Wednesday, December 15, 2004

I've been watching

a programme on telly about the hundred favourite foods of the British as voted by viewers. Fish came out as number one. Thai food was listed in the top five. Fish is such a generic term that I can't disagree with it's number one spot but the most astonishing food I've ever tasted by far must be Thai. I was taken to a Thai restaurant about 10 years ago and was fairly po faced about it because (miserable get that I am) I thought the food would be a variation of Chinese food, and hey, who hasn't eaten their fair share of Chinese food? No disrespect to our Chinese brothers and sisters.

Vegetable tempura in the lightest most mouthwatering batter was served first with a sweet chili dipping sauce. I was entranced. This was followed by a hot and spicy chicken soup scented with lime leaves and lemon grass. Silence overcame me because of aromas and tastes I had simply never before experienced in my entire life. Even long after I can still remember the restaurant, the table and the food which had so clearly been passed down to us by the very Gods themselves. And mark my words I'm an athiest. It was such an assault on my senses, so delicious that in gratitude I briefly considered giving all my worldly goods to the chefs and converting to Islam. In the following weeks I bored people to death with a tale of food so awesome it could barely be described using a crude medium like language.

10 years after, Thai remains for me the most exquisite food on this planet.

No comments: