Do you think you can handle spicy foods? That’s cute, because no, no you can’t. I’ve bragged about it in the past that I can eat spicy foods. When given the chance and am able to choose the level of spiciness in a dish, I’ll forego “very spicy” and ask for “ETHNIC SPICY”. I once went to an Indian spot in Cote des Neiges and the waiter asked me how spicy I wanted my food. I told him to make it as spicy as he would eat it. He asked me THREE TIMES if I was sure, and I told him THREE TIMES that I was. I regretted it 20 seconds after I took my first bite. This was the first time I made this mistake. The second time I made the mistake of ordering ultra super spicy, was at the newly opened all you can eat Chinese hot pot spot in Ville Saint-Laurent, Première Fondue.
Tag:
Chinese
Remember the last time you were at the Asian market picking up your pickled mustard greens, pork trotters, salted fish and bottle of lye and saw stacks on stacks of aluminium tins with old Asian aunties huddled around them making deals and trading back and forth like they were gambling plaques from Macau? That coveted aluminium tins house one of the season’s most illustrious treats – Moon cakes! But what are they and why do we eat them at this time of year?
There’s no denying the fact that I love Chinese food. All of it; saucy stews and crispy noodles of Cantonese cuisine, spicy numbing stir fry dishes and fiery soups of Szechuan, sweet and sour notes of Hunan. The magic of Chinese food is that China is over 9 Million square kilometres, has 23 provinces and boarders 14 countries. The fine intricacies of Chinese food change from region to region and reflect the locally available produce, ingredients and influences of neighbouring countries. It’s all “Chinese food” but all very different, but similar. I recently checked out Restaurant Delice Oriental (Huang He Lou), a spot downtown serving up classic Szechuan, Hubei and Hunan specialties.