Landlady Snacks

Another knock, another snack. The only time she bothers knocking is when she brings me something tasty, which makes complaining about the other times difficult. These little fried rice-flour cakes are all webbed together and look like they were cooked in a circular pan with shell-shaped wells. They are pleasingly spongy and taste like fried and sugar.

I like her mismatched china. This is street fare that I see people munching in parks, at the zoo. It's usually served with chopsticks in small baggies with handles.

So! It's partially hydrated rice papers, like the kind with the treads all over that I see in asian grocery stores at home, liberally rubbed in chili paste, lime juice, with peanuts and dried beef. I had another version elsewhere that was much more finely shredded with quail eggs, dried strips of heart, and bamboo. It's good stuff, chewy, and the meaty lime/chili combo induces an unsightly snarfing effect in humans. Very filling, VERY cheap.

I came home late one night to find all the furniture had been moved out and a large group was sitting in a circle surrounding plates of food and fruit on the floor. This is pretty typical hosting style from what I spy through doorways. I picked my way awkwardly through, saying hi as I went, and my landlady pressed a warm beer and a mangosteen into my hand as I passed. This fruit is totally new to me, I've only ever heard of them before and only recently identified them in the markets.

It's quite juicy, textured all the way through, and the large section had a pit. Like every fruit here, it's mild and floral. I bought a bag the other day and came home to find she'd thrown them away because she thought they were old and trash. Sigh.

Manioc cake from my local bakery. I went searching for a recipe and it's mostly cassava root, coconut milk, and sugar. Springy and wetly squishy, not at all similar to western sponge cakes, and MMM. I will be making this at home.