Gastronomically Great!

Burmese food is generally not something you hear people rave about. And i wonder why! More people in the Western world should be tasting this marvelous food. My father sadly informed me that he has not been able to find a single Burmese restaurant in Phoenix and that's the 5th largest city in the US. This is sad.

Admittedly, we don't eat much ethnic Bamar food since we get fed all of the time by the people we teach for. This food is nice also, but here I would like to explain the ethnic Bamar food we have enjoyed.

FOOD - WHAT'S IN IT?
Generally if you approach a Bamar restaurant you will notice large pots of curries. Some of the curries consist largely (if not completely) of meat. Some of these choices include: fried chicken, fish curry, hard-boiled egg curry, goat meat-balls, and pork curry. Much of the time, the meat is covered in a red sauce made of tomatoes, onions and other goodies. It's mighty delicious.

Other pots of curry are vegetarian. Generally there is a bean curry (similar to an Indian dahl). There can also be sauteed greens, fermented bean paste, curried or pickled bamboo, potato curry and the like. My personal favorite is a black colored fermented bean paste called Pongyegyi. It is often mixed with onion, garlic and sometimes tomato and cilantro. A little on the rice goes a long way, but it is delicious!

Always on offer is a plate of lightly steamed or raw vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage, tamarind leaves and sometimes even young lime leaves. At every table there is also a bowl of chili and fish sauce.

ORDERING
It is said that one pays for the meat curry and the other "condiments" come free. I have asked numerous times if its possible to just order the vegetarian curries, but the overwhelming response seems to be no. We usually pick our meat curry the Filipino way: we point to the pot and nod our heads. This is not necessary if one speaks Burmese and therefore knows the names of each curry offered.

TABLE DISPLAY
At the table every diner receives his own plate of rice, bowl of soup and a small bowl of meat curry. When I say small, I mean small. The portions here are NOTHING like those found in America although many Americans would be surprised at the amount of rice served. In the middle of the table is places small bowls of the many different kinds of vegetable curries. Depending on the restaurant the number of veggie curries ranges from 2 to 8, possibly more. The bowl of raw veggies is also shared amongst the diners and it is kosher to dip the veggies into the hot sauce before popping it into your mouth.

The meal is also served with unlimited hot green tea.

Should you require more soup, or rice, the restaurant will happily provide it free of charge.

At some places, the meal is followed by a dish of fresh fruit and sweets made of palm sugar. These after dinner refreshment are supposed to aid in digestion. I think this may be true since I often feel more refreshed after eating the dessert than I did after I stuffed my face with rice and curry.

THE PRICE
We have been amazed at the prices of some Bamar restaurants. They range in price from 500 Kyat per person to 2000-3000 Kyat a person. Now one would expect that the portions for a 500 Kyat (<$0.50) meal would be ridiculously small, but this is no where near the case. It is true that the 500 Kyat meals sometimes only have 2 veggie curries to eat, but you still can eat as much rice as you want and you can still go away will a full belly!

When comparing prices of cheap meals in the countries we've been in, Myanmar by far has the best value for the price. In the Philippines, a plate of rice at a cheap eatery tends to be a small cup and after spending a dollar on a meal one could easily go away a little hungry. Noodles in Thailand, which are often considered only a snack, are just as expensive as a complete meal in Myanmar.

The best thing about the hole in the wall eateries is that their food is delicious! I never hesitate to walk into one (which was definitely not the case in the Philippines or even in Indonesia at times).

BOTTOM LINE
If you discover a Bamar food restaurant near you home, or even if it's a bit far you should visit it! You will not be disappointed!