Burma has been in the news a great deal as of late, because Obama took the first official state visit to Burma ever, just last week.
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As we near the end of the Bs (finally!) we were taken on a grand adventure by one of our most devoted PIG Project loyalists, Thelma, to explore the cuisine and culture of Burma. Thelma spent 2 1/2 years on the Thai/Burma border, and then worked in the U.S. for the U.S. Campaign for Burma. She told us about a restaurant that is “the best Burmese restaurant on the East coast” that turned out to be in a strip mall about 6 minutes from our apt, Myanmar Restaurant.
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I expected Burmese food to taste like Thai food. While it was similar in some ways, it had its own completely unique flavors.
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The taste highlight of the night, in my opinion, was the Lephet Thoke a Burmese fermented tea leaf salad. I’ve not had anything else quite like it, so it’s hard to describe. It was a really intense flavor, and absolutely delicious. The kind of food that when you think of it you want to HAVE it in your mouth RIGHT NOW. A taste memory that really sticks with you.
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Another favorite was the Samosa soup. Who ever thought of going to all the trouble of making Samosas and then putting those into soup form is a genius.
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We had a few curries, but they were unlike either Indian or Thai curries. They were unique and flavorful.
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Thelma also chose Mohinga a traditional breakfast noodle soup in Burma, and several meat dishes (we’ll have to get Neil to opine about those).
During our meal we pressured Thelma into giving us a little history about Burma and tell us about her work there, and she obliged. Burma is an extremely diverse country full of natural resources, and amazing people. There are 127 distinct ethnic groups in Burma. The natural resources Burma holds make it a target for other nations, like the U.S. and China who want to open up Burma for foreign investment. This pressure has driven the “democratization” of Burma, but so far the changes are largely superficial.
After our delectable dinner we headed back to our apt. for some leftover Thanksgiving cherry pie and Thelma showed us this short documentary film, “Click in Fear” about a Burmese man who photographed the 2007 Saffron Revolution in Burma. He was able to capture some amazing images of courage because he was so brave about openly photographing people, despite repression and harassment by the Junta. This film was screened this past summer, during the first ever open film festival held in Burma. It was the first time many Burmese people had seen these images.
Thelma also showed us this amazing map she made to document conflict and human rights abuses since Thein Sein took power. Thein Sien is the former military commander who was elected President of Burma in March 2011. The map illustrates that human rights abuses are still occurring in Burma to this day. This map is amazing. Just like Thelma! Her passion for Burma really shines through when she talks about her work and all her dear friends who continue to struggle for true democracy in Burma.
Featured image of U Min Thonze take by Riger Price photo here, used under Creative Commons guidelines.