My Sweet Ol' Gal Has A Drinking Problem and Thoughts of Food During the 70's
May 4, 2012 10:57 am
Updated: May 21, 2012 5:41 pm
I need some help here. I know this is a food site and I will get to that later but first I need to tackle a major problem. My sweet ol' gal has a drinking problem that started in the late 70’s and she’s beginning to siphon
the life out of my bank account. The moment I laid eyes on her it was love at first sight and we’ve been in a continuous relationship since 1978. In the beginning I wasn’t aware of her drinking problem or perhaps I just didn’t care. She refuses to go to G.A.
and stays holed up in her room for days on end listening to her 8-track tape player. I occasionally take her out for some exercise but she insists on drinking too much during these excursions. I’ve contemplated getting rid of her or sending her off to my grandson,
though I seriously doubt he can afford to take care of her. Maybe I can find someone else that can afford to take care of her. She’s low maintenance except for her obsessive drinking – guzzling might be a better word. Maybe it’s time to get a younger gal that
doesn’t have a drinking problem. Although, I doubt anyone could look as stunning as her even with her drinking problem. Too bad the dollar store doesn’t sell her favorite beverage, that way we could be happy forever. Help and suggestions wanted! Oh, by the
way G.A. = gasaholics anonymous.
1978 Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Now onto the food:
Since we were in the 70’s, with the above, I’ll share a couple of my favorite recipes that I discovered in 1970. When I returned home from my tour of duty in Vietnam, still clear in my mind were the culinary experiences I had
while “in country.” As time went by I often wondered if these fond memories of Vietnamese food would fade. Two of those recipes were Banh Xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crepes with pork, shrimp and other goodies) and Cha Gio (Vietnamese version of egg rolls) eaten
with Nuoc Cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce made with fish sauce, I highly recommend Viet Huong Three Crabs Brand). But then around 1978 the nucleus of Little Saigon in Orange County, California began. Living in Orange County at the time I thought, wow, what
an opportunity to refresh those memories of Vietnamese food. So with my limited knowledge of the Vietnamese language I headed off to Little Saigon. The sounds and aromas hit me as though I was right back “in country”. After asking a few questions and pointed
in the right direction for my ingredients, I was on my way to recreating a couple of recipes. Jackpot! The recipes were just as I remembered maybe even better due to fresh ingredients. I later found out that the ingredients could be bought at any store, well
maybe not the cha gio wrappers and nouc mam (fish sauce) at that time, but with the infusion of Vietnamese food that it is today they can be bought anywhere now. I don't have the exact measurements for the recipes, they're all from memory. Perhaps I should
write them down some day. Here are a couple of sites to give you some ideas.
Banh Xeo:
http://theculinarychronicles.com/2012/01/01/banh-xeo-vietnamese-sizzling-crepes/<
Cha Gio:
http://rasamalaysia.com/vietnamese-spring-rolls-cha-gio-recipe/<
Nuoc Cham:
http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2008/11/basic-vietnamese-dipping-sauce-nuoc-cham.html<
Most nuoc cham recipes use sugar, I don't but feel free to use it. I basically just use equal parts of fish sauce and vinegar or rice vinegar, juice from a half of lemon, water to taste, 1 clove of garlic pressed and garlic
chili sauce to taste. As you gain experience with this dipping sauce, adjust it to suit your preferences. There's no secret formula its just a matter of adjusting it to your taste.
