That's pronounced Nook Noo-eye, and it means foreigner in Vietnamese. It is also probably one of my most favorite words outside of the English language. Liz and I have been using it all the time to refer to ourselves and other foreigners (especially all the British gap year students who are travelling here before they go to college in the fall--there are loads of them).
My first Asian cooking experience was in Can Tho, with one of Liz's friends, Nhan (pronounced Nyong). She taught us how to make Banh Xeo, a type of pancake-y omelet thing that you wrap in lettuce leaves and dip in fish sauce (a sauce made from fish and probably msg) Banh Xeo is delicious, but very time-consuming to make.
Our first few turned out great, but as we continued cooking, they turned out sloppier and sloppier. Oh well. They still tasted great.
Second Asia cooking experience: A full-day cooking class in Laos! One of the best decision of my life was to take this course. We toured the market in the morning, led by our guide/chef/teacher extraordinaire: Phia. Then, went back to the Tamnak Lao Restaurant, where we were taking the course, and learned how to prepare 5 different Lao dishes (all of which were quite tasty, with lots of different flavors), sticky rice, and Lao chili paste. Their chilis are really hot, but they add 20-30 cloves of garlic and 3 tablspoons of sugar to the paste, so it actually isn't too spicy, just very very zesty and delicious.
Afterwards, we were so full, that we climbed up a mountain to watch the sunset. which was beautiful. but we're still full.
Tomorrow: Heffalumps and Woosels!
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