant in the mid-1990’s. Again, I was hooked on it. I love tart and spicy things, so kimchee really fits the bill.
Vegetarian Tom Kha Soup that I had at a Thai restaurant about 15 years ago. I never knew soup could be that good.
And last, but not least, Mango Sticky Rice that I had for dessert at another Thai Restaurant about 15 years ago, that sadly, also went out of business about 5 years ago. It was my favorite Thai restauarant in town. This dessert is sweet, and savory and tart at the same time. Never had anything like it. I’m not a big dessert eater, but this rocks my world.