nones

Ahhh! Perfect! I could die in a moment like that and have no regrets.

I believe that the Vietnamese refer to the unfried kind as Goi Cuon (sounds like, in my very bad vietnamese accent, Goy Kwan) and the fried spring rolls as Cha Gio (sounds like Chai Ya). At least, this is so in the region that my co-workers are from.

I am living in the Caribbean and, so it seems, I am always looking for something refreshing. I am very familiar (possibly too familiar, some might say)with many of the favourites listed. I think I may have one to add that has come in handy on many occasions. How about a nice Sangria!! We macerate oranges and lemons with sugar and Cointreau(or Triple Sec) and then add the wine. We try to do this the day before we need it and what we end up with is a lovely beverage that we and our guests have enjoyed on many occasions.

I have had the absolute joy of cooking for and with my 7-year old niece since very nearly her first meal. It was discussed and decided, with my sister, that I would make all of her baby food and I was given carte blanche. I read any book I could get my hands on that had any relevance to feeding young children, their nutritional requirements or foods not recommended for young ages. I set out roasting beets and blanching fresh peas. I cooked sweet potatoes, sauteed mushrooms and grilled asparagus. Anything that was fresh - I cooked, pureed, froze in ice cube trays and labeled in freezer bags. I took it seriously. It was so exciting to think I could be responsible for helping a little human come to love and appreciate food! Often when I cooked for my extended family, I had her in a sling, watching. She always loved it and later on she would sit on the counter beside me while I cooked. These days, when I am there, she is an active participant in my cooking, often making viable suggestions and asking delightful questions. Unfortunately, I am living far away and we must make due with a couple of weeks each summer of cooking and foraging (and hunting for fairies). She did, like all children, go through a finicky stage. But, it really only lasted a couple of months and now she is requesting chicken hearts on a whim (‘cause they look yummy) and ordering mussels whenever she sees them on a restaurant menu. I can see that she has a whole world of food in front of her and will spend her life in pursuit of a good meal. Not such a bad way to go through life……