27th Anniversary

Apparently all hell was breaking loose over at the Fun Factory while we were enjoying our anniversary. Much appreciated!

We went to my happy place, at mrguy's suggestion. 

Saw these awesome toofs candies but did not buy.

I had promised myself that I'd buy these Canh Chua fixins and make soup the next time I was at the market. Oh my gosh it was delicious. 

We bought a case of mangoes, yummy snax, some basil seed drink and chrysanthemum tea, itty bitty bananas and some pre-grated green papaya for papaya salad. And some different fish sauce. Wooo!

Then we went to a new distillery in town. It's over by where the forklift factory used to be, next to the train tracks. The owner was sooo nice -- just two guys behind a roll-up door, with a tasting table propped up on kegs. He inoculates his batches with local yeast from his neighborhood -- there's a kombucha brewery nearby and some other business (maybe a bakery?) that releases some tasty wild yeast into the air. That, and a little breeze gives him what he needs. I am not a vodka person, but his vodka had amazing mouth feel. His Monterey Pine gin was also delicious. And his rum! Tastes like an eau de vie, but without a specific fruit flavor added. We bought all three. His amaro that he's working on is not done. It tastes like Indian food -- like turmeric., by some sort of magic that does not involve turmeric.

Anyhoo, we walked away with three bottles, and then went to the brewery next door and had a beer and a great conversation with a former Honolulu TV journalist, who is now in Development at a non-profit here that takes care of people. I admit that our conversation started when she complimented me on my grandmother's diamond ring which I happened to be wearing. She used to work at the Salvation Army in Honolulu but got recruited by the non-profit here. I was able to tell her that the shirt I was wearing I bought at the Salvation Army on Beretania! With granny's ring (hahaha granny!).

Back home I made the soup, and an apricot pie (ok can I say that the recipes varied in the amount of sugar required -- from 2 cups to 1/4 cup. I chose 1/4 cup and it was so sour that we ate mangoes on our apricot pie all week. I'll try to remember that more sugar is good the next time I make an apricot pie).

The soup was the winner of the day. Fish soup with yummy Vietnamese herbs, tomatoes, pineapple and some sort of alocasia. Here's a recipe.
 

A successful anniversary outing, to be sure!