A website called The Best and the Worst is asking for contributions. Write an entry
for it which describes the best meal you ever had and the worst. Explain the
reasons for your choices (16 marks)
I’ve always
been interested in learning new words and phrases as an English Teacher and
this week I learned two of the best words I have ever come across- ‘Cassava
Fries.’ My husband and I were at a new Southern American restaurant called ‘Los
Iguanas’ and I was intrigued by what these strange new fries were. As a fan of
chips, French fries, curly fries, spicy fries, rustic fries, wedges and any
type of potato accompaniment to a meal, I elected to investigate- for
scientific reasons of course!- what these ‘Cassava Fries’ actually were.
When the
meal came, I made a beeline to the strange, elongated prisms that I presumed
were the Cassava Fries (but looked like parsnips) and I tentatively cut one
open. The texture was similar to a croquet potato with a roast potato-like
skin. I popped this strange, new foodstuff in to my mouth and was instantly a
fan! I’ve never tasted anything so delicious in all my life. Soft, fluffy and
full of flavour, these fries gave the others a run for their money in my new
favourites list! The only downfall, I found, was that I only got a measly
three. I would have gratefully accepted at least ten of these delicious
inventions but on the other hand, I did feel very cultural for eating this
Brazilian dish and had one word to describe them; ‘delicioso.’
Now that I
have stopped salivating for the time being, I must also warn you off possibly
the vilest thing I ever come across during my culinary travels and this was a
very strange, Indian dish that was served to me during some home tuition. There
I was, teaching until my heart was content and looking forward to that week’s
treat as I always received some exotic, beautiful treats from this family such
as the delicious ‘bonda’ or fried plantain. However, despite my eagerness to
try something new, this day pushed my tastebuds to the limit and beyond...
The door
opened, George (the pupil’s father) came in carrying such an intriguing cup
with steam swirling up and I thought; ‘Mmmm...this will be nice.’
How wrong I
was. Very wrong and very mistaken.
I peered in
to the cup like a child peeping in to a half-unwrapped present and my sense of
anticipation swiftly and unceremoniously disappeared. Staring in to the cup I
can only report that the visual inspection of the contents looked like...
diarrhoea. I apologise for the crudeness of this description but this is what
it looked like. Now, in India, it is considered rude to decline an offer of
food. My mind raced as I thought of some ‘Get out of jail free’ excuse to not
try this:
·
I
was unwell.
·
I
was full.
·
I
was allergic to something in it.
·
Fake
a heart attack.
Ok...so I
know you are thinking the last option a bit extreme but trust me- you weren’t
there. You have NO IDEA how awful this ‘exorcist bile’ looked. I chose option
two; I was full. ‘Yes, that would do’, I thought to myself. I coupled this with
an ‘I’m on a very strict diet’ speech and I think I got away with it. It was a
close call. Too close.
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